By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
BANGOR — The team that finishes strongly is often the team that comes away victorious.
Such was the case Saturday evening as No. 1 Houlton (19-2 overall) saw an 11-point third-quarter lead evaporate in the final period in its Eastern Class C boys championship against No. 2 Penquis (20-1).
Pioneer Times photograph/Joseph Cyr
IN THE LANE — Houlton’s Nick Guiod takes the ball into the lane against Penquis during the Class C finals.
The Patriots used a 15-3 run in the game’s final six minutes for an impressive 46-41 victory over Houlton. With the win, Penquis earned the right to play for the Class C state championship next Saturday against Western champ Boothbay.
Nick Guiod led the Shiretowners with 17 points, while Kyle Bouchard chipped in 10 and Kole Buzzeo added eight. Bouchard came into the game averaging 29.5 points in the two previous tournament games, including a 41-point effort against Bucksport in the quarterfinals.
Isaiah Bess paced the Patriots with 22 points, while Trevor Lyford added 11 points.
“I thought they (Penquis) picked up the intensity in the second half,” Houlton coach Rob Moran said. “We were not patient. We took a lot of bad shots. And we didn’t get the ball to our playmakers.”
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Joseph Cyr
OUT FRONT — Sending the ball up the court is Houlton’s Kole Buzzeo, with Jake Drew in the background following the play..
Moran said the two quick fouls that Bouchard got in the first quarter changed the way he was able to play for the rest of the first half. Bouchard had been guarding Bess to start the game, but he had to switch to another player for the rest of the first half for fear of picking up a third foul.
“It hurt us for sure,” Moran said. “It made us switch to a zone and they found gaps in our zone.”
After a relatively quiet first quarter for both squads, the scoring heated up in the second period. Guiod, a junior guard, hit twice from behind the 3-point arc, and added a field goal and foul shot as he scored nine of his 17 in the frame.
Bess answered for Penquis as he tallied nine of his 22 points in the second period, including a thunderous dunk off a Houlton turnover at half court, that brought the Patriot fans to their feet.
In the second half, particularly the fourth quarter, Penquis cranked up its defensive intensity and began pressing Houlton. The results paid off as the Shires committed numerous turnovers, which allowed Penquis back into the game.
“We went full court, pressured up and trapped them which hurried them,” said Penquis coach Tony Hamlin, who with the victory notched his 400th win as a coach. “They (Houlton) lost their poise, which was surprising.”
Neither team looked particularly deep to its bench Saturday night. Houlton used eight players in the game, while the Patriots went with just six players throughout the contest.
“The job (Cody) Herbest did on Bouchard all night long was a (heck of an) effort,” Hamlin said. “That kid (Bouchard) is a player and he struggled to score. I thought they got a little tired. We got tired too. Isaiah (Bess) was cramping up and I told them that if we were tired then that means they are tired and we have got to take it too them.”
Penquis took a 40-38 lead with 2:49 to play when Lyford converted an offensive putback off his own missed shot.
Houlton forced up numerous shots from the perimeter in the final 2:30, but couldn’t find the bottom of the net. Penquis also controlled most of the rebounds, which further compounded Houlton’s woes.
Guiod cut the lead to 44-41 with an NBA-style 3-pointer from way beyond the arc with 25.8 seconds to play. The Shires were unable to make a defensive stop and forced to foul to save time on the clock. Lyford sank a pair of free throws for Penquis, giving the team the decisive 46-41 lead.
Houlton lofted up three 3-point shots in the final seconds, but none were able to find their mark as time expired.
Foul shooting opportunities swung in favor of the Patriots as Penquis converted 11 of 18 free throws (61 percent), while Houlton made eight of 11 foul shots (73 percent).
Moran said more than anything Houlton “beat ourselves” by committing far too many turnovers and making poor choices with shot selections.
Pioneer Times photograph/Joseph Cyr
GOOD SEASON — The Houlton Shiretowners finished their season as Eastern Maine Class C runners-up on Saturday. Holding the trophy are, from left, Dan Howe, Kole Buzzeo and Dan Swallow.
HOULTON (41)
Buzzeo 3 1-1 8, Crockett, Guiod 6 1-2 17, Bouchard 2 6-7 10, Swallow 2 0-1 4, Howe, Drew 1 0-0 2. Totals: 14 8-11 41. 3-pointers — Guiod 4.
PENQUIS (46)
Lyford 4 2-3 11, Durant 1 0-2 2, Bess 6 7-9 22, Pelletier 1 1-2 4, Herbest 2 0-0 5, Johnson 1 0-1 2. Totals: 15 11-18 46. 3-pointers — Bess 3, Pelletier.
Shires 9 16 11 5 — 41
Patriots 6 15 7 18 — 46
