The two-time defending Class B state champion Presque Isle Wildcat girls used a gritty comeback effort in their victory at Hermon Saturday afternoon.
PI found itself down throughout the first half and trailed by 10 at intermission before roaring back.
Junior guard Hannah Graham sat out a majority of the first half due to foul trouble and was limited to two points over the first 16 minutes, but she exploded for 15 second-half points to key the rally. Classmate Krystal Kingsbury tallied 12 points for PI.
“We had trouble matching Hermon’s quickness, but I liked the way we scratched and clawed our way back in the game,” said Wildcat coach Jeff Hudson. “We showed a lot of guts and desire in winning the game.”
Hudson said the team’s lone senior, Kaleigh Kinney, played an important role in the second half with some strong offensive rebounding and solid work in the team’s pressure defense scheme.
Shelby Caron led the Hawks with 18 points.
That same day, the Wildcat boys also trailed big early and rallied to take the lead, but squandered a 10-point advantage with three minutes to play as the Hawks won in overtime, 57-51.
Down 12-2 after a quarter, Andrew Paterson nailed a couple three-pointers in the second as PI tied the game by halftime. Bradley Shields netted eight third-quarter points and blocked several shots to keep his team close after three, while Michael Boone fired in four three-pointers in the fourth quarter to bolt the Wildcats to the double-digit lead.
However, Hermon hit some late threes and took advantage of several PI turnovers to force the extra session and their star player, Tyler Thayer, hit all seven of his free throw attempts to finish with 37 points and key the win.
Shields had a statistical triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 12 blocked shots. Boone finished with 19 points, four assists and three steals.
PI played without starting senior guard Cody Lyford, who was out with a sprained ankle.
Summaries of other games played since opening night Dec. 6 are as follows:
Limestone-MSSM girls 66, Fort Fairfield 52 — At Limestone Monday evening, sophomore Chelsey Pelkey had a huge game with 19 points and 12 assists as the Eagles used a strong second half to down the Tigers.
Mariah Williams tallied 14 points for the winners in a foul-plagued game which saw both teams combine to attempt 80 free throws. The Eagles poured in 44 second-half points after trailing throughout much of the first half.
Kelsee and Kassee Albert tallied nine and seven points, respectively, for the Eagles, while Alexis Bell notched seven points as well.
Taylor Churchill’s 13 points were tops for the Tigers, who were making their season debut.
Fort Fairfield boys 72, Limestone-MSSM 42 — In the first game of Monday’s doubleheader at Limestone Community School, the Tigers bolted to the victory behind two double-digit scorers and good balance beyond that.
Hunter Beaulieu and Robbie Watson led the offense as Beaulieu scored 15 points and Watson 14.
Other contributors for the Tigers were Logan Craig with nine, Johnny Theriault with seven and Chris Giberson and Noah Bernard with six each.
“We’ve had a balanced attack through our first two games,” said FF coach Todd Alley. “[Our results] are a step in the right direction, but we have lots of tests to come.”
Alley said Theriault, Giberson and Ryan Player have been instrumental in putting effective defensive pressure on opponents, while in rebounding, it’s been a team effort in getting the job done.
“The teamwork and hustle has really impressed me early on,” Alley said. “They don’t care who is filling up the stat sheet as long as we are getting the job done.”
Ashland boys 64, GHCA 21 — The Hornets grabbed a 20-2 lead after a quarter and cruised past Greater Houlton Christian Academy at home Monday.
Cody Blair fired in 17 points and Michael Cook was right behind with 16 to lead the way for the winners. Mark Chasse netted 11 and Tyler Chasse eight.
Aaron Holmes had 11 of the Eagles’ points.
GHCA girls 47, Ashland 36 — The guest Eagles trailed by four at halftime before rallying for the victory Monday. The host Hornets were limited to just three third-quarter points as GHCA took control.
Rylee Warman had a game-high 15 points to pace the victors. Caitlin Paradis led the Hornets with 12, while Marissa Chasse and Rachel Gillis each chipped in with 10.
Easton boys 69, East Grand 29 — Visiting Easton finished off a successful weekend with the easy win over the Vikings in Danforth Saturday.
Hunter Turner came through with a huge effort with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Logan Halvorson had 12 points, including three three-point field goals, and Drew Sotomayor 11.
“It’s always good to start the season off on the right foot,” said Easton coach Dillon Kingsbury. “We took care of business and won the way we want to and should. I thought our boys kept their focus, even when we were up 30.”
East Grand girls 37, Easton 36 — The Bears led by seven at the end of the first quarter, but the Vikings fought back to edge the visitors Saturday afternoon.
Kalie Ward and Cassandra Buck were the top point scorers for Easton with 10 and nine points, respectively. Sarah Stoddard’s 16 led the winners.
Southern Aroostook girls 54, Central Aroostook 40 — The Warriors’ Sable Altvater totaled 27 points to help lead the Warriors past CA Friday in the mutual regular season opener.
Marissa Anthony had 14 points, Karli Levesque 12 and Molly Anthony 11 for the Panthers in coach Joe Levesque’s coaching debut.
Southern Aroostook boys 57, Central Aroostook 39 — The Panthers, playing without standout junior guard Chandler Brewer, did not have the firepower to keep up with the Warriors Friday in Mars Hill.
Cameron Landry and Jackson Mathers combined for 36 points for the winners. Landry had 19 and Mathers 17.
Spencer Garrison was the lone Panther player to hit double figures as he netted 10.
In other games played Friday, all decided by lopsided scores, the Washburn girls downed Hodgdon, 80-11, as Grace Braley scored 16 points to lead the way for the three-time defending Class D state champs. Also, the Fort Fairfield boys bested Ashland, 61-32, and Easton dominated Wisdom in a boys’ matchup, 79-29.
