Houlton soars past Minutemen

    Monday was a busy night for girls basketball as teams returned to action following the Christmas holiday. The following is a recap of games played through Monday, Dec. 28.
    Houlton 42, Stearns 30 — At Houlton Monday, the Shiretowners used a stingy, pressing defense to limit Stearns’ offensive chances and when the Minutemen were able to get a shot off, Houlton made sure it was not a quality one.
Vanessa Sanderson paced the Shires (5-1) with 12 points, while Amanda Fogarty added 10; Taylor Bailey, nine; Katie Cone, six; Martha McPartland, three; and Makala Folsom, two.
For Stearns (3-2), Alyssa Beaulieu led the way with eight points, while Taylor Pelkey added seven; Rebecca Leavitt and Kirsten Marter, both four; Chelsea Rogan, Monica Deabay and Ashley Johnson, each two; and Alex Mooney, one.
An inability to convert free throws proved costly for Stearns as the team converted just nine of 22 (41 percent) foul shots. Houlton was slightly better making five of 10 free throws (50 percent).
Houlton jumped to a quick 6-0 lead to start the game, prompting Stearns to take a quick timeout. Stearns battled back to within a basket as the quarter ended with Houlton on top 10-7.
In the second quarter, both squads exchanged baskets, but Houlton closed out the frame in style with a 6-0 run that featured a 3-pointer McPartland, a short jumper by Fogarty and a buzzer-beating offensive putback by Cone to give Houlton a 23-13 lead going into halftime.
The third quarter saw Stearns rally quickly, scoring two quick baskets. Stearns also tried unsuccessfully to pressure Houlton with a full-court press. The Shires easily broke that press and increased their lead to 34-17 by the end of the stanza.
The fourth quarter saw the reserves for Houlton see considerable time after the Shires upped their lead to 40-20 with 5:04 to play. The final three minutes turned into a game of foul shots as both squads went to the line often.
Southern Aroostook 64, Hodgdon 33— At Hodgdon Monday, Liz Goodall tallied 26 points to pace SACS (6-1) to the lopsided win over Hodgdon. Shelby Hartin added 13, while Rochelle Nadeau had 11; Kaitlyn Sommers, six; and Janel Rockwell, Jasmine Rockwell, Cassie Garcelon and Olivia Raymond, each had two.
For Hodgdon (2-4), Brittany Davies led the way with 11 points. Chelsea Sloat added seven points, while Lacey McQuarrie had five; Emmaly Jurson, four; and Cierra Willette, Jillian London, Destiny Ellis, each had two.
The Warriors led 18-10, 32-27 and 46-30 at the quarter breaks.
Easton 46, Greater Houlton Christian Academy 30— At the University of Maine at Presque Isle Monday, Carla Halvorson netted 16 points to spark Easton (4-4) to victory over the Eagles. Sydney Trask added five points for the Bears, while Katie Cyr, Sarah Plourde, and Mindy Desmond, each had three; and Abigail Pool, two.
For the Eagles (2-4), freshman Mariah Wiley led the way with 11 points, while Emily Little, seven; McKenzie McGuire and Amber Michaud, both four; and Desiree Vargas and Salena Michaud, both two.
GHCA led 10-7 in the first quarter, but Easton seized a 26-14 halftime lead and was up 35-20 after three quarters.
Katahdin 67, East Grand 25 — At Stacyville Dec. 22, Katahdin (3-3) jumped to a 17-point, first-quarter lead and never looked back as Brittany Fogarty sparked the Cougars with a game-high 21 points and Olivia McNally added 11. Other Katahdin scorers were: Kali Rush and Megan Merry, both 10; Melissa Duffy, seven; Bailey McNally, six; and Makayla Patterson, two.
For East Grand (1-4), Jenny Armstrong and Elisha Farley both netted eight points in the loss, while Felica Cowger added four; Kim Armstrong, three; and Billie Ann Hannington, two.
Katahdin led 21-4, 39-12 and 52-19 at the quarter breaks.
Central Aroostook 48, Hodgdon 32 — At Hodgdon Dec. 22, Rachael Grew scored 14 points, while Panther teammate Vicki McIntyre added 13 to lift Central Aroostook (4-2) to victory. Other Panther scorers were: Chelsea Hartin, nine; Kristen Long, seven; and Brianna Hartin, five.
For Hodgdon, sophomore Davies led the way with 13 points, while Sloat added five; Amanda Ryan and Haley Quint, both three; Kimberly Levesque and Jurson, both two; and Willette, one.
Central Aroostook led 12-8, 26-13 and 39-24 at the quarter breaks.