Houlton girls have exceeded preseason hopes

HOULTON, Maine — When the season started, it looked as if the Houlton Lady Shires would have a tough season. Instead, the Lady Shires have put themselves in contention to make a strong playoff bid, as they are now 8-2 on the year, currently holding third in the Class C Heal Point standings.
     “I am very pleased,” said Houlton coach Shawn Graham. “We are actually farther ahead than I had initially hoped. Coming into the season, we tried to look at things from a more conservative approach, hoping to vie for a playoff spot somewhere in the 7-10 range.”
As Graham pointed out, that is no longer the case.
“We have gotten off to a good start and therefore, we have set our goals a bit higher now,” he said.
With teams still jockeying for positions midway through the year, the Lady Shires are setting their sights on the sixth seed.
“This would keep us from having to play a preliminary-round playoff game to get into the tournament,” Graham pointed out.
Class C is competitive from the No. 1 down to No. 10 position, especially with the additions of Woodland, Central and Foxcroft Academy, Graham added.
“Avoiding a prelim game would be huge,” he said. “However, there is still a lot of basketball left.”
In the preseason, the Lady Shires concentrated on their defense, hoping to ignite their offense. So far, that strategy is paying off.
“They come ready to play defense every night,” Graham said. “That’s been key for us. We struggle at times on the offensive end, but the defense and hustle has been there all year, regardless if it is a practice or game.”
The Lady Shires, according to their coach, are active on the court.
“I give the girls 100 percent credit,” Graham said. “When you consistently play with energy, good things generally happen.”
The Lady Shires’ defense has been a bit stingy, allowing on average 32-35 points a game.
“On the offense, a lot of credit goes to our free throw shooting,” Graham added. “We got a number of girls hovering around the 70 percent mark and that is key in any close game.”