First time season matchup between Houlton-Hodgdon

“It’s going to be a tough game,” said Houlton coach Rob Moran.
The Shiretowners will be traveling to Hodgdon on Thursday to take on the 4-0 Hawks in a cross-town matchup at 7 p.m., with the junior varsity playing at 5:30 p.m.
    “Rob Smith has done a good job with the kids out there,” Moran said. “They are a talented team. They are 4-0 for a reason. Their guards are solid and they have a lot of athletic players, who I respect. They are a quality team.”
Smith said his Hawks will have to play with composure, limit turnovers and crash the boards.
“Our last game, we did not box out well and it gave Fort Fairfield a lot of second chances,” explained Smith. “We can not allow Houlton to get too many second chances. Second chances lead to points or fouls for us most of the time. We have to keep their big guys off the boards and our guys will have to work hard at boxing out.”
Smith wants his team to remain collected on offense, as well.
“We need to stay under control and take care of the ball,” he said. “This means looking for good shots and limiting turnovers. We can get out and run, but sometimes we go too fast and turn the ball over.  If we can limit our turnovers it will help us or at least give us a chance to win the game. We always set a goal to limit our turnovers at a certain number for each game. When we hit our mark or go below, we have won. When we exceed our goal for turnovers, we have had to work even harder to come away with the win.”
Moran knows his players will have to play better defense and have everyone contributing to the offense.
“We are going to have to play well to beat them,” he said. “Not one of them in the rotation isn’t athletic. They are all good athletes. They have a good chance to make some noise in Class D. It will be a great game.”
Smith said that his players look forward to the local matchups on their schedule.
“The Houlton and GHCA games are the two teams and dates everyone marks in their heads as the season begins,” he said. “These kids have grown up together and may have played together at some time during elementary or middle school. A win brings bragging rights to the school and in the town. Everyone in town talks about this game all week.  We have a lot of respect for the Houlton athletes and for their new coach, Rob Moran.”
Typically, the gymnasium is filled to capacity and Smith expects no different this year.
“It never matters what the records are or how each team has been playing,” explained Smith. “Each team comes in and gives it their all and leaves it all on the court.”
The Houlton-Hodgdon girls’ contest is the next night at 7 p.m. Friday at Houlton, with the preliminary game starting at 5:30 p.m.
“I think the cross-town matchup is fun for everyone,” said Hodgdon coach Vaughn Farrar. “We just need to stay focused and play the way we are capable of.”
The Lady Hawks are playing a stretch of four games in six days.
“I really don’t think my girls have given it much thought,” he said. “We are trying to go one game at a time. I think the fans probably are more anxious for it than the players because of our schedule.”