What a community, what a game

More than 1,000 people filled Alumni Gymnasium last Saturday night in Houlton to watch a rematch between Houlton and visiting Hodgdon.
    “It was a great atmosphere for a high school basketball game,” said Houlton coach Rob Moran. “It was enjoyable. I thought the Houlton band really added to the atmosphere and both teams’ fans cheered their teams hard.”
The capacity crowd not only rooted on their own teams, but joined forces to support a fighting spirit, with donations to the Jeremiah Crockett family. All proceeds raised from ribbons and donation boxes went to the Crocketts, as Jeremiah fights  cancer.
One of the Crocketts’ sons, Elyjah, plays for the Houlton Shiretowners. He stood in front of the crowd and said he couldn’t think of any better community to live in, as he thanked everyone for their support to his father and family.
All-in-all, Saturday night was what high school basketball games should be.
“What a fun and energetic atmosphere,” said Hodgdon coach Rob Smith. “I wish every game we played was in front of a crowd as excited, loud and into the game like on Saturday night. It was a great game to be a part of and coach.”
The Shiretowners used their improved free-throw shooting down the line to take a 43-37 win to avenge their earlier one-point loss in Hodgdon. The teams played evenly throughout the game with no more than five points separating the clubs at any time.
“We missed some early shots that could of taken the nerves away from us,” said Smith. “We missed our first five shots. When we make our first basket the boys start to settle in.”
Nick Lunn and Tyler Sherman kept pressure on the Shires, as they each hit from behind the arc in the early going, but Hodgdon’s perimeter game faded over the course of the game.
“They still had the green light to shoot, but when we do not shoot well from the outside, we try to work into our inside game,” explained Smith.
The Hawks struggled offensively in the first half, but still managed to take a 21-18 halftime advantage.
“Hodgdon played good man-to-man,” said Moran. “And, I thought their zone was effective as well. We had some decent looks in the first half down on the baseline, but they weren’t falling. But, we managed to stay within striking distance.”
The Hawks took advantage of mismatches to pound the ball inside, but the Shiretowners’ height caused difficulty.
“It was hard to score inside,” said Smith. “There were a lot of big bodies in the paint and Houlton challenged our shots.”
Moran liked what he saw from Dan Swallow on the boards, saying “He was a key.” As Swallow sat on the bench with foul trouble, Moran noted Hodgdon “beat us up” on the glass. Swallow finished with 20 rebounds.
“He did a great job for us,” Moran added.
Moran also noted the having Isaiah Straubel back in the lineup “provided a huge lift for us, especially in the first half when he hit three big jump shots that kept us in the game.”
With just under two minutes gone in the third quarter, Hodgdon had built a 23-18 cushion. That’s when Houlton freshman Kyle Bouchard went to work, scoring 12 points in the quarter, spearheading a 32-29 Shire advantage to begin the final eight minutes.
“At halftime, we switched how we play our 1-3-1 defense and wanted to continue to work ‘inside-outside’ on offense,” explained Smith. “We let Kyle slice in and through our zone too easily.”
Moran said, “Kyle took over and carried us on his back for awhile. He’s a great player. He stepped up.”
Though Bouchard struggled offensively in the first half, Moran saw jitters on both sides, as the younger players adjusted to the size of the crowd packed in around the floor.
The Hawks started to work the ball into Josh Hudson, who scored in key moments to keep the game close.
“Our game plan was to still work the ball around and look for the best shot,” Smith explained. “We got some open looks, but were unable to knock them down. The Shires did well to crash the boards and when we did get second chances, we were not capitalizing on them.”
Houlton was able to safeguard their lead by “becoming more deliberate,” said Moran. “I wanted to make them play man-to-man. We were able to take care of the ball and make enough free throws and we were able to hang on for the win.”
Moran said Nick Guiod was instrumental in protecting the ball and moving the ball on offense, as well as making free throws at the end of the game. Guiod was six for eight from the stripe.
The Shires made nine of 14 free throws down the stretch, as the Hawks’ foul trouble cost them.
“That hurt us,” said Smith. “When you have two starters foul out and one with four fouls, it is hard to play aggressive defense.”
In the last minute, both teams combined for back-to-back turnovers.
“It was a little bit sloppy,” Moran noted. “They were similar unforced turnovers. We let them hang around when we did it and when they did it, it hurt them from having an opportunity to get back into it.”
Overall, both coaches were happy with their teams’ defense.
“Both teams are long and athletic,” Moran added. “But what I think won the game for us more than anything was our half-court man down the stretch.”
Bouchard finished the game with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Swallow added seven points. Straubel and Doug Dickison chipped in with six points apiece.
Hudson paced Hodgdon with 12 points, while Lunn scored 10, including two 3-pointers, and Sherman netted seven.