The Houlton third- and fourth-grade Aroostook Youth Basketball League boys, coached by Travis and Chad Gentle, participated in the annual Round Ball, a recreational tournament held at the University of Maine Orono campus.
The local team played opponents from Bucksport, Glenburn, Caravel and MDI.
After the dust settled from the two-day tournament, the Houlton squad captured the championship with an undefeated record.
Houlton drew Bucksport in their opening tournament game in the first round. Houlton came out blazing in the first half, jumping to a 10-point lead and holding off Bucksport for the 47-42 victory.
Hunter Sennett led Houlton with 17 points, while Isaiah Gentle and Drew Foley each had eight points.
In their next game, Houlton overpowered Glenburn, 40-17.
Michael Beaton paced Houlton’s offense with 15 points, while Joel Carmichael tossed in 10 more.
In their third game, Houlton faced a tough Caravel team. But, Houlton’s defense in the second half stopped Caravel cold. The Houlton boys pulled out a 43-33 win to move onto the championship game.
Sennett finished with 15 points, while Carmichael netted nine and Beaton scored eight.
In the championship game, Houlton faced another undefeated team in MDI. The Houlton boys trailed by 13 early — with impatient play and some unfortunate calls — but just before halftime, they climbed to within eight, 23-15.
In the second half, Houlton changed its pace and clamped down on MDI, holding them to seven second-half points. Still trailing by three with two minutes to play, Gentle stole the ball at half court and drove in for a layup to bring Houlton to within a point.
A couple of possessions later, Gentle again stole the ball and was fouled going to the lane. He made both of his foul shots to give Houlton a one-point advantage. With just seconds left, MDI couldn’t handle Houlton’s defensive pressure as Houlton held the lead and brought home the championship, 31-30.
Sennett racked up 14 points, while Gentle and Foley each dropped in seven.
Playing for Houlton are Jadon Gentle, Isaiah Gentle, Colin Moody, Gage Bartlett, Thadon Gentle, Hunter Sennett, Drew Foley, Michael Beaton, Nolan Hodgkins, J.R. Policano and Joel Carmichael.
