Sports Editor
A strong second-quarter stand proved the difference Tuesday evening as the Caribou boys basketball team defeated Houlton 56-43 at Houlton and followed up with a 49-39 overtime victory over Mattanawcook Academy Saturday.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
Driving past Houlton defender Corey Woodworth is Caribou’s Cameron Anderson during a Jan. 5 game in Houlton. The Vikings rolled to a 56-43 win over the Shiretowners.
At Houlton, the Vikings outscored the Shiretowners 14-5 in the second quarter to break open what had been a tight contest through the first eight minutes of play.
“I thought we played pretty well defensively in the first half,” Caribou coach Chris Casavant said. “We’ve been working on pressuring the basketball and pressuring the passing lanes, and I think we did a lot of nice things in the first half to take Houlton out of their rhythm.”
Cameron Anderson paced the Vikings with 17 points, while Chris Nadeau chipped in 12; Matt Till, nine; Ted Walker, eight; Jon Ouellette, four; Chad Caverhill and Stephen St. Peter, both two; and Evan Susee and Brandon Holdsworth, both one.
For Houlton, Micah Goetsch led the way with nine points, while Jordan Codrey added seven; Doug Dickison and Chris Anderson, both six; Corey Woodworth, five; Ethan Quint and Pat Hutchinson, both four; and Darrell Hanning, two.
“Whenever we play, we’re looking to keep the game in the 40s,” Casavant said. “I knew that Mike [Fogarty] would come out and make each possession count. They [Houlton] are a lot like us. There isn’t any one great talent, so you have to try to keep the score down and your opponent’s possessions to a minimum.”
An inability to convert from the free throw line hurt Houlton as the Shires converted just six of 16 free throw attempts (38 percent). Conversely, Caribou was 17 of 27 (63 percent) from the foul line.
The Shires were solid in the first quarter, swapping the lead three times with the Vikings. Caribou rattled off seven unanswered points to end the quarter on top 14-10. In that run, Till drained a 3-pointer, followed by a pair of Walker buckets from the post.
In the second quarter, Caribou cranked up its defensive intensity, outscoring Houlton 14-5, including another 7-0 run to end the half. This run featured a pair of Till free throws, followed by an Anderson 3-pointer and floating jumper by Caverhill for a 28-15 halftime lead.
The third stanza proved to be a stalemate as both squads netted 16 points, giving the Vikings a 44-31 advantage heading into the final quarter.
A slow start greeted both squads to the final frame, as neither team was able to find the basket in the first three minutes of the quarter. Houlton made a run at Caribou, cutting the lead to 10 (48-38) with 3:02 to play as Goetsch, Chris Anderson and Hanning had the hot hand. The trio combined for seven points over a two-minute span to get the Shires closer.
That 10-point margin was a close as Houlton would get, however, as the Vikings showed poise at the free throw line, making 8 of 10 foul shots in the final 2:30 to seal the victory.
“We definitely made a run at it,” Houlton coach Fogarty said. “We actually finished a few of our shots, which was good to see. We have been struggling [in previous games] to finish. We’ve played good defensively, but if you can’t score, you can’t win many games.”
Caribou 49, Mattanawcook 39 (OT) — At Caribou Saturday, the Vikings made the most of their foul shots in overtime to pull out the 49-39 victory over Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln. Walker paced Caribou with 11 points, while Anderson added 10; Till, nine; Chris Nadeau and Holdsworth, both six; Stephen St. Peter, four; and Chad Caverhill, three.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
Getting the ball blocked from behind by Houlton’s Micah Goetsch, left, is Caribou’s Chris Nadeau. The Vikes won, 56-43.
Lance Bernier led Mattanawcook with 10 points.
Caribou trailed 14-7, 23-15 and 30-28 at the quarter breaks before rallying to tie the game at 38-38 at the end of regulation. The Vikes hit nine of 10 free throw attempts in overtime, while limiting the Lynx to a single point during the stretch.
“We’ve shot 49 percent (from the line) as a team, and it cost us against Ellsworth,” Casavant said. “We hit 18 out of 25 Saturday and it helped us come out on top.”
Casavant said after a tough start, his team found its game.
“We weren’t real pleased with the first half. We were stagnant on offense and it affected our defensive tempo,” said the coach. “In the second half and in overtime, we were more aggressive attacking their zone.”
Nadeau, Till and Anderson all grabbed six rebounds, while St. Peter came off the bench to lead the team in that department with seven. Anderson led the team in steals with three.
