By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
On Senior Night at Caribou High School Friday, the Viking boys’ basketball team put on a show against its top rivals.
Caribou jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first two minutes and were never given a serious threat in a 63-43 victory over Presque Isle.
The Vikings used their tenacious man-to-man defense to force numerous turnovers throughout the game and often converted them into points on the other end of the floor.
Caribou also enjoyed a significant rebounding advantage throughout the contest.
The Vikes led by seven after a quarter and by 12 at halftime. They put the game away by outscoring the Wildcats 20-12 in the third quarter and substitutes for both teams played for a majority of the final eight minutes.
Dayne Savage hit for a game-high 19 points, while Cody Herbert tossed in another 16. Matt Milliard had eight and Donovan Savage and Derek Richardson seven each.
PI relied on its perimeter shooting to keep things within striking distance. Michael Boone had 12 points, all on three-pointers, while Cody Lyford connected on three three-pointers and netted 10 points.
Caribou did a stellar defensive job on Wildcat 6-8 center Bradley Shields, holding him to just three field goals and a total of seven points.
Caribou ended up sweeping the season series against the Wildcats. At Presque Isle on Jan. 8, the Vikings were 55-31 winners.
Coach Chris Casavant’s team, with a 14-4 record, plays a preliminary playoff game tonight at 6 p.m. against Gardiner. Caribou is the No. 4 seed, while the visiting Tigers, with a 10-8 record, are ranked 13th.
The winner of the game will play either No. 5 Winslow or No. 12 Foxcroft Academy in Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. Game time is 10:35 a.m.
Caribou was beaten at Houlton last Tuesday, 62-59, in its bid to knock off the undefeated Shiretowners.
Four Caribou players hit for double figures and accounted for 57 of the team’s points. Dayne Savage and Herbert both had 17, while Richardson posted 12 and Donovan Savage 11. Dayne Savage had a three-point shot attempt at the buzzer that would have tied the game, but it was off the mark.
The Caribou girls ended their season with a 76-43 home loss to PI Thursday. Sam Lizotte’s 12 points led the Vikes, who finished 4-14 and out of the post-season.
