By Michael Hoffer
MaxPreps.com
A basketball game degenerated into an ugly scene Friday evening.
Late in the third period of Friday night's Lewiston at Lawrence game in Fairfield, an altercation between a couple players developed into pushing and shoving which eventually brought several people out of the stands to either get involved or try to break it up.
While the entire incident lasted just a couple of minutes, repercussions have been felt statewide as virtually every news outlet mentioned it, even if many of their readers or viewers had no idea where the teams are from.
No arrests were made and the decision over whether or not players will be penalized was uncertain as of Monday.
The game was suspended with Lawrence leading 45-35. It's likely that the Bulldogs will be given credit for the victory and the game won't be replayed or played to its finish. If it is replayed, it is possible that no fans will be allowed to attend.
Boys' Basketball: Cheverus Wins Instant Classic
The Cheverus Stags showed signs of mortality Friday night but in the end, they found a way to stay unbeaten with a sensational 63-61 come-from-behind win over host South Portland.
The Stags trailed almost the whole way and were down by 11 points late in the third period before coming back. Cheverus tied the game at 55-55 late in the regulation on a lay-up from senior Doug Alston, but the host Red Riots had a couple of good chances to win the game, only to see promising shots miss.
In overtime, the teams went back and forth before the Stags took the lead for good, 62-61, when senior Mick DiStasio fed junior Ian Barwise for a lay-up with 37 seconds left. South Portland raced by down and got the ball on the wing to senior Will Furbush, but his shot was just off with 5.6 seconds to play. Cheverus sophomore Indiana Faithfull was fouled and made the second of two free throws, but the Red Riots had one last chance. With time winding down, the ball came to senior Nick Gaddar just outside the 3-point stripe. His bid looked promising, but was just long and the Stags improved to 14-0 with the 63-61 triumph.
DiStasio led Cheverus with 15 points. Faithfull added 14 and Alston had 13. South Portland's Keegan Hyland led all scorers with 21 points.
"(South Portland) outplayed us," Cheverus coach Bob Brown said. "They out-hustled us. They out-executed us in the first half. Give them all the credit. We made a few substitutions. We played hard and executed some offense that they didn't take us out of. For those kids to have enough in them to win shows a lot."
"We had a few turnovers late in the game, but overall, I'm so impressed with and proud of my team," countered South Portland's first-year coach Phil Conley. "I couldn't have asked for anything more. They left it all on the line. I thought we hit shots, like they did. I thought it was a great high school basketball game. Cheverus is a very good team, but we are as well and I think we proved it tonight."
The Stags are now first in the Western Class A Heal Points standings, but have several more tests the balance of the regular year. Cheverus is home against No. 2 Thornton Academy Tuesday, hosts South Portland in a rematch Friday, then closes the season at Deering and Portland.
While Thornton Academy (13-1) continues to run second in the Heals, Deering remains a top threat and is third. The Rams bounced back from a loss at Cheverus with a 59-39 win over Biddeford to improve to 11-3.
South Portland (11-3) proved that it is a legitimate title contender with its performance against Cheverus and the Red Riots (fourth in Western A) have a tough closing stretch as well. After playing at Portland Tuesday and Cheverus Friday, South Portland finishes its regular year with games at Deering and home versus Portland.
Portland, which has quietly won seven of eight games to improve to 10-4, is now fifth in the standings. Scarborough (9-5) has dropped to sixth.
Westbrook (7-7), Windham (8-6) and Bonny Eagle (7-7) all appear to be sure things for the playoffs. Gorham (6-8), Marshwood (5-9) and Biddeford (5-9) are fighting it out for the final two berths.
The regular season ends Feb. 8. The playoffs begin Feb. 12.
In Eastern A, the story continues to be all Bangor, all the time. On day night, the Rams downed second-ranked Edward Little, 57-42, to improve to 14-0.
In addition to the Red Eddies (10-4), Hampden Academy (8-6), Mt. Blue (11-3), Lawrence (8-6), Cony (10-4), Messalonskee (7-7) and Skowhegan (9-5) are in the mix.
Western Class B was also home to an exciting overtime contest Saturday. Freeport, riding a five-game win streak, hosted a Greely squad which had dropped three of four, including one in stunning fashion to Lake Region the night before.
The Falcons led once all game, 4-3, and the Rangers took control from there, pushing their lead to as many as 15 points before Freeport chipped away. The Falcons finally tied the score on a runner from junior Jon Klages in the waning seconds, making it 61-61, but Greely dominated the overtime, scoring all 15 points to roll to the 76-61 win behind 24 points from sophomore Trevor Tierney and 21 from senior Spenser Adams.
"It was tough," said Tierney. "I don't think I've played in an atmosphere like this. The crowd was crazy. We came in and played our game. It was fun. We're getting it together at the end of the season. We were coming off a tough loss. We knew we had to get it together or our season wouldn't go the way we wanted it to."
"We talked about the fact that people are getting geared up to play us and we weren't matching their intensity," Greely coach Ken Marks added. "I thought tonight, we matched their intensity. We had the game pretty much put away in regulation, but we made some mistakes. To come back and shut them out in overtime is pretty impressive after playing last night.
"Our whole philosophy tonight was just to play it and I thought they did, especially in overtime."
Klages led Freeport with 18 points.
"We played so well in the second half to get back in, but we didn't get many bounces," Falcons' coach Craig Sickels said. "To score 40 points in the second half, I thought that helped. I thought our defensive energy was better in the second half. It's unfortunate we couldn't carry it into overtime.
"I told the kids it's one game and one loss. Everyone's got two or three losses. Our losses have been in double overtime, in overtime and at the buzzer. We haven't gotten beat by someone we shouldn't get beaten by and we haven't got beat by a lot of points.”
The win lifted Greely (10-4) to third in the Western B Heals.
Yarmouth (12-2) still leads the way, but the Clippers were stunned by 69-54 at Waynflete last week before bouncing back with a 78-46 home win over Gray-New Gloucester. Yarmouth has been bolstered by the return of senior standout Joe Dilworth, who missed a month with a broken hand. Dilworth played sparingly in the loss to the Flyers and didn't attempt a shot from the field. Against the Patriots, however, he showed flashes of his old self, scoring 14 points (including a 3-pointer).
Cape Elizabeth knocked Traip from the ranks of the unbeaten Friday (56-46) and downed host Wells (54-45) Saturday to improve to 12-2. The Capers have won nine straight and are now second to the Clippers in the Heals.
After Greely comes Freeport (11-3), always-dangerous Mountain Valley (11-2) and Falmouth (10-4). Lake Region (8-6) moved up to seventh after its upset win at Greely. Oak Hill (4-11), Wells (4-10), Fryeburg (3-11) and Lincoln Academy (3-11) are battling for the final three playoff spots.
In Eastern B, Maranacook is still perfect at 14-0 and the Black Bears lead the standings. Six other teams have won at least 10 games, suggesting the tournament will be wide open. Other contenders to watch include Presque Isle (13-2), Caribou (13-1), Camden Hills (13-1), Rockland (11-3), Mattanawcook (10-3) and MDI (11-3).
Traip Academy was outscored 27-6 in the fourth quarter Friday at Cape Elizabeth and fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 10-point loss. The Rangers (11-1) still lead the Heals, however, but are closely followed by Winthrop (11-1), Dirigo (13-1) and Boothbay (8-6). Waynflete, following its impressive victory over Yarmouth, is now 8-6 and fifth. Wiscasset (10-4) is also in the hunt.
The Eastern C standings are led by Calais, Lee Academy and Schenck.
In Western D, Richmond continues to chug along and sets the pace. Forest Hills, perennial contender Valley and Seacoast Christian are in the running as well.
In Eastern D, Central Aroostook, Deer Isle-Stonington, Woodland, Easton and Ashland lead the parade.
Girls' Basketball: Deering, South Portland Continue to Lead the Way
The South Portland girls' solidified their lead in the Western A Heals Friday with a decisive 42-26 victory at defending regional champion McAuley, a team the Red Riots have dominated the past four years.
South Portland led 12-4 after one quarter and slowly pulled away behind 11 points from senior Kelsey Flaherty and 10 from junior Brianna Hawkins.
The Red Riots are now 13-2 and have home games remaining versus Kennebunk, McAuley and a season-ending showdown with No. 2 Deering.
The Rams could still take over the top spot for the tournament if they finish out the season with nothing but victories. Deering won 73-45 at Portland Friday to extend its win streak to seven games. The Rams (13-2) got 16 points from Nicole Garland, 12 from Diana Manduca and 10 from Casey Everest. Deering still has games remaining versus Massabesic, South Portland and Cheverus.
Noble, Scarborough (9-4) and Westbrook (10-4) are also sitting pretty, hoping to earn a bye right into the quarterfinals. Marshwood, Massabesic and Gorham would host prelims if the playoffs started today. Biddeford, McAuley and Cheverus round out teams that would currently qualify for the postseason. Thornton Academy and Portland still have hope, but need a big victory.
Eastern A doesn't have a clear favorite. Morse had led most of the season, but the Shipbuilders (12-2) recently dropped into second place in the Heals behind Lawrence (13-1). Oxford Hills and Brunswick (both 10-4) come next and defending state champion Cony (12-2) is fifth. Bangor (11-3), Messalonskee (8-6) and Edward Little (7-7) would host prelims if the playoffs started today.
In Western B, Falmouth and Lake Region (who played in the regional final a year ago) are emerging again as the top teams. Over the weekend, the two-time defending regional champion Lakers beat both Greely and Fryeburg Academy to improve to 12-2. The Yachtsmen, meanwhile, are 13-1 after crushing St. Dom's (62-33) and Poland (67-32).
Falmouth, which lost 51-45 at Lake Region on Jan. 12, hosts the Lakers in the regular season finale Feb. 7. That game will likely determine which squad goes into the tournament at No. 1.
Greely had its seven-game win streak snapped by Lake Region, but the Rangers are still 10-4 and third in Western B. They play at Falmouth Tuesday, then go to Fryeburg, which is 10-4 and sixth. York (12-2) and Mountain Valley (11-2) are fourth and fifth, respectively. Lisbon (7-7) and Gray-New Gloucester (7-7) are looking good in quests to host a prelim. Oak Hill (5-10), Wells (7-7), Yarmouth (5-9) and Lincoln Academy (5-9) are fighting it out for the final two playoff berths.
In Eastern B, defending state champ Waterville remains undefeated and No. 1 in the standings. John Bapst (15-1), Hermon (13-2), Mattanawcook (11-2), Erskine (11-4), Camden (9-5), Gardiner (10-4), Mt. View (10-5) and Winslow (9-5) all boast strong records as well.
In Western C, Madison leads the way with its 14-0 record. Monmouth (12-2) and Waynflete (12-2) aren't far behind. The Flyers continue to roll and are now 30-2 over the past two regular seasons, following easy wins over Yarmouth and Old Orchard Beach.
Nine other teams in the region have winning records, including perennial powerhouse Dirigo (8-7), which is 13th in the Heals.
Houlton, Lee Academy, Stearns, Washington Academy and undefeated George Stevens Academy are all in the midst of solid years in Eastern C.
In Western D, Vinalhaven, Buckfield, Forest Hills, Valley and Richmond lead the way. You can't ever write off Rangeley, though. The Lakers are sixth in the Heals.
Finally, in Eastern Class D, six teams have double-digit victories to their credit. Leading the Heals is Washburn (12-2). Then comes Central Aroostook (12-1), Woodland (10-3), Houlton Christian (12-3), Ashland (10-3) and Bangor Christian (10-3).
Hockey: Biddeford and Lewiston remain the teams to beat
It's a familiar refrain on the ice, but Biddeford and Lewiston continue to dominate.
In Western Class A, the defending state champion Tigers remain unbeaten and atop the Heals. Kennebunk improved to 11-3 with an impressive 6-1 win at Western B power Greely Saturday. Falmouth, Thornton Academy, Portland and St. Dom's remain threats as well.
In Eastern A, Lewiston defeated top contender Waterville, 2-0, Saturday night to improve to 13-0-1. Casey Poussard scored twice short-handed and Cam Poussard made 29 saves to give the Blue Devils the win. Brewer and Brunswick are also top threats in the region.
The Western B landscape could change Tuesday when top-ranked York hosts a red-hot Greely squad, which was only momentarily derailed by Kennebunk. The Wildcats lost 10-0 to Kennebunk last month and appear more vulnerable than was previously thought. Leavitt and Cape Elizabeth are lurking as well.
In Eastern B, Winslow, Presque Isle, John Bapst, Houlton and Gardiner have the best records and most Heal Points.
Michael Hoffer is the sports editor of The Forecaster, a family of weekly newspapers based in Falmouth. Michael can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net
