By Michael Hoffer
MaxPreps.com
The Cheverus boys basketball team continues to reinforce the belief that it is the gold standard in Class A. The defending state champions improved to 12-0 with wins at Deering (63-35) and Westbrook (60-44) in recent action.
Against the Rams, the Stags pulled away with a 16-0 run. Junior Indiana Faithfull had 21 points. At Westbrook, which had lost just once this season, Cheverus got off to a great start and rode a 15-2 run to a 21-6 lead after one period. The Blue Blazes never got closer than 10 points after that and the Stags rolled to the victory behind 30 points from senior standout Mick DiStasio.
“I thought we played pretty well,” Cheverus coach Bob Brown said. “I thought we did some good things on the offensive end, but I thought the defensive end was really good. I think if you just win at Westbrook you've done a good job. It's a tough place to play, a good homecourt advantage."
The Stags still have some heavy lifting ahead. They host Keegan Hyland and South Portland Friday, go to Thornton Academy Tuesday and still have to go to South Portland and Portland.
The Red Riots are the leaders in the latest Heal Points standings. Hyland scored a dazzling 47 points in an upset win at No. 3 Thornton Academy last Tuesday. Westbrook is second. Cheverus, Portland and Deering round out the top six.
In Western B, Falmouth stayed on top Friday with a 65-48 win at Yarmouth. A 14-0 run to end the first half put the Yachtsmen on top to stay. Junior Stefano Mancini had 20 points and junior Ryan Rogers added 14.
“I thought it was the defensive end that did it for us,” Falmouth coach Dave Halligan said. “We started to play team defense instead of individual defense. Once we did that, we were fine.”
Greely has moved into the No. 2 spot. Monday, the Rangers won at No. 3 Lake Region, 43-37. Defending regional champion Cape Elizabeth is fourth. The Capers have won seven in a row. Mountain Valley, Yarmouth and Lincoln Academy are also in the hunt.
Girls Basketball: Greely pummels Lake Region
Greely hasn't been mentioned in the discussion of top Western Class B girls' contenders, but that should change after Monday's result. Hosting three-time defending regional champion Lake Region, the Rangers simply dominated and served notice that they intend to compete for a championship.
A 14-0 first quarter run set the tone. Greely pushed its advantage to a shocking 28 points, 35-7, at halftime, as the Lakers made all of two field goals in the first half. The Rangers were never tested from there and rolled 59-27 behind 14 points from junior Abby Young.
“That was our best game yet,” Greely first-year coach Billy Goodman said. “We played great defense and great team offense. We moved the ball nicely. Very unselfish basketball. Our defense is what we focus on. We took good shots and hit the open man. Our shooting percentage will go up when you do that.”
York remains atop the Western B Heals with a perfect record. Greely is now second. Mountain Valley is third. After that, 10 teams are battling for seven playoff spots. Falmouth took a huge step toward returning to the postseason with Saturday's 47-32 home win over Yarmouth behind senior Haley Jordan's 19 points.
In Western A, Deering continues to excel. The Rams made it a perfect 13 in a row with recent routs over Bonny Eagle, McAuley and Kennebunk. Scarborough now has a stranglehold on the No. 2 spot. Biddeford, Windham and Noble have the inside track on byes into the quarterfinals. Several other squads are jockeying to either make the playoffs or for positioning.
Western C power Waynflete continues to play well. A recent 56-43 loss at Greely left the Flyers 9-2.
Hockey: Falmouth rebounds
After getting off to a slow start this winter, the Falmouth boys hockey team has hit its stride. The Yachtsmen beat York County powers Kennebunk, Thornton Academy and Biddeford in recent action to improve to 6-3. The Yachtsmen are third behind Gorham and Thornton Academy in the latest Western A Heals. South Portland, Biddeford, Scarborough and Kennebunk are all strong as well.
In Western B, Greely continues to enjoy its finest season in memory. After winning 5-4 in overtime at Scarborough Wednesday, the Rangers routed Presque Isle 10-1 Saturday and blanked Yarmouth 7-0 Monday to improve to 10-1 on the year. Cape Elizabeth is hot on Greely's heels.
In Eastern A, Brewer, Waterville, Bangor and Lewiston all lead the way.
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.
