Struggles continue for the Red Sox

After spending $160 million in the offseason, the 2011 Boston Red Sox were picked by many including me to win the World Series. The Red Sox have not had a good start dropping their first four games of the season. Actually, this year is the worst start for the Red Sox since 1996 when the team lost their first six games to start the season.

Earlier this week, the Red Sox were swept by Texas Rangers getting outscored 26-11 in a three game series to start the year. Their starting pitching has given up eleven homeruns in just four games. This is one of the reasons that the Red Sox have not won a game. Jon Lester gave up five runs in the season opener, John Lackey gave up nine earned runs in game two, and Clay Buchholz gave up four solo homeruns in the series finale. These are the pitchers that were expected to lead the Red Sox deep into the post-season. It is no surprise that the Fenway Faithful are nervous the first week of the season.

Many Red Sox fans have started to panic saying that the new pitching coach,Curt Young, might be the reason for these early pitching performances. Despite the disappointing start, the pitching will get better. Remember that the Texas Rangers are the defending American League champions. Daniel Bard has also struggled coming in to games as a relief pitcher from the bullpen giving up four runs in his debut. The Red Sox will turn their season around and contend in the A.L. East. Everything has gone wrong so far for the Boston Red Sox including a 3-1 loss last night to the Cleveland Indians. Red Sox hitting was the problem last night only getting a total of four hits in the entire game.

Thankfully the season is only four games old and there is still one hundred and fifty seven games left. Josh Beckett pitched a great game last night throwing five strong innings allowing just three runs. Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, the two new faces in the lineup, went a combined 0-8 last night in the team’s fourth straight loss. The Red Sox players seem to be pressing and putting a lot of pressure on themselves every pitch, at bat, and inning. Desperate hitters usually struggle at the plate. Pitchers who worry about making a mistake or trying to be too accurate tend to either make mistakes or walk batters. This may be causing some of their problems.

Prior to the season, experts predicted the Red Sox to win one hundred games and win the World Series. Four games into the season, most people do not know what to think. With all the new additions to this year’s team, the Boston Red Sox management does not seem to be worried. Many say that the team needs to have a game in which they hit the ball well and have a great pitching performance. This would turn around their early struggles. Red Sox manager Terry Francona has yet to have the same lineup in two consecutive games this season. This may be a reason that six of the ten players that have played are hitting under .200. Most teams have a set lineup and stay with it for several games instead of changing it after each game that the team loses. Eventually I am sure the Red Sox will have a set batting order helping the players feel more comfortable at the plate.

There have been a few bright spots despite the team’s abysmal start to the season. David Ortiz is hitting .267 with four RBI. “Big Papi” Ortiz already has hit two home runs this season. Last year he did not hit a bomb until June. Obviously he is on pace to hit more then his 32 a season ago. Adrian Gonzalez, free agent from the San Diego Padres is hitting .294, driving in three runs, and having one stolen base. Dustin Pedroia is the leading hitter on the team with a .333 batting average, five total bases. Dustin is the spark plug that fires up the rest of the Red Sox machine.

Like others, I have started to get worried with the Boston Red Sox mostly because their pitching is doing awful. The team’s pitching staff earned run average is 9.00 in four games needs to improve tonight when Daisuke Matsuzaka takes the hill against the Cleveland Indians. Jon Lester, the number one Red Sox pitcher and contender for last year’s Cy Young has an 8.44 ERA in just one game start. John Lackey the number two pitcher had a disappointing season last year going 14-11 with a 4.41 ERA had a bad first start. He did not even complete four innings. His ERA stands at 22.09. Clay Buchholz had an outstanding season a year ago with a career best seventeen wins and a 2.33 ERA. Buckholz has a 5.68 ERA in just one start this season. Thus far, Josh Beckett had the best start for the Red Sox this season allowing just three runs with a 5.40 ERA in a loss to Cleveland last night. The Red Sox relief pitchers in the bullpen have also laid an egg. Daniel Bard, set-up man for Papelbon has a 21.60 ERA in just 1 ⅔ innings. Dan Wheeler, former Tampa Rays reliever, has a 13.50 ERA allowing a homerun in 1 ⅓ innings pitched this season. Johnathan Papelbon has giving up a run, walked a batter, and hit a batter in just one inning of work. His ERA sits at 9.00 in just one inning of work.

Standing in last place in the American League East without a win, the Boston Red Sox need to get back on track tonight at Progressive Field against the Cleveland Indians. The game is in Cleveland. With Daisuke Matsuzaka on the mound and other pitchers not doing very well, maybe it is time for Daisuke to lead with a stellar performance. The team needs to win for the first time this season. The pre-season favorite in the American League is anxious to turn this season around after the worst start since 1996. There are few good memories back in the 20th century. Believe me, the team and its fans do not want to start comparing this year’s team to Red Sox teams prior to 2003.

The American League East always stirs things up in the off season signing players to long-term deals. The Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees watch one another closely so that they can sign and trade players to keep pace with the other team. The Tampa Bay Rays have started to sign players for long-term deals as well. The Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles do not have as much money for their payroll as the Red Sox and Yankees, so it is more difficult for these teams to be as successful as the Red Sox and Yankees.

The Red Sox started the “hot stove” (off-season positioning) with a bang signing two players and spending three-hundred million dollars in one week. They signed free agent left fielder Carl Crawford from the Tampa Bay Rays for seven years worth 142 million. Less then a week later the Red Sox scooped up Adrian Gonzalez, a free agent from the San Diego Padres and signed him for seven years also.

The Boston Red Sox missed out on the playoffs last season losing Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia for two months due to injuries and probably the top two players on the team. They managed to still win 89 games. I called them a JV team without Youkilis and Pedroia on the field. With the two new players and a healthy Youkilis and Pedroia, the Red Sox are in a good position to win the American League East.

The New York Yankees made it to the American League Championship Series last season losing to the Texas Rangers in six games. Most baseball fans thought the Yankees would go out and get some players to make their team deeper. The one area the Yankees need work is their starting pitching which anchored by all-star C.C. Sabathia. The twenty-seven time world champions did not get any big name players from the free agent market as everyone expected. The Yankees also wanted Carl Crawford, left fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays, but the Boston Red Sox won that battle. The Yankees went after Cliff Lee from Texas wanting to sign him to a five year deal, but missed out when the Phillies signed Lee. The Yankees must have expected to sign Lee and Crawford because it did not seem like they were looking for anyone else.

The Tampa Bay Rays had the best record in baseball for most of the regular season last year. They lost in the American League Divisional round in five games to the American League champion Texas Rangers. Once the baseball season was over, the Rays lost shortstop Jason Bartlett, first basemen Carlos Pena, and their closer Rafael Soriano to other teams. In the past, the Rays have been known for having minor league players who serve them well in the major leagues. A few weeks ago the Rays picked up former Red Sox star players Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez. The Rays want to be more competitive in the American League East hoping to challenge the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

The Baltimore Orioles had the best record in the second half of the regular season last year under new manager and former ESPN analyst Buck Showalter. They have many young, talented players on their team and are expected to do very well. Brian Matusz, a rookie last season, will anchor the starting rotation for the Orioles who hope to get to the playoffs for the first time in many years. The Orioles were very active this off-season adding four new infielders and a couple big name players to their roster. Mark Reynolds, third baseman, JJ Hardy, shortstop, Derek Lee, first baseman, and Vladimir Guerrero, power hitter, will make the O’s dangerous and a legitimate contender.

The Blue Jays have a revamped bullpen. Octavio Dotel and Jon Rauch will pitch at the end of games and give them a great chance to win. This Canadian team is the weakest team in the A.L. East, but the rest of the teams must be ready to play them. The Blue Jays are a team that hits many homeruns and can beat anyone when they launch baseballs out of the ballpark. The Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, and Orioles better watch out for the Blue Jays because if they do not show up to play for a series then they could easily get swept. That is why this is the best division in baseball. It will be fun to see who comes out on top.

VCU Advances to Sweet 16 For First Time in School History

The 2011 men’s college basketball tournament has been one of the best tournaments in years. There is more parity than usual, smaller conference teams are competitive, and there have been many upsets. The outcome of many games has not been known until the final buzzer.

The Morehead State Screaming Eagles shocked Louisville in the second round of the NCAA tourney 62-61 on a three pointer with 4.2 seconds to go pulling off one of the biggest upsets in recent tournament history. Butler knocked off #1 Pittsburgh on one of the dumbest fouls in the history of the game bouncing Pitt 71-70 and advancing to the Sweet 16. The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams team is the cinderella story of this year’s tourney winning three games last week, all by double digits.

This year was the first time in history that sixty-eight teams were picked in the field instead of the usual sixty-five teams. 2011 is the first time in tournament history when all the games are being televised at the same time on channels CBS, TBS, TNT, and TRUE TV. CBS sports lost rights to broadcast all the games. Therefore, other channels have been able to pick up games to broadcast. Every team has the same goal of winning a national championship.

The Sweet 16 is all set with four double digit seeds pursuing their quest to win a national championship. The number ten seeded Florida State Seminoles beat Texas A&M in the second round and number two Notre Dame in third round to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1993. The number eleven seeds Marquette Golden Eagles from the Big East Conference and Virginia Commonwealth University from the Colonial Athletic Association punched their tickets to the Sweet 16. Marquette took down Xavier in the second round and third seeded Syracuse Orangeman 66-62 to advance to the Sweet 16. VCU beat USC in the opening round game, Georgetown 74-56 in the second round, and hammered the third seeded Purdue Boilermakers 94-76 advancing to their first Sweet 16 appearance in school history. The number twelve seeded Richmond Spiders were the final double digit seed to advance to the Sweet 16 beating Vanderbilt in the second round and Morehead State in the third round.

The other twelve teams going to the Sweet 16 are: #1 Ohio State, #1 Duke, #1 Kansas, #2 San Diego State, #2 Florida, #2 North Carolina, #3 Connecticut, #3 BYU, #4 Kentucky #4 Wisconsin, #5 Arizona and #8 Butler. The Ohio State Buckeyes are the number one overall seed in the tournament and are looking like the team to beat. Coach K’s Duke Blue Devils barely hung on to beat Michigan 73-71 after being up by fifteen points late in the second half. Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks won both games easy, but played down to their competition allowing their opponents to stay in the game longer then they would like. The San Diego State Aztecs have played well in both their games, but the Temple Owls took the Aztecs to double overtime before pulling out the 71-64 victory. Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators have played really well with the best guard tandem in the entire country featuring Erving Walker and Kenny Boyton. The Gators got all they could handle from the UCLA Bruins but still won by an eight point margin. Roy Williams’ North Carolina Tar Heels did not play good defense in the two tournament wins, but fortunately played really well offensively. Game one UNC beat Long Island 102-87 and needed mistakes from the Washington Huskies to win by just three 86-83 in a thriller that came down to the final buzzer.

The Connecticut Huskies have one of the best all around players in the entire country Kemba Walker who has led them to two convincing victories over Bucknell and Cincinnati. BYU’s dream season has not slowed down despite losing the teams’ best defender and rebounder Brandon Davies to school violations early this month. Jimmer Fredette, the nation’s leading scorer, averaging thirty-three points per game in the tournament and 28.8 points per game in the regular season, shooting 45 percent from the field, 89 percent from the free throw line, and a staggering 40 percent from the three-point line, led the Cougars to a big win over Gonzaga in the third round 89-67.

The Kentucky Wildcats got all they could handle from the Princeton Tigers in their opening game winning on a last second shot 59-57. Kentucky then beat West Virginia to advance to the Sweet 16. Bo Ryan’s Wisconsin Badgers coasted with an easy win over Belmont in the second round round and Kansas State gave them all they could handle to get to the Sweet 16. Sean Miller’s Arizona Wildcats won two games by a combined three points sneaking by Memphis 77-75 in a last second basket in second round. Sophomore star forward Derrick Williams scored a basket with nine seconds left and completed a three-point play to help the Wildcats stun the Texas Longhorns 70-69 in the third round advancing to the Sweet 16. Brad Stevens’ Butler Bulldogs who lost last year in the national championship redeemed that loss this winning both games by a combined three points. The Bulldogs beat Old Dominion with a rebound and put-back by center Matt Howard with 0.2 seconds left to stun the Monarchs. In the third round, Butler knocked off number one Pittsburgh in one of weirdest finishes in tournament history.

The Sweet 16 games are today and friday of this week. If the close games and surprises continue, you will not want to miss any game. This years tournament may be one that people will talk about for years to come.

Three-point attempt by Ryan Martin Photo Courtesy of Keene State Website

Ryan Martin has a famous name because of his high school basketball accomplishments in Central Maine. People refer to him as one of Maine’s best players ever. Martin is a 5’9″ guard growing up in Wayne, Maine who broke many records in high school playing for the Maranacook Black Bears. Martin broke every record Maranacook ever had. He scored a career high fifty-six points against Oak Hill during his senior year shooting eight for ten beyond the three-point line.

Martin scored 1,899 career points receiving the state’s high award, Mr. Basketball, after the 2007-2008 season. Martin led Maranacook to two state championships (his sophomore and senior years). At the end of his sophomore year, Martin scored 101 points just two points short of the record for the most post-season points in a single year. He was a three-time KVAC Player of the Year his last three years at Maranacook. He received three KVAC first team defensive awards as well. Martin is especially proud of this accomplishment. Unbelievably, in sixth grade he made forty-nine out of fifty free throws.

After winning the state championship his senior year, Ryan Martin successfully walked on at the University of Maine and made the team. He was really excited to play division one basketball. His lifetime goal was to be successful at the Division 1 level. Unfortunately, Martin saw little playing time during his first year. His teammates knew that he was one of the best shooters on the team. Martin worked especially hard in the off-season arriving ready to play. At most, he played just a few minutes a game despite shooting a staggering sixty percent from the three point line the previous year for his high school. Martin decided to redshirt (sit out) his second year to extend his eligibility by a year.

“I definitely improved as a player during my two years at Maine because I got to play against great players everyday in practice” said Martin.

Ryan Martin is one of the hardest working players I have ever known. Every day throughout his four years of high school he would work for hours on all aspects of his game. His father forced him to take one day off each week telling him he must spend one day with his family also giving his body a day of rest. His workout consisted of intense dribbling, running two miles a day, lifting weights, and other activities to improve his game. Martin has a variety of shooting drills to improve his great variety of shooting styles including his jump shot, floater, and free throws. For one of his drills, he shoots over a broom helping the 5’9” Martin practice shooting over taller defenders.

“My favorite shooting drill is the seventy-five shot drill” said Martin during which he shoots from all distances including three-point shots expecting to make more than 65. He practices all his drills at game speed, so when it was game time he was ready to take on the challenge of being guarded by the best defender.

Most importantly, Martin is a really nice person, a great teammate, and never displays over-confidence. He always gives credit to all of his teammates whenever he has an outstanding game.

Martin thought long and hard about staying at Maine finally making a decision to transfer to Keene State a Division III school in Keene, New Hampshire. This is his first season at Keene State where he is studying physical education. Martin still has three full years of basketball eligibility. His team is off to a quick start winning their first four games of season.

The Keene State Owls are glad to have Martin as the starting point guard running the show. He has been contributing every game averaging fifteen points shooting fifty percent from the floor, passing for four and a half assists, snatcing two and a half rebounds, and shooting ninety-two percent from the foul line (only missing one free throw: 12 for 13), and doing all of this while playing just twenty-five minutes a game.

The Owls play in the Little East Conference. They are excited about their undefeated start. Head coach Rob Colbert is thrilled to have Ryan Martin as his starting point guard. Ryan Martin expects his team is to make a deep run in the division three national tournament.

According to Martin, “Playing at Keene State is fun because I get to play a lot of minutes and I can help my team win each and every night.”

1st place in the A.L. East

The Tampa Bay Rays went to the World Series in 2008 losing in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies, but this year they have a realistic chance to win the World Series. Despite playing in the best division in the major leagues, the American League East, the Rays sit in first place with a remarkable 24-10 record. They are ahead of the Yankees by one and a half games and the Red Sox by six and a half games and are not showing signs of slowing down.

The Rays can do it all. They have great pitching, steal bases, hit for power, great defensive team, and most importantly they know how to win. The Rays have the third best earned run average in the major leagues at 2.78 with one complete game and 253 strikeouts, tying them for the most in the league with the San Diego Padres. Every game, their pitching staff gives them a great chance to win. Rays are led by number one and two pitchers in the starting roatation Matt Garza and David Price both posting 5-1 records. They have the fourth most stolen bases in the major leagues with 33 and give teams panics when they reach base. The second hitter in the Rays lineup, Carl Crawford, has a team leading nine steals and it is nearly impossible to throw him out on the base paths.

The three and four hitters in the Rays lineup this year, Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria have put up scary numbers. They have combined for 64 hits, 13 homeruns, and 51 RBI’s just over a month into the season. Longoria is on his way to his second consecutive all-star game while Pena wants to collect his second as well.

How far in the playoffs do you think the Tampa Bay Rays will go?

Pierce hits fade away jumper over Lebron

The Boston Celtics entered Tuesday night’s game five in Cleveland hoping to get home court back beating Lebron James and the Cavaliers on their home court. The Celtics did not just beat the Cavs they took them down mentally and physically and forced Lebron to twenty-one percent shooting and only fifteen points. With only a six point halftime lead, the Celtics outscored the Cavs seventy to fourty-four in the second half in their rout over Cleveland 120-88. The thirty-two point deficit was the largest playoff defeat in franchise history.

Ray Allen came out shooting early and often and scored a game high twenty-five points going six for nine from long range. Paul Pierce had his best playoff game and got himself back on track scoring twenty-one points and grabbing eleven rebounds helping the Celtics pound the Cavaliers. Rajon Rondo helped the C’s pull away in the third quarter scoring sixteen points and dishing out seven assists despite sitting out the entire second quarter. The Celtics did exactly what they wanted and got themselves home court back and can close out Lebron and the Cavaliers on Thursday in Boston. The winner of this series will take on the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals for a chance to play in the NBA finals against either the Los Angeles Lakers or the Phoenix Suns.

Are the Boston Celtics too old to win their 18th NBA championship?

MLB Opener 2010 Red Sox vs. Yankees

Baseball’s 30 Major League teams wrap up their final Spring Training games this week and  head North to begin the long 162 game schedule. The biggest rivalry in sports (Red Sox vs. Yankees) opens the 2010 season at Fenway Park on Sunday April 4.  The game will be broadcast live on ESPN  at 8 pm.  Monday April 5 is opening day for the other 28 teams. Finally another season full of great pitches, plays, and moonshots has arrived.

The Major League Baseball Network (MLB) is a great network to watch online or on your TV if you consider yourself to be a real baseball fan. MLB is traveling the country to meet all the teams and players sharing reports on a special show called “30 Clubs in 30 Days.” The MLB Network will also break down every position sharing names of the top players at each position as well as reporting on the top prospects in all of baseball. If you don’t have the MLB Network, I suggest you buy this premium so you can expand your baseball knowledge and show others that you are a baseball expert.

Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley Conference), Cornell (Ivy League), Washington (Pac-10), and Saint Mary’s (Western Athletic Conference) are all in the Sweet Sixteen and have a chance to be the George Mason of 2010. Very rarely do teams from these conferences make it to the Sweet 16.  One of the biggest upsets in this year’s tournament and in tournament history was when #9 Northern Iowa Purple Panthers took down Bill Self and the overall #1 seed Kansas Jayhawks 69-67 in the second round shocking the hoop world.

The #10 Saint Mary’s Gaels upset #2 Villanova Wildcats in the second round of the NCAA tournament 75-68 behind Omar Samhan’s game high 32 points. Samhan is the leading scorer in the tournament with 64 total points averaging 32 per game through the first two rounds. The #12 Cornell Big Red upset #5 Temple Owls 78-65 in the first round and beat up on the defensively minded # 4 Wisconsin Badgers 87-69 in the second round becoming the first Ivy League team to be in the Sweet Sixteen in the last thirty-one years. The #11 Washington Huskies have been a big surprise as well beating #6 Marquette Golden Eagles 80-78 in the first round following with a cake walk victory over #3 New Mexico Aggies 82-64.

There is a distinct possibility that three of these four Cinderella teams will go to the Final Four in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 3rd to compete for a national championship.  Three of these four teams seeded #9, #10 , #11, and #12 may go to the Final Four.  Amazing!!  Cornell and Washington are in the same region so only one of them can advance to the Final Four.

Many fans like seeing the favorites win because they are in “March Madness” pools and pick them to win the 2010 NCAA Championship. Would you like to see three Cinderella teams this year?  It would make “March Madness 2010″ a tournament that we would never forget.

"The Gracie" on Husson's campus from Thomas Standpipe, Bangor, Maine

The Husson baseball season officially starts on Saturday March 6 when the team heads south for their annual spring trip to Florida. Going into his third season as head baseball coach, Jason Harvey said the team is very excited about going to Florida to play their first games of the season against great competition.

“We have been practicing outside for two weeks, throwing a little bit, and taking some ground balls — something we usually do not get the pleasure of doing this time of year,” said Jason Harvey.

The Husson Eagles will play against several teams in Florida that will reach the thirty win mark for the season. This prepares the Eagles for conference play when they come back from their spring trip playing fifteen of their total thirty-seven games in Florida.

The Eagles team has many of the same players back from last season and hope to have another great season.

“We have seven out of our nine starters back from last season, so we should be pretty good again this year,” said Coach Harvey.

Chris Maguire, Kyle Vanidestine, and Ethan Guerette must play well again this year for the Eagles to repeat as conference champions. Vanidestine was named conference rookie of the year last season and hope that he puts up quality numbers this year. Maguire, Guerette, and Vanidestine were all named first team All-Conference in 2009.

Last year, the Eagles won 33 games–the most in school history. They advanced to the NCAA Division III New England Regional. With a remarkable 33-14 record a year ago, the team lost only key player due to graduation. Nick Arthers, starting catcher last season, hit an outstanding .416 with 11 homeruns, and drove in 67 runs.

“We cannot really replace him but everyone is going to have to step up in order to fill his role this year,” said Jason Harvey.

This year Husson baseball changed conferences from the North Atlantic Conference to the North Eastern Athletic Conference. The Eagles are preseason favorites to win the 2010 NEAC East baseball title.

“Our goal for the season is to make it to the conference playoffs,” said the Husson head coach.

The Eagles open their season against Rensselaer also known as RPI the #13 team in the country for division III on March 7 in Florida. Husson’s first home game is slated for March 24 against Bates College.  Go out and support our team.

Photo: “Gracie from Standpipe” from justinrussell’s Flickr photostream

Ellsworth Standout Ryan Petros (photo courtesy of Maine Sports Report)

Wednesday afternoon opened with the Class “B” boys semifinals at the Bangor Auditorium featuring #2 Ellsworth Eagles taking on #3 Mount View Mustangs. The Eagles were too much for the Mustangs to handle pulling away late in the 3rd quarter finishing with an 84-65 victory. The Eagles hit three big three pointers to help them pull away. Ellsworth shot 79 percent from the free throw line (23-29) ending the Mustangs run to gold. Ryan Petros had a game high 27 points for the Eagles including a staggering 13-14 from the charity stripe. Zachary Babin had 16 points to lead the Mustangs’ losing effort.

The second class “B” boys semifinal pitted the #1 Camden Hills Windjammers against #5 Medomak Valley Panthers. The Windjammers only led 17-16 after the 1st quarter, but in the final three quarters, it was all Camden with a rout of the Panthers 69-48. Tyler McFarland had both a game high and team high 23 points to lead the Windjammers to victory. Camden shot 74 percent from the foul line going 23-31 and knocked down five three pointers to pull away from the Panthers. The #2 Ellsworth Eagles will face #1 Camden Hills Windjammers at 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon for a chance to win an Eastern Maine championship. The winner will play on February 27th for the class “B” boys state championship at the Bangor Auditorium.

The girls took the floor on Wednesday night starting with #2 MDI Trojans taking on #3 Winslow Black Raiders.  There was sloppy play from both teams from start to finish, but the Trojans prevailed with a 32-23 victory. Megan Phelps led the Trojans with 12 points to help the Trojans secure the win. Winslow never got anything going and the Trojans shut down Winslow star sophomore forward Megan Pelletier. One good thing for the Winslow Black Raiders is that they don’t have a senior on the team, so they will be a force to reckon with in the coming years.

In the finale Wednesday night, #1 Presque Isle Wildcats were taken down by #4 Nokomis Warriors 41-35. It was a battle from start to finish, but the Warriors were too much for the Wildcats to handle. The fast paced game by the Warriors along with pressure defense gave the Wildcats fits that they could not overcome. Marissa Shaw, sophomore forward, led the Warriors with 16 points to propel them to victory. Chandler Guerrette scored 15 points for the Wildcats in a losing effort. The #2 MDI Trojans will face the #4 Nokomis Warriors at 2:05 on Saturday afternoon for a chance to win an Maine Championship. The winner will play Saturday February 27th for the state championship at the Bangor Auditorium.

Photo from Maine Sports Report Photo Gallery

Boys, No. 3 Lee 50, No. 6 Penquis 42
Boys, No. 2 Calais 61, No. 7 Madawaska 42
Girls, No. 6 Calais 58, No. 3 Woodland 56 (OT)
Girls, No. 2 Central 54, No. 7 Orono 44
Boys, No. 5 Foxcroft 54, No. 4 Stearns 52
Boys, No. 1 Washington Acad. 69, No. 8 Penobscot Valley 52
Girls, No. 5, Washington Academy 45, No. 4 Houlton 38
Girls, No. 1 Foxcroft 52, No. 9 Fort Kent 36

Girls, No. 3 Southern Aroostook 67, No. 6 Deer Isle-Stonington 39
Girls, No. 2 Fort Fairfield 49, No. 7 Shead 30
Boys, No. 4 Jonesport-Beals 64, No. 5 Washburn 41
Boys, No. 1 Schenck 75, No. 8 Greater Houlton Christian 43
Girls, No. 5 Bangor Christian 41, No. 4 Washburn 26
Girls, No. 1 Central Aroostook 60, No. 8 Jonesport-Beals 26
Boys, No. 3 Fort Fairfield 67, No. 6 Southern Aroostook 61
Boys, No. 7 Shead 69, No. 2 Central Aroostook 55

#1 Camden Hills Leaps Past MDI (photo courtesy of Maine Sports Report)

The second day (Saturday February 13) of the high school tournament  at the Bangor Auditorium started with the #2 seed Mount Desert Island Trojans holding off the determined #7 Hermon Hawks 49-41. The Trojans were lead by Sara Carroll with 19 points.  Also contributing to the scoring was senior captain Megan Phelps who finished with 12. Carroll was named the McDonald’s Player of the Game by WZON radio. Ashley Thayer led the Hawks with 14 points while Kayla Snow added 12 points off the bench for Hermon.

The boys took the floor for the second game of the morning session featuring #4 seed Presque Isle Wildcats and #5 Medomak Valley Panthers. The Panthers were too much for the Wildcats to handle pulling out a tough fought 46-42 victory. Medomak led by as much as 13 and held off a late Presque Isle charge to get the victory. The Panthers were led by Alexander Mackenzie scoring a game high 15 points. He was named the McDonald’s Player of the Game and the U.S. Army Strong Player of the Game by WZON. Travis Dyer poured in 14 points for the losing Wildcats.

The afternoon session featured a girls matchup between #4 seeded Nokomis Warriors and #5 Medomak Valley Panthers. The Warriors used their defensive pressure in the second half to roll to a 46-32 victory.  Nokomis was led by Julie Smith scoring 16 points with ten of those coming in the second half. Smith was named the McDonald’s Player of the game by WZON. Alanna Vose led the losing cause for Waldoboro with 11 points.

The defending state champion in Class “B” Camden Hills boys came to the Bangor Auditorium to prove to everyone that they are for real. The Windjammers finished the regular season with a 16-2 record and the #1 seed in Eastern Maine Class “B”. Camden defeated the #9 MDI Trojans 54-39. The Trojans held a 12-10 lead after the first quarter, but the final three quarters were a different story. Camden outscored MDI 44-27 in the final periods to earn the victory. Camden will face Medomak in the semi-final round on Wednesday afternoon. The Windjammers were led by junior forward and standout Tyler McFarland.  McFarland scored 15 points while Joel Gabriele added 10 points for the winners. Caleb Macdonald had 10 points for the Trojans in the losing effort.

In the final game of the class “B” Quarterfinal round, #1 seeded Presque Isle Wildcat girls defeated #8 Waterville Purple Panthers 52-37. The Wildcats led by only seven points at halftime extending their lead on the away to victory. The Wildcats were led by senior Chandler Guerrette scoring a game high 29 points to help the Wildcats advance to semi-finals where they will face #4 Nokomis Warriors on Wednesday afternoon.

Photo courtesy of Maine Sports Report & Photography (Ron Hawkes)

Great Opening NIght for 2010 EM Basketball Tournament

All the games at the Bangor Auditorium Friday night came down to the wire and could have gone either way.

#3 Mount View Mustangs started the night well by taking down #6 Old Town Coyotes 46-38. The Mustangs were led by Mike Cochrane’s 21 point performance. Cochrane received the McDonald’s Player of the Game and the U.S. Army Strong Player of the Game presented by WZON radio . Luke Bartlett, captain, paced the Coyotes with 17 points.

In game two, the #2 seed Ellsworth Eagles won a thriller in overtime over the #10 Rockland Tigers 66-65. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Eagles had a commanding eight point lead, 44-36, and Chris Nolan, senior, on the Tigers did not want to go down without a fight. Nolan had 11 points going into the fourth quarter and only two points away from scoring his 1,oooth point. Nolan hit three big throws with twenty seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime. He finished with 28 points in the losing effort. The Tigers had four great chances to finish off the Eagles in the final seconds, but could not get the close range shots to fall. Leading the soaring Eagles to victory was Senior guard Ryan Petros with a game high 33 points.

In the finale, the girls took the floor hoping to top the first two boys games of the 2010 high school basketball tournament. The #3 seed Winslow Black Raiders came into the game with a 16-2 record on the season and a five game win streak intact. Winslow played the #6 Camden Hills Windjammers who gave them one of their only two losses on the season falling to them back on January 7th 49-42. The Black Raiders, with no seniors on this year’s team, will be a powerhouse in Class “B” girls basketball for the next few years. Winslow had a 28-8 halftime lead, but by the skin of their teeth hung on to win 39-36. The Windjammers exerted excellent defensive pressure in the second half outscoring the Black Raiders 28-11, but still fell short.