Eastern Maine High School Basketball Tournament Saturday Roundup

The field is set for state championship basketball after a memorable tournament week. Here's a wrap of Saturday's games and a link to updated tourney brackets:

Penquis Boys Edge Out Houlton for the Eastern Maine Class C Title

Penquis grabbed a late fourth quarter lead on their way to winning 46-41. Houlton was in control of the first half thanks to a big help from Nick Guiod's three first half 3-pointer. He ended with 17 in the game. Houlton was up by six in the final seconds of the first half before Isaiah Bess nailed a shot as the time expired to bring them within four at the break. In the third quarter, Houlton extended their lead up to double-digits and lead by eight after three. In the fourth, Penquis turned on the defense switch and forced turnover after turnover to chip away at the lead. There was 2:47 left when Trevor Lyford came away with a steal and finished the bucket to give his team a one-point lead. Bess was stellar on the offensive end in the second half, while Lyford shut down Kyle Bouchard who only had four point in the second half, after having 41 points in the semi-final game. Penquis coach, Tony Hamlin got his 400th career win to go along with an Eastern Maine Title. Penquis will take on the Western Maine winner, Boothbay at the Bangor Auditorium next Saturday.

Calais Adds to Their Rich Tradition with Another EM Championship

The Calais Blue Devils bull their way to a 63-54 win over the Orono Red Riots. Calais sophomore, Madison McVicar was getting into the lane at will and finishing well as she had 12 points in the first half, she finished with 16 in the game. Orono tried to surge back in the third and fourth quarters cutting what once was a 14 point lead to margins of eight and six, but Calais would comeback with a counter punch of their own to hold them back. Jillian Woodward for Orono did what she could, but in the end it wasn't enough. She ended with 15 points in the game. Calais will play the Western Maine Class C, Waynflete next Saturday at the Banogr Auditorium.

Medomak Valley Holds off MDI Boys for Class B Title

The Panthers of Medomak Valley High School trailed by 6 points at the half to the MDI Trojans in their Eastern Maine Class B championship game, but a solid 2nd half for senior captain Jonathan Hendrickson-Belloguet was enough for the Panthers to earn a trip to the state championship game after their 56-50 win at the Bangor Auditorium. Hendrickson-Belloguet scored 16 points but got plenty of help from fellow seniors Ryan Ripley with 13 points, and Mr. Basketball semi-finalist John Murray with 11. For the MDI Trojans, the loss was not for lack of effort from their Junior point guard Jonathan Phelps as he lead all scorers with 21 points. The top seeded Panthers will play for the state title on Friday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland.

Deja Vu Leads to Presque Isle Girls Winning 2nd Straight "B" Title

For the second straight year, the Presque Isle Wildcats and Nokomis Warriors battled for the girl's Eastern Maine class B crown, and again, Presque Isle brings the plaque back to Aroostook County, 66-51. Presque Isle extends it's winning steak as they haven't lost since falling to Nokomis in the 2011 Eastern Maine semi-final game. It was a couple of seniors that lead the way for the Wildcats as Megan Ireland scored 18 points to lead all scorers and Chandler Guerrette added 16. For Nokomis, Kylie Richards added 13 points in the losing effort. Presque Isle will play in the Class B State Championship game next Friday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland.

Central Aroostook Tip Hodgdon Boys in OT

Senior leadership was key for the Panthers of Central Aroostook high school as they need overtime for the second straight game and win their 5th Eastern Maine D boys title in 9 years, 58-55 over the Hawks of Hodgdon. Senior Steven Decker lead the scoring for C.A., including 5 points in the extra frame, and Joe Stiles hitting clutch free-throws in the overtime period sending his team to the state D title game next Saturday afternoon. In the loss, it was Chris Hudson with 28 points to lead all scorers.

Washburn Girls 3-Peat as Eastern Maine Champs

The Class "D" girls' title game didn't produce many surprises in the Washburn Beaver's 71-39 win over the Schenck Wolverines. Washburn used turnovers and their incredible speed to run all over the Bangor Auditorium floor causing major problems for the Wolverines. Washburn was lead by our McDonald's MVP Carmen Bragg who scored 20 points, while Mackenzie Worcester had 14, as did Joan Overman coming off the bench. For Schenck, Kristin Thompson played inspired basketball in the loss scoring 20 points. Washburn will play in the State Class A Championship at the Bangor Auditorium next Saturday afternoon at 1pm.