C North boys quarterfinal recap
Fort Fairfield v Dexter
The 3rd place Fort Fairfield Tigers defeated the 11th place Fort Kent Tigers in the Class C North quarterfinals Monday evening 57-46.
Fort Fairfield has a record of 12-6 and had a bye in the preliminary round of the tournament. Their opponents, with a record of 8-11, fought the George Stevens Academy Eagles. Dexter upset the sixth place Eagles, winning 40-31 in a surprising dub.
Fort Fairfield thrives on their slow driving-focused offense while their posts stick around for the occasional feed. On the other hand, Dexter scores most of their points on fast breaks. They push the ball down the court any chance they get to grow a lead.
Both teams had a slow start, as the first quarter barely made it to double digits. Brett Senal, a Junior forward for Fort Fairfield hit a triple at the top of the arch two minutes in. He started a lead of 3-2 for his team that would hold until the second quarter.
But, Dexter acclimated as the first quarter wound down. With 45 seconds left, Will Sprat, a Senior forward, gathered the o-board from a three-ball. He made a reverse layup to cut Fort Fairfield’s lead 6-4. Then, teammate Bryce Cooper, a Sophomore guard, made an old-fashioned three-point play to keep Dexter in the game. Fort Fairfield took the first quarter 10-7.
Senior Center for Fort Fairfield, Micah Daigle, caused a lot of problems for Dexter. Two possessions in a row he scored in the paint, making powerful drop-steps to get by his defenders. Daigle forced Dexter head coach, Matthew Bartlett, to call a timeout with five minutes left in the half.
Fortunately, this timeout proved fruitful for Dexter. Cooper drove from the corner of the three to the opposite side of the basket, giving his team their first lead since the very start of this match with a minute left in the half. To top it off, Kellen Peavey, a Senior guard, stuck a jumper on the baseline in the last seconds. Dexter led 24-20 going into the second half.
Fort Fairfield head coach, Vaughn McLaughlin, decided to implement a trapping press in the second half. Though, Dexter didn’t have a tough time breaking it. Zachary Adams, a Senior forward, scored on a breakaway making the score 26-23.
But, it wasn’t Fort Fairfield’s press that secured their win. It was their everlasting energy on defense led by Graedon King-Rosado, a Sophomore guard, who generated many obstacles for Dexter. On offense, Daigle continued to power through the paint. With two minutes left in the third quarter he made a layup after his team’s long run, taking Fort Fairfield’s lead 37-31 going into the fourth.
Dexter made a valiant effort to cut Fort Fairfield’s lead back. Ethan Doherty, a Junior forward, gathered the ball on the block. He faked, letting his defenders fly by him, then he put the shot up to make the score 40-33.
Daigle fueled his team until the end of the game, leaving as the lead scorer with 21 points. Driving for two with four minutes left in the game, then stealing the ball immediately after, he ensured his team would not lose.
Fort Kent v Mount View
The 7th place Mount View Mustangs upset 2nd place Fort Kent Warriors 78-44.
The Mustangs and the Warriors have a record of 12-6. Fort Kent has a recent win, but their two games before that were tough losses. While Mount View lost their last two in super close games.
Fort Kent’s offense consists of driving aggressively into the paint while Drew Deschaine, a Senior center, stays on the low blocks for support. Mount View relies on fast-breaks and foul shots to bully their opponents for the lead.
The Warriors gained a 6-0 lead in the first minute of the game via triples from Sophomore guard, Tobias Naranja and Senior guard, Ethan Daigle. However, their run didn’t last for long enough to hold back the Mustangs.
Noah Hurd, Mustang Senior guard, went off the whole game, being the high scorer with 25 points. He made a full court layup with two minutes left in the first and just kept going. Mount View took the first quarter 22-18.
Wyatt Bennet, a Sophomore forward for the Mustangs, stepped through from behind the basket for a layup a minute into the second quarter, making the score 26-19 Mount View. Hurd continued to pound the ball to the basket with Sophomore guard teammate, Stuart Knowlton contributing with a three pointer. Fort Kent didn’t have much to show this quarter, being outscored 15-6. The Mustangs left for the second half ahead 37-24.
The Warriors were in close range to make a comeback. Deschaine made a couple jumpers from the key, but falsely gave his team hope. With a minute left in the third quarter the Mustangs doubled their opponents points, leading 60-30. Ben Osborne, a Senior forward, came alive for Mount View. Hustling to cash in those fast-break layups and collecting the o-board rebounds.
The Mustangs slaughtered the Warriors with a final score of 78-44.
PREVIEW: Fort Fairfield v Mount View
The Mount View Mustangs will be facing the Fort Fairfield Tigers in the semifinals on Thursday, February 22nd at 2:00 p.m. in Bangor.
This matchup between Fort Fairfield’s gutsy defense and Mount View’s perpetual fast-breaks will yield a high paced game. The Mustangs, when not running a marathon from their steals, work hard on offense gathering o-board rebounds. On the other side, the Tigers depend on their sharp-shooting and dominance in the paint.
A key player to watchout for on Fort Fairfield is Daigle. His unwavering confidence as a post provides him with several and-one opportunities. On the defense, King-Rosado hustles when his opponents are distracted, collecting steals and supplying the Tigers with fast-break opportunities.
For the Mustangs Hurd runs the court extremely well. He watches his defender and acts in an instant to make a move. Either draining threes or driving intensely to the basket. For this team, defense is a group effort. They prosper from steals and fast strides down the court to beat their opponents.
