C North boys semifinal recap

Mount View v Fort Fairfield

The 7th ranked Mount View Mustangs upset the 3rd ranked Fort Fairfield Tigers 66-40 Thursday afternoon in an exciting Class C North semifinal game.

The Mustangs and the Tigers both have a record of 12-6 this season. Mount View upset 2nd place Fort Kent by 34 points to make it to the semifinal round, while Fort Fairfield beat 11th place Dexter by only 11 points.

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.

Key players to watchout for the Tiger’s are Senior center, Micah Daigle on offense and Sophomore guard, Graedon King-Rosado on defense. For the Mustangs Senior guard, Noah Hurd is a force on the scoreboard. 

Every Mount View fan packed the stands to support the Mustangs, their cheering fueled their team to make energized plays. Hurd stole the ball a minute in and passed it to teammate Wyatt Bennet, a Sophomore guard for the first basket of the game. The Tigers gained a quick lead thanks to Daigle and his quick post moves.

At the three minute mark King-Rosado whipped the ball to Sophomore forward Ethan Willard on the low block. He made the jumper taking an 11-7 advantage. The Tigers led at the end of the first quarter 15-8.

The Mustangs came out of the short break looking like a new team, executing some of the best defense I’ve seen this whole tournament. Mount View played an extremely aggressive man-to-man trapping defense that flustered Fort Fairfield, mostly affecting the Tiger’s top scorer, Daigle. 

A minute into the second quarter Hurd hustled back after a teammates turnover to disrupt the Tiger’s fast-break. Stealing the ball, he catapulted it to Ben Osborne, a Senior forward for a fast layup to cut their deficit 17-12.

Mount View tripled the points they scored in the first quarter in the second, out-scoring their opponents 24-8. The Mustangs were down 19-16 with four minutes left in the half. Head coach, Brandon Hurd, called a set play which they performed perfectly. Hurd ran through a double screen on the foul-line and drained the triple at the top of the arch, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Osborne contributed a layup along with Wyatt Evensen, a Senior guard. On the other end Cayden Ala, a Sophomore guard, winded through the key for a layup cutting the Mustang’s lead 25-21 with two minutes left. However, Mount View was in the bonus and cashed a few free throws at the end to take the lead 32-23 at half.

Right out of halftime the Mustangs had another steal. Evensen picked the ball off and passed it to Hurd for a quick layup making their lead 34-23. Mount View picked up Fort Fairfield as soon as they crossed the half-court line, creating an impenetrable wall. 

Due to Mount View’s impressive defense, Fort Fairfield was unable to get into an offensive flow. Two minutes into the third quarter Osborne had a wide-open layup on his drive from the elbow, creating a 13 point lead. Willard wracked up four fouls in the third quarter and went to the bench along with King-Rosado. Brett Senal, a Junior forward, had some big blocks for Fort Fairfield in the third to give his team some hope. Nonetheless, Mount View and their unstoppable defense took the lead 49-30.

A minute into the fourth quarter Evensen bounce-passed the ball to Hurd on the block on a fast-break from a steal, signifying the end of Fort Fairfield’s season. Mount View shut them down with Evensen as the top scorer with 22 points. The Mustangs won 66-40.

Calais v Hodgdon

The 1st place Calais Blue Devils beat the 5th place Hodgdon Hawks 42-27.

The Devils have a record of 15-3 this season. Last game they beat 8th place Piscataquis 57-33. The Hawks, with the same record as their opponents, beat 4th place Machias 64-57. During Calais’ regular season they lost to Machias twice by single-digit deficits, giving Hodgdon an edge in this matchup.

A minute in, Frank Miliano, a Sophomore guard for Calais dribbled into the key, stopping to pop-up a shot for a quick 2-0 lead. For Hodgdon, Freshman forward Cyran Ciarleglio, took the ball across the paint for a floater putting his team on the board.

David Tuttle, a Junior guard, put on the hustle for the Hawks. As the point-guard he drove into the key and kicked it to his open teammates, highlighting his unselfish and team-oriented play. Hodgdon had an early deficit. Down 11-9, Junior forward Brody Little swished two free throws in the last thirty seconds. The Devils led 13-9 at the end of the first.

Calais picked up their defense in the second quarter, swarming the ball anywhere on the court leading to open shots on offense. Junior guard, Kaeson Dana, stuck a triple with six minutes left in the half, doubling Hodgdon’s score for a 18-9 lead. 

The Hawks spent a lot of time trying to navigate around the Devil’s defense, giving them limited offensive possessions. Luckily, their opponent’s aggressive defense rubbed off on them. With a minute left Tuttle hustled for a steal, passing it to a teammate. They missed the basket, but Tuttle retrieved the rebound and drew a foul on Calais, encouraging his team. Devil’s Sophomore guard, Alan Bassett hit a buzzer-beater baseline-jumper to close out the half, advancing his team’s lead 26-15.

At the seven minute mark Tuttle stole the ball on defense. He slung it to Sophomore forward, Daniel Henderson, on the fast-break for an and-one. Up 28-19, Bassett cut to the basket for a deuce with four minutes left in the third.

The Hawks worked hard on defense to get more time on offense, which benefited them. After another two from Henderson, Wyatt Oliver, a Freshman guard, drained a three-pointer, cutting the Devil’s lead 28-24. However, Calais had another spurt of scoring and remained ahead 33-24 at the end of the third.

Calais closed out the game strong, with a little help from the refs, with six players contributing their score. But, the top scorer of the game was Little for the Hawks with 11 points. The Devils won this game 42-27.

PREVIEW: Mount View v Calais

Mount View will face Calais on Saturday, February 24th at 7:45 p.m. for Class C regional finals in Bangor.

Mount View plays an effective man-to-man trapping defense which helped get them to the regional finals. Once their opponent’s dribble the ball over half they pounce on them creating an unstoppable force. That combined with their quick pickings of the ball makes for a frustrating press to break. Calais uses the same tactic on defense to rattle their opponents, but with less structure than Mount View. It was successful against Hodgdon and most of their games- but could be a weak point against the Mustangs.

The Mustangs have several players to fear. Hurd, Evensen and Osborne are the top contributors on both ends of the court. Hurd hits clutch shots on set plays while Osborne cleans up the rebounds underneath. Evensen always has a clean shot and the ability to make quick decisions. But, Mount View has another entity. Their overpowering crowd.

The Blue Devils have a lot of shooting-guards on their roster. Bassett and Senior guard Jeremy Turner are the key players. Turner will drive and dump the ball to his open centers, Senior Kaden Small and Junior Oliver Clark.