After COVID prevented a postseason last year, local winter athletes are looking forward to an opportunity to compete for a championship this time around.

First things first: There is still a regular season to complete and there figure to be no shortage of compelling contests in the days to come.

Here’s a look back at the week that was and what’s still on tap:

Boys’ basketball

Falmouth’s boys’ basketball team has shaken off its COVID pause and hit its stride, capping a perfect week with an exhilarating come-from-behind victory. The Navigators first rolled at Brunswick, 90-46, last Tuesday, as Jack Stowell started the game with a pair of four-point plays and tallied 30 points, while Brady Coyne added 22. Friday, Falmouth hosted reigning Class AA South champion Thornton Academy in a beautiful display of up-and-down action, but the Navigators were down 13 with six minutes remaining before rallying for an improbable 73-71 victory, when Coyne made a layup just before the horn. Coyne had a game-high 31 points, Stowell added 21 and Judd Armstrong finished with 11.

“We just wanted run the clock down and get one more shot,” Coyne said. “It came to me having the ball and attacking the rim. Zach (Morrill) did a great job sealing his man and I saw a lane at the end. I knew there were only two seconds left when I shot it, so I knew when I made it, they wouldn’t get a shot. It was pretty intense. When we were down it wasn’t fun, but we battled back, which is what great teams do. It’s great having games like this. We needed a good win like this against a good team.”

“I just told the kids it was nerve-wracking to watch, but it was fun at the end,” Falmouth coach Dave Halligan said. “There’s no quit in these kids. This is why you play games like this and teams like this. I’ve seen Thornton a number of times this year, and I thought they played one of their better games. They’re a very good team.

“We had to make adjustments. Good teams adjust and I thought our kids did a good job adjusting to the conditions tonight. Defense will keep us in the game if things aren’t going well on offense. We did a better job attacking the rim tonight. That’s why you play to the end, all 32 minutes. We extended our defense and we didn’t allow them to pick us apart. We put pressure on the ball. This is one of the bigger wins we’ve had in awhile.”

The Navigators took a 9-2 record and top spot in the Class A South Heal Points standings into Tuesday’s home game versus Mt. Ararat. Falmouth welcomes Morse Wednesday, goes to Biddeford Friday and Greely Saturday (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story), then hosts Westbrook Monday and goes to Westbrook Tuesday of next week.

“This is a good sign to beat a good Class AA team,” Halligan said. “For us to come back against a team like this builds our confidence with (a lot of) games coming up in the next two weeks.”

Greely improved to 7-5 and third in Class A South following close wins last week at Poland (57-54) and Wells (53-42) and a 51-41 home victory over Yarmouth. Timmy Walker scored 21 points and Dee Martin Coyne added 14 against the Knights. In the win over the Warriors, Andrew St. Hilaire scored 19 points, including the go-ahead free throw with two seconds left. Against the Clippers, St. Hilaire led the way with 20 points and Walker added 13. The Rangers were at Fryeburg Academy Tuesday, host Lake Region Wednesday (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story), welcome Wells Friday and Falmouth Saturday, then visit Freeport Monday.

Freeport was 8-5 and sixth in Class A South after a 71-57 home win over Cape Elizabeth and a 45-38 triumph at Waynflete last week. The Falcons snapped an 18-game skid against the Capers, beating them for the first time since Dec. 18, 2007, as Colby Arsenault scored 19 points, Blaine Cockburn and Keigan Shea added 13 apiece and Tony Casale finished with 10. In the win over the Flyers, Arsenault had 12 points and Cockburn 11. Freeport was home versus Gray-New Gloucester Tuesday, visits Yarmouth Friday (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story) and welcomes Greely Monday.

In Class B South, Yarmouth began the week 12-2 and second to Spruce Mountain in the Heals following a 47-32 victory at Gray-New Gloucester and a 51-41 setback at Greely. In the win, Peter Psyhogeos led the way with 18 points and Liam Hickey hit three critical 3-pointers in the third quarter to provide breathing room.

“I think it’s just the toughness that everyone played with,” Psyhogeos said. “Cole Snyder really stepped up, rebounded, made shots. Liam made some huge shots, and Sutter Augur went out early, so that forced everyone to step up. He’s a huge part of our team. Some other underclassmen stepped up into that role and it was great to see.”

“It’s hard to say how big that (3-point run was), that was the game,” Yarmouth coach Jonas Allen said. “It changed the game completely because it went from a possession or two to a little cushion. That stretch with Liam, those are shots that he lives for and he’s that kind of kid.”

In the loss, Matt Waeldner scored 15 points and Psyhogeos added 14. The Clippers were at Cape Elizabeth Tuesday (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story), host Freeport Friday and welcome Wells Monday.

In Class C South, North Yarmouth Academy was 6-6 and eighth after a 72-28 home win over Richmond and a 64-58 setback at Poland. In the victory, Joaquim Bila had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight steals, while Logan Welch added 17 points, Bryce Poulin had a double-double (14 points and 10 rebounds) and Elliott Oney finished with a dozen rebounds and nine assists. In the loss, Welch had 16 points, Poulin 14 points and Bila 11. The Panthers were home with Old Orchard Beach Tuesday, go to Traip Academy Thursday and visit Richmond Monday.

Girls’ basketball

On the girls’ side, Yarmouth earned a couple key home wins last week to improve to 8-3 and third in the Class B South Heals. First, the Clippers held off visiting Gray-New Gloucester, 30-28, as Katelyn D’Appolonia led the way with 11 points. Next, Yarmouth beat visiting Greely, 38-25, its first win over the Rangers since Jan. 5, 2005, which snapped a 28-game skid in the series. Maya Panozzo had 13 points and Cate King added nine and the Clippers held Greely to just five points after halftime. Yarmouth hosted Cape Elizabeth Tuesday, visits Leavitt Wednesday, travels to Freeport Friday (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story) and goes to reigning Class B champion Wells Monday.

In Class A South, Greely fell to 8-4 and second behind Brunswick in the Heals following a 68-32 home win over Poland, a home loss to Wells (45-43) and a 38-25 setback at Yarmouth. In the victory, Sophie Ippolito had 20 points and Asja Kelman added 18. The Rangers then led the undefeated Warriors by 12 points early in the second half, but couldn’t hold on despite strong efforts from Graiver (17 points, nine rebounds and three assists) and Kayila Delisle (12 points, 20 rebounds).

“We hung with them for sure,” Greely coach Todd Flaherty said. “We knew they were good and who their best players are. I’m proud of our effort. It was a good game. I told the girls we can play with the best teams and that’s a comforting feeling. They just made some shots down the stretch and we missed opportunities.”

Graiver and Ippolito both scored eight points against the Clippers. Greely was home versus Fryeburg Academy Tuesday, visits Lake Region Wednesday, has a rematch at Wells Friday and hosts Freeport Monday.

“We have some big games left,” Flaherty said. “We don’t want to get on the wrong side of a losing streak.”

Falmouth was 7-5 and fifth following losses last week to visiting Brunswick (53-39) and host Thornton Academy (68-55) and Monday’s 48-36 home win over South Portland. Against the Dragons, Sloane Ginevan scored 19 points and Emily Abbott added 11 as the Navigators cut a 17-point halftime deficit to four before ultimately falling short.

“I think when you’re down 17 at the half, you’ve just got to go out and play,” Falmouth coach Dawn Armandi said. “We just wanted to make it a game and we did.”

Anna Turgeon scored 26 points in the loss to the Golden Trojans. Against the Red Riots, Turgeon scored 16 points, Ginevan finished with 12 and Maddy Christman had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds. The Navigators were at Mt. Ararat Tuesday, go to Morse Wednesday, host Biddeford Friday, travel to Brunswick Monday and welcome Westbrook Tuesday of next week.

Freeport was 4-8 and ninth after a hard-fought 40-37 loss at NYA and victories at Cape Elizabeth (45-34) and at home over Waynflete (40-21). In the setback, Mason Baker-Schlendering had 16 points and 16 rebounds, but the Falcons couldn’t score late.

“It’s a tough one,” Freeport coach Seth Farrington said. “Good teams get stops at the right time. When it really mattered, we couldn’t get the stops to hold them back. We got a good look to tie it, but we missed it. I thought we did a good job defensively, but teams know about Mason. They won’t let us dump it in and let her go to work.”

Angel Pillsbury led the way with 18 points in the win over the Capers. Against the Flyers, Baker-Schlendering had 16 points and Pillsbury added 14. The Falcons visited Gray-New Gloucester Tuesday, host Yarmouth Friday and travel to Greely Monday.

“It’s a long season and we have to power through,” Farrington said.

In Class C South, NYA improved to 10-1 and third after wins over visiting Freeport (40-37), host Richmond (48-25) and visiting Poland (53-42). Against the Falcons, Madilyn Oronato scored 12 points; Angel Huntsman had seven points, eight assists, six rebounds and four steals; and freshman Athena Gee’s third 3 of the game put the Panthers ahead for good.

“I was pretty nervous,” Gee said. “(The play) wasn’t designed. It just worked out that way. It felt good off my hand.”

“I think we can make it really far this year if we bring the same intensity every game,” Huntsman said.

“It’s a big win,” NYA coach Tom Robinson added. “This is exactly what we wanted. There were more situations in this game than we’ve had all year. This was fun. It was phenomenal.”

In the win over the Bobcats, Huntsman led the way with 17 points, six assists and five steals; Sarah English added 11 points and nine rebounds; and Graca Bila also scored 11 points. Against the Knights, Bila had 15 points, English added 11 points and 10 rebounds, Huntsman had 10 points and nine assists, and Josie Harper-Cunningham made three 3-pointers, good for nine points. The Panthers had a key test at Old Orchard Beach Tuesday, welcome Traip Academy Friday and host Richmond Monday.

Boys’ hockey

The Cheverus/Yarmouth boys’ hockey co-op team improved to 6-3 with its fourth consecutive victory, 5-4, in overtime, over visiting Falmouth last Thursday. Cheverus/Yarmouth trailed three different times, but drew even on a goal from Wyatt Header, then won in OT, when Brian Connolly redirected a shot into the goal.

“To our credit, we came back and that’s a testament to the kids in the locker room who just don’t want to lose,” said Cheverus/Yarmouth coach Dave St. Pierre. “We talked about staying positive and staying together as a family, working and grinding and good things would happen and we found our way.”

Cheverus/Yarmouth (fifth in the Class B South Heals) hosts reigning Class B champion Greely Wednesday, welcomes Brunswick Friday and hosts Leavitt Saturday.

“We’ve got a big grind coming up,” St. Pierre said. “Six games in the next 14 days with a lot of good opponents. We’re still nowhere near we need to be and have a lot of work to do.”

Greely fell to 6-2 after a 2-1 loss at undefeated Class A powerhouse Edward Little last week. Evan Dutil had the Rangers’ goal, but it was too little, too late.

“It was a great midseason game for us,” Greely coach Barry Mothes said. “We were looking forward to coming up here and we know they are playing very well this year. We were planning on coming in here and trying to get a win. I thought we did a lot of things well tonight against a formidable opponent.”

The Rangers (first in Class B South) are at Cheverus/Yarmouth Wednesday, host reigning Class A champion Lewiston Thursday and go to Gorham Saturday.

In Class A, the South Portland/Waynflete/Freeport co-op was 7-3 and third in the Heals following a 6-2 home win over York last Thursday. Cullen Adams and Richie Gilboy both scored twice. The squad was at Lake Region Monday, goes to Windham Wednesday and hosts Lewiston Saturday (see theforecaster.net/sports for game story).

Falmouth was 5-6-1 and fifth after falling at Cheverus/Yarmouth in overtime (5-4) and winning at Lewiston (5-3). The Navigators let three different leads slip away against Cheverus/Yarmouth.

“It’s completely frustrating,” Falmouth coach Deron Barton said. “You earn the lead, you give it back, you earn the lead and you give it back, and it wears you down. These guys have to learn. We have a lot of inexperience on the team and we have to take this as a learning experience. We showed some good signs of turning the corner, but when you have letdowns like this, it overshadows everything.”

Caden Barnard and Mitch Ham had two goals apiece in the victory over the Blue Devils. The Navigators are back in action Saturday at home versus Edward Little.

“We have guys coming back that even though they’re back it doesn’t mean they have their hockey heads yet,” Barton said. “They have to work into that and you only get that through game time. The more game time we have and the less COVID we have, the hope is we turn the corner and make a run at the playoffs. We’re in every game and we know we can play with everybody. We just have to execute when it matters.”

Girls’ hockey

On the girls’ side, Falmouth was 7-5 and fourth in the South Region after a 6-2 home win over Biddeford and a 3-0 setback at Cape Elizabeth/Waynflete/South Portland. The Navigators hosted Mt. Ararat Tuesday and close the regular season Thursday at Biddeford.

Yarmouth/Freeport was 5-7 and sixth in the North Region following a 1-0 loss at St. Dom’s last week and a 10-0 setback at reigning state champion Lewiston Monday. Yarmouth/Freeport goes to Edward Little Wednesday, hosts Mt. Ararat Friday and closes at Greely Saturday.

Greely was 3-11 and eighth in the North Region after losses last week at Edward Little (12-2) and at home to Brunswick (4-2) and Monday’s 8-0 setback at St. Dom’s. Lily Rawnsley had both goals in the first loss. The Rangers host Biddeford Wednesday and close at home versus Yarmouth/Freeport Saturday.

Indoor track

Last weekend at the University of Southern Maine, Freeport’s boys and girls were both first at a seven-team Western Maine Conference indoor track meet. NYA’s girls were sixth and the boys placed seventh.

Greely’s girls were runner-up to York in a six-team meet. Yarmouth placed third. In the boys’ competition, also won by York, the Clippers finished third and the Rangers were fourth.

Swimming

In the pool, in the most recently reported results, Greely’s girls beat Falmouth, 60-27, while the Navigators won the boys’ competition, 47-45.

Yarmouth’s girls beat Scarborough, 92-67, as Alex Ericson set two new school records. Ericson broke the six-year-old 200 freestyle record with a time of 2-minutes, 1.53 seconds and the 500 freestyle record, which dates to 1992, with a time of 5:30.15. The Clippers boys lost to the Red Storm, 128-29, as Scarborough broke three of its school records in the process.

Skiing

Falmouth’s boys were first and the girls third at last week’s Roy Varney Hornet Classic Nordic ski meet. Ava Dries won the girls’ competition with a time of 21 minutes, 17.2 seconds. The boys’ team was paced by Ryan Gray (16:45.6) and Joey Rouhana (16:52.8) who were first and second, respectively.

In a WMC freestyle meet last week, Yarmouth’s boys were first, Falmouth was second and Greely placed third. Individually, Rouhana was first in 14:14. In the girls’ competition, the Navigators were first, Clippers second and Rangers third. Greely’s Alex Collins was first individually in 17:25.

In downhill action, Falmouth’s boys won a seven-team giant slalom meet last week at Shawnee Peak, as Andrew Christie was first individually with a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 7.17 seconds. The Navigators girls finished third, as Alexandra Dowling came in eighth (1:16.05).

In slalom action Shawnee Peak, Falmouth’s girls were first, as Celia Geci finished third individually in 1:57.81. The boys also came in first, as Christie set the pace individually in 1:34.69.

In the Western Maine Conference, Yarmouth’s girls were second to Cape Elizabeth in a slalom meet, as Brooke Boone was first in 1:07.62. Greely placed fifth with Ruth Weeks posting the seventh-best individual time in 1:12.56. The Capers also won the boys’ meet, with Yarmouth coming in runner-up despite Asher Lockwood posting the best time (1:01.193). Greely came in fourth with Evan Miller coming in 15th individually (1:22.68).

Press Herald staff writer Mike Lowe and Sun Journal staff writers Nathan Fournier and Adam Robinson contributed to this story.

Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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