It seems like just yesterday when we welcomed the winter sports season, but it’s already hit the midway point and it won’t be long until we’re talking about the championship month of February.
Local athletes have made their mark to date.
Here’s a glimpse of where things stand:
Boys’ basketball
Reigning Class A state champion South Portland extended its win streak to four games after recent victories over visiting Sanford (78-41) and Massabesic (82-22) and host Scarborough (65-50), but Tuesday at home, the Red Riots were knocked off by Gorham, 65-55, to fall to 8-2. Against the Spartans, Jayden Kim had 15 points and Jaelen Jackson added 14. In the win over the Mustangs, Nafees Padgett led the way with 19 points, while Jackson contributed 13. Against the Red Storm, Gabe Galarraga had 21 points and Jackson added 18. In the setback, Jackson led the way with 23 points. The Red Riots host Bonny Eagle Friday (see our website for game story), then have a showdown at rival Thornton Academy (the lone team to beat them this winter) Tuesday of next week.
Scarborough lost last week to visiting Cheverus (71-50) and Thornton Academy (61-40) and at home to South Portland (65-50). Tuesday, the Red Storm fell to 2-7 after a 78-59 home loss to Noble. Against the Stags, DeAngelo Alston had 14 points and Blake Harris added. In the loss to the Golden Trojans, Nate Glidden scored a team-high 10 points. Against the Red Riots, Spencer Booth had a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds and Liam Jefferds added 10 points. In the loss to the Knights, Carter Blanche had 16 points and Harris added 13. Scarborough goes to Massabesic Friday and visits Gorham Monday.
Cape Elizabeth is 4-3 after sandwiching victories at Poland (64-39) and at home over Fryeburg Academy (49-46) around a 44-37 home loss to Gray-New Gloucester last week. Owen Tighe led the way against the Knights with 17 points, while Antonio Dell’Aquila added 12 and Ben Altenburg finished with 10. Tighe had 11 points in the loss. The Capers were at York Thursday, visit Greely Saturday, play at Freeport Monday (see our website for game story), then welcome York Wednesday of next week.
Girls’ basketball
South Portland’s Samantha Duffy shoots a 3-pointer over Scarborough’s Caroline Hartley early in the Red Riots’ victory Saturday. Michael Hoffer / For The Forecaster
On the girls’ side, South Portland was 4-5 after a 51-37 loss at Sanford, a 49-35 home victory over Scarborough and an impressive 69-59 win at reigning Class AA South champion Gorham. In the setback, Ava Bryant and Emma Travis each scored 12 points. The Red Riots let a double-digit lead slip away against the Red Storm, then closed on a 21-5 run to prevail behind 18 points from Bryant.
“It was a great team win,” Bryant said. “We’ve been really working on our defense and it really paid off. When we all come together, we can do great things.”
“We needed a win,” South Portland coach Lynne Hasson said. “I told the girls they totally panicked, but they pulled it back together.”
Against the Rams, freshman Destiny Peter scored 18 points, Bryant added 17, freshman Caleigh Corcoran contributed 15 and Anna Brown finished with 13. The Red Riots go to Bonny Eagle Friday, host Scarborough again Saturday, then welcome undefeated, top-ranked Thornton Academy Tuesday of next week.
Scarborough lost last week at reigning Class A champion Cheverus (67-40), at home to Thornton Academy (52-42) and at South Portland (49-35), then snapped a five-game skid and improved to 3-6 Tuesday after a 46-16 win at Noble. Against the Stags, Caroline Hartley scored 12 points and Julia Black added 11. In the loss to the Golden Trojans, Hartley led the way with 17 points. Against the Red Riots, Hartley had a team-high 14 points.
“We talked about wasting a great third quarter,” Scarborough coach Mike Giordano said. “It probably expended more (energy) than we had because we had a lot of mistakes in the fourth. We turned the ball over a lot.”
The Red Storm are at South Portland Saturday, go to Gorham Monday, then host Sanford Wednesday of next week.
“At some point, I think our effort will pay off,” said Giordano. “I know our record says we’re 3-6, but this doesn’t feel like a 3-6 team.”
In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth beat visiting Poland, 36-22, last Tuesday, then fell to 2-5 after losses at Gray-New Gloucester (48-30) and Fryeburg Academy (41-32). In the victory, Olivia Manning had 12 points, while Grace Callahan and Meghan Conley added eight apiece. Manning had a dozen points in the loss to the Patriots. After hosting York Thursday, the Capers welcome Greely Saturday, host Freeport Monday (see our website for game story), then visit York next Wednesday.
Boys’ hockey
Scarborough’s Will Marcotte tries to cut through the Falmouth defense during the Red Storm’s 6-3 home loss Monday. Ben McCanna / Portland Press Herald
Scarborough’s boys’ hockey team, the reigning Class A state champion, started the season 5-0, then lost recent games at Thornton Academy in a state game rematch (5-2), at Edward Little (3-1) and at home to Falmouth (6-3). Dan Polinser had the goal against the Red Eddies, while Keegan Weed made 21 saves. Against the Navigators, Griffin Denbow, Thomas Hassett and Will Marcotte scored and Weed stopped 38 shots, but a five-minute penalty turned the game around.
“That took away any consistency we had in our game,” said Red Storm coach Eric Wirsing. “We give their power play an opportunity like that, they’re going to capitalize. They just move the puck so well and we knew that going in. We had to stay out of the box. Unfortunately, it was a big factor in this game.”
Scarborough looked to bounce back Thursday at Cheverus/Yarmouth (see our website for game story).
The South Portland/Waynflete/Freeport co-op team fell to 3-5 after a 2-1 home loss to Falmouth last week. The squad hosts St. Dom’s Thursday.
In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth was 5-2 after an 8-1 win at Kennebunk and a 4-1 loss at reigning Class B state champion Brunswick last week.
Girls’ hockey
On the girls’ side, the Cape Elizabeth/Waynflete/South Portland co-op team was 6-5 after three straight victories, 4-3 at Mt. Ararat in overtime, 7-0 over visiting Biddeford and 10-2 over visiting Edward Little. Against the Eagles, Marina Bassett had two goals and Reilly Eavanson produced the winner in OT. Bassett scored four times and Libby Hooper added two goals in the victory over the Tigers. Cape/Waynflete/SP is home versus York Saturday and goes to Brewer Monday.
Indoor track
The first SMAA indoor track meet of 2023 saw Scarborough’s boys and girls defeated Portland, Noble and Bonny Eagle.
South Portland’s boys and girls defeated Thornton Academy, Windham and Massabesic.
In the WMC, Cape Elizabeth’s girls were fourth and the boys fifth in an eight-team league meet.
Press Herald staff writer Travis Lazarczyk contributed to this story.
Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.
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