Southern: Stretch run arrives for winter sports

The second half of the winter sports regular season is underway and last week brought another round of memorable events.

Here’s a glimpse at what happened and a look ahead:

Boys’ basketball

South Portland’s Jayden Kim brings the ball up the floor during last week’s win over Bonny Eagle. Michael Hoffer / For The Forecaster

South Portland’s reigning Class AA champion boys’ basketball team downed visiting Bonny Eagle (50-33) last Friday, then fell to 9-3 Tuesday after an 82-61 setback at rival Thornton Academy. In the win, Jaelen Jackson scored 17 points and had eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals and Manny Hidalgo added 10 off the bench.

“We always start pretty slow, but at the end of the first quarter we turned it around a little bit,” Jackson said. “Then, we played better defense and got organized and figured out the adjustments we needed to play better and it worked out for us.”

“I just try to move the ball and play defense and talk on the floor,” said Hidalgo. “I took the opportunities my teammates gave me and made the best of it. I hit the first (3), then I thought I could make five in a row. The 3s I made got us motivated. It felt good. It feels good to be on varsity. I feel like part of a family. I can finally show what I can do.”

“We just made enough shots and played good enough defense to hold on,” added Red Riots coach Kevin Millington. “It’s a tough league with a lot of good teams and everybody comes after us.”

In the loss, Jackson scored 17 points. South Portland welcomes Deering Friday and plays host to Scarborough Tuesday of next week.

“I think we’re improving and we’re getting there,” Jackson said. “We have some stuff to clean up and we have to shoot the ball better.”

Scarborough snapped a four-game skid with a 72-45 win at Massabesic, then fell to 3-8 Monday with a 66-52 loss at Gorham. In the victory, De’Angelo Alston scored 20 points, Liam Jefferds added 13, Blake Harris finished with 12 and Carter Blanche had 10. The Red Storm go to Lewiston Friday and visit South Portland Tuesday of next week.

Cape Elizabeth fell to 4-5 after losses last week at York (62-53) and Greely (57-40). Against the Wildcats, Owen Tighe scored 27 points and Sam Lombardo added 14. In the loss to the Rangers, Lombardo had a team-high 17 points. The Capers were at Freeport for a makeup game Wednesday, host Traip Academy Friday and York Saturday, then go to Lake Region Tuesday of next week.

Girls’ basketball

On the girls’ side, Scarborough was 4-7 entering a home game versus Sanford Wednesday (see our website for game story). Last Saturday, the Red Storm avenged a previous loss with a 47-30 win at South Portland, as Caroline Hartley had 21 points and Emerson Flaker and Ellie Rumelhart added nine apiece. Monday, despite 32 points from Hartley, Scarborough lost a close 55-49 decision at Gorham. After hosting Lewiston Friday, Scarborough welcomes South Portland Tuesday of next week.

South Portland evened its record with its third straight win last Friday, 42-31, then fell to 5-7 after home losses to Scarborough (47-30) and Thornton Academy (58-55). In the victory, Emma Travis had 13 points and Anna Brown added a dozen. In the loss to the Red Storm, Brown and Destiny Peter shared team-high scoring honors with nine points apiece. Against the Golden Trojans, the Red Riots led into the fourth quarter but fell just short. South Portland was paced by Brown’s 19 points. Ava Bryant added 14. The Red Riots go to Deering Friday and visit Scarborough Tuesday of next week.

Cape Elizabeth fell to 2-7 after home losses last week to York (50-36) and Greely (44-29). Grace Callahan had a team-high 10 points against the Wildcats and tallied eight in the loss to the Rangers. The Capers hosted Freeport in a makeup game Wednesday, go to Traip Academy Friday and York Saturday, then welcome Lake Region Tuesday of next week.

Boys’ hockey

Scarborough’s Daemon Bobbin takes a shot during last week’s loss at Cheverus/Yarmouth. Michael Hoffer / For The Forecaster

The South Portland/Waynflete/Freeport co-op squad improved to 4-5 after last week’s 1-0 home win over St. Dom’s on a goal from Ben Palson in the third period. SP/Waynflete/Freeport welcomed Scarborough Thursday (see our website for game story) and goes to Lewiston Wednesday of next week.

Reigning Class A champion Scarborough fell to 5-4 with its fourth straight loss, 3-2, at Cheverus/Yarmouth last Thursday. Wyatt Grondin scored early and Griffin Denbow added a third period goal, but it wasn’t enough, as the Red Storm couldn’t take advantage of multiple power play opportunities.

“Usually our power play has been buzzing, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to capitalize on the opportunities we had tonight,” lamented Scarborough coach Eric Wirsing. “Credit to (Cheverus/Yarmouth). They did a nice job isolating us and force us into uncomfortable positions. They did a great clearing the net and making sure their goalie could see the puck. If we scored on one or two of those opportunities, we’re looking at a different game.”

After playing at South Portland/Waynflete/Freeport Thursday, the Red Storm welcome Lewiston Saturday and host Kennebunk Wednesday of next week.

“We just have to get back to work and doing good things,” Wirsing said. “We have a very good hockey team. We’ve got to learn to grow. We’re dealing with adversity and we know how to help the guys work through it and we’ll be better off in the long run. I’d rather have this happen now than at the end of the season. We have a good mindset and a good group of kids who will work hard to get better.”

In Class B South, Cape Elizabeth improved to 6-2 after a 5-1 home win over Biddeford. The Capers were supposed to play at Gorham Monday, but the game was postponed to Jan. 31 due to bad weather. Cape Elizabeth hosted Greely Thursday.

Girls’ hockey

On the girls’ side, Cape Elizabeth/South Portland/Waynflete, which recently gave longtime coach Bob Mills a landmark victory (see story), improved to 7-6 with a 2-1 overtime home win over York Saturday. Delaney Whitten scored early and Marina Bassett played the hero in OT. Cape/SP/Waynflete, which had a game at Penobscot Monday postponed by bad weather, hosts Cheverus Thursday and welcomes Falmouth Saturday.

Indoor track

On the track, Scarborough and South Portland joined Biddeford, Kennebunk and Sanford at a league meet last weekend. The Red Storm girls were first with the Red Riots coming in second, while South Portland’s boys took the top spot and Scarborough was runner-up.

Cape Elizabeth took part in a seven-team WMC meet. The boys and girls both finished third. Freeport swept the top spot.

Swimming

Scarborough split a swim meet versus Greely last weekend, as the defending Class A state champion boys prevailed, 63-31, while the girls lost, 68-26.

Cape Elizabeth swept Deering/Portland, with the boys winning 94-39 and the girls prevailing, 102-70.

Skiing

Cape Elizabeth’s girls finished third and the boys were fourth at a recent league Alpine slalom meet. Logan Schwartz was first in the boys’ competition with a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 37.17 seconds. Anya Monson was first on the girls’ side (1:45.45).