An early exit from postseason play last February relegated Fort Fairfield to under-the-radar status within the Eastern Maine Class D boys basketball ranks early this season.
But that all changed Tuesday night when the Tigers knocked off perennial power Central Aroostook of Mars Hill 58-51 to avenge their only loss so far this season, a 54-49 decision to the Panthers on Dec. 15.
“We had 34 turnovers the first time we played them,” said Fort Fairfield coach Todd Alley, “so we really focused on having each of the kids individually make one less error.”
Fort Fairfield, now 6-1 and ranked third in Eastern D, committed just 19 turnovers in the rematch, just few enough to hold off Central Aroostook after a back-and-forth final period.
It marked the third time in their last four meetings that Fort Fairfield had defeated the Panthers, as the Tigers swept the season series during the 2008-09 campaign en route to an 18-0 regular-season finish that landed them atop the Eastern D standings.
But all the possibilities that effort suggested vanished quickly, as No. 8 Bangor Christian stunned Fort Fairfield 53-51 at the Bangor Auditorium in the regional quarterfinals.
It’s a frustrating memory that lingers for the core group of returning players as motivation for this season.
“It started right out during summer ball,” said Alley. “They didn’t like coming home early last year, and they showed up with a chip on their shoulders.”
Four key players are back to lead the way this winter, a contingent led by 6-foot junior forward Travis Noyes. Noyes, the team’s leading scorer as its sixth man last season, is averaging a team-best 15.4 points per contest this winter after scoring a season-high 23 points in the win at Central Aroostook.
“Travis is the most composed person on the floor,” said Alley. “He pulls all the guys together, and that’s really a big step forward for him this year.”
John McNamee, a 6-5 senior center, also is averaging in double figures offensively (10.1 ppg), while four-year starting guard Josh Booth, a top 3-point shooter, and forward Josh Churchill also have been consistent scorers for the Tigers.
Dereck Dufour, a 5-10 sophmore guard, has been solid in a complementary role as the team’s fifth starter.
“I knew going in that we would have some guys who could score,” said Alley, “but the key was we had to play as a team and not as individual talent, and we’ve been playing as a team.”
Fort Fairfield faces another test Thursday night against Class C Madawaska. The Tigers had a close call with the 4-2 Owls in their earlier meeting, trailing by 19 points in the third quarter and by 11 with 5½ minutes left in the game before rallying for a 44-41 road win on Dec. 10.
Local ‘A’ foes to renew rivalries
Round 2 of the Penobscot County shootout for supremacy atop the Eastern Maine Class A boys basketball standings begins Thursday evening when Bangor travels to Hampden Academy.
That’s followed Saturday night when Hampden visits top-ranked Brewer, with the second Bangor-Brewer matchup of the winter scheduled to end the regular season on Feb. 4.
Brewer, 8-1, currently ranks atop the Eastern A Heal point ratings after its 65-45 victory over No. 5 Skowhegan on Tuesday night. Hampden is 7-1 and ranked second after its 66-31 win over Messalonskee of Oakland on Tuesday, while Bangor is 5-2 and rated sixth after a 40-26 win over Mt. Blue of Farmington.
Those standings are fairly close to results of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference preseason season coaches’ poll, which seeded Hampden first, Bangor second and Brewer fourth.
All three teams are riding significant winning streaks. Brewer has won three straight since a 74-70 loss at defending Eastern Maine champion Edward Little of Auburn on Dec. 19, while Hampden has won six straight since falling 69-57 at Brewer on Dec. 11.
Bangor, which started the season 1-2, has won four straight since falling at Brewer 62-57 on Dec. 15.
Thursday’s Bangor-Hampden clash will be a rematch of their season opener at Red Barry Gymnasium in Bangor, where Hampden used a 26-point performance from junior guard Graham Safford to defeat the Rams 56-47.
Safford has continued to shine for Hampden, including a career-high 36-point effort during the Broncos’ 64-55 win at Edward Little on Dec. 29, while senior forward Jacob Moore has been an additional force for coach Russ Bartlett’s club.
Bangor has relied on solid front line play featuring junior Zach Blodgett, sophomore Patrick Stewart and senior Clark Noonan.
Brewer is the highest-scoring team of the trio, averaging 64.9 points per game thanks to a fast-paced two-way attack led by senior guard Dom Drake and junior guard Ray Bessette.
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