The first semifinal matched up #3 Mt. Blue against #7 Edward Little. EL upset rival Lewiston in the quarters without big games from their two star players, Quin Leary and Omar Haji-Hersi. The duo had bounce-back games for the Red Eddies, who had another upset brewing with a 1 point lead at halftime. Mt. Blue gained control in the second half, but couldn't pull away, and had to hold their breath as Leary's game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer was off the mark. In one of the more exciting games of the entire tournament, Mt. Blue held off cinderella Edward Little 52-49.
MBR Radio REPLAY Mt Blue Cougars v Edward Little Red Eddies Rams
Haji-Hersi was hot from the get-go, scoring 8 points in the first quarter as the Red Eddies led 14-10 after 8 minutes. Leary pitched in with 4 points of his own, and his shooting touch was on after a cold shooting game in the quarterfinals.
Leary, Haji-Hersi, and Sean Ford had 2 buckets a piece for EL in the second quarter, as the scoring went back and forth. Eric Berry and Steven Yardley each had 6 points for Mt. Blue, who were down 26-25 at the half. Most surprisingly for the Cougars was that Mr. Basketball semi-finalist Cam Sennick had only 3 points in the first half. The 6' 6" senior had 29 points in the quarterfinals.
Mt. Blue got defensive in the third quarter, holding Edward Little to 9 points, and keeping Haji-Hersi off the scoresheet. Blake Hart picked up the slack on the offensive side of the ball, hitting two 3-pointers to give the Cougars a 37-35 lead at the end of three quarters.
The fourth quarter came down to balanced scoring, and Mt. Blue had it. All 5 starters made a basket, and Cam Sennick made free throws down the stretch to give the Cougars what they thought was some breathing room. Haji-Hersi however, wouldn't go down without a fight, hitting two late 3-pointers to keep the Red Eddies in it. Edward Little had 2 chances to tie it with just seconds remaining. After Yardley lost an inbounds pass off his foot, Leary tried a 3 from the top of the key that fell short. Nick Hilton got the rebound, but was called for traveling as he lost his balance. The Eddies had one final shot with 0.3 seconds on the clock. The inbounds went to Leary, and his quick release 3 hit high off the backboard to end the game. For Mt. Blue it was a much closer game than they predicted, and for Edward Little, a tough pill to swallow in a game they had every chance to win.
Haji-Hersi finished with a game-high 23 points for Edward Little. Mt. Blue had four guys in double figures, led by Hart with 12. Sennick finished with 11, and Berry and Yardley each had 10.
After the hoopla calmed down some, it picked right back up for the second game. Top-seeded Hampden and #5 Bangor are more than familiar with eachother, and they brought a few thousand of their closest friends to tag along. Bangor tried to do what Edward Little couldn't, upset one of the favorites. The Rams had a 1 point lead after the first quarter, but floundered the rest of the way, and Hampden won easily 47-37.
Bangor decided to neutralize Hampden big man Fred Knight defensively by moving their twin towers out for jump shots. It worked for a quarter, as Patrick Stewart and Ellis Throckmorton combined for 11 of the Rams' 14 first quarter points. Knight was his usual beast down offensively however, scoring 6 points in the quarter, with 4 on free throws.
MBR Radio REPLAY Hampden Academy Broncos vs Bangor Bangor Rams
Hampden would then clamp down on defense, allowing only 2 Bangor field goals in the second quarter. The Broncos went into halftime with a 23-20 lead.
Christian McCue almost outscored the entire Bangor team in the third quarter. The senior point guard had 6 points to Bangor's 7 as the Broncos extended the lead to 34-27 after three quarters.
So Portland Boys HC Phil Conley
Bangor Daily News' Ernie Clark
Forecaster's Michael Hoffer
SMCC's Matt Richards
Entire Show
Tuesday night finished up the Girls Class B West quarterfinals. The first two quarterfinals in the afternoon were entertaining, so the last two had a lot to live up to.
The first game of the session featured defending state champion Leavitt against newcomer Spruce Mountain, making their first ever trip to Portland in their first year in existence.
Leavitt did not disappoint the crowd on hand, lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of a 72-59 victory.
The Hornets were not as explosive on offense as usual to start the game, but their high-pressure full-court press was right on. The Phoenix struggled to break the press, and turned the ball over to one of the best transition offenses in the state. Luckily for them, the Hornets couldn't seem to get the ball to go in the hoop. They held Kristen Anderson to just 7 points and were down 14-8 at the end of the first quarter.
Spruce Mountain could only hold down a sleeping giant for so long, as the tandem of Anderson and Adrianna Newton went off in the second quarter. The duo combined for 14 points as Leavitt finally got on track. The Hornets went into the locker room up 37-23.
They kept their foot on the gas coming out of the break. Anderson and Newton were at it again, combining for 18 points and playing lock-down defense on Spruce Mountain. The lead was up to 61-38 after three quarters.
The Phoenix showed a lot of fight in their first playoff game in Portland. Senior Kathryn Ventrella, who had been held in check all game long, went off for 11 points in the quarter, including three 3-pointers. Emily Taylor dropped in a couple of her own, as Spruce Mountain brought the game back to respectability.
Anderson finished with 27 points, and Newton added 20 for the Hornets, who had the same look that they did last year when they made a run all the way to the Gold Ball.
Ventrella led the Phoenix with 16 points, all in the second half, and freshman Samantha Richards added in 10 points of her own.
The final game of the night featured top-seeded Lake Region facing off against a relatively young Yarmouth team. What the Clippers did have going for them was a pair of sisters who could match height with the Lakers super-sophomore Tiana-Jo Carter. At 6' 1" Carter is routinely one of the tallest players on the court. The Clippers can boast two bigs that size, as Morgan Cahill and sister Sean posed a challenge for Carter.
The Cahills kept Carter in check for a quarter, but that was it, as Carter led Lake Region to an easy 60-34 victory.
It took the entire first quarter for the teams to get the kinks out. After 8 minutes the game was tied at 6-6, with the Cahills getting all 6 points for the Clippers, and the Lakers getting a basket a piece by 3 guards.
The Lakers then showed why they are the #1 seed, and Carter why she is their #1 player. Lake Region outscored Yarmouth 19-4 in the quarter, with Carter going for 12 on her own, and the Lakers led 25-10 at halftime.
Yarmouth couldn't answer in the second half, as they got into foul trouble and watched Lake Region get hot from beyond the arc. The Lakers hit three 3-pointers, including 2 from freshman Sarah Hancock, to take a 44-20 lead after three quarters.
There was no comeback for the Clippers, and no letdown for the Lakers, as Lake Region easily moves on to the semifinals. Their next match-up, against Leavitt won't be so easy.
Carter finished with 14 points, as did Morgan Cahill for Yarmouth. Sarah Hancock had 13 points, outscoring older sister Sydney, who had 6. What Sydney lacked in points, she made up for in big plays. She seemed to have a hand on every lose ball and pick-pocketed unsuspecting Clipper ball handlers on many occasion. She will have to keep that same drive going when she matches up with Kristen Anderson in the semifinals, which will take place on Thursday at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Greely got out to a fast start in their Class B West girls quarterfinal match-up, but had to hold on the rest of the way, narrowly beating Wells 43-38.
Caroline Hamilton and Jaclyn Storey helped the Rangers to a 17-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Wells clamped down on defense in the second quarter, holding Greely to just 6 points. Alison Furness and Nicole Moody combined for 11 points to cut the deficit to 23-22 at halftime.
Greely got a little breathing room in the third quarter, as Haylee Munson had 5 points and Courtney Nielsen hit a big 3-pointer to make it 33-27 heading into the fourth quarter.
The game was in doubt up to the final minute, when Storey and her younger sister Ashley both made both ends of a 1-and-1 to push Greely to the win. Jaclyn Storey led the Ranger with 11 points, while Munson and Hamilton each pitched in with 9. Nicole Moody led all scorers with 14 points for the Warriors.
Last year York was the defending Class B state champion, and met Gray-New Gloucester in the quarterfinals. The Wildcats easily disposed of the Patriots in that match-up. My how much a difference a year makes. The upset-minded Patriots held leads after the first quarter and first half, but York’s size and experience ultimately prevailed in a 51-42 win.
Emily Campbell got off to a quick start for the Wildcats, scoring 6 points in the opening frame. GNG used a much more balanced attack, as 5 different players scored, including Julia Martell’s jumper at the buzzer to give the Patriots an 11-
10 lead.
The Patriots kept the momentum going, outscoring York 12-8 in the second quarter to make an upset a distinct possibility. Haylee Cote hit two 3-pointers and Maria Valente had two hard-earned baskets as the Patriots young players didn’t seem to be bothered by the gravity of the moment.
Whatever York coach Rick Clark said at halftime must have worked, because the Wildcats came out of the break like a team on a mission. Andrea Mountford pressured the GNG ball-handlers, resulting in a couple steals that turned into easy baskets on the other end. Mountford finished with 8 points in the quarter, and Marquis MacGlashing had 7 as the Wildcats took control of the game. Cote’s 8 points were the only GNG points in the quarter.
The Patriots just didn’t have enough firepower to claw back, and it turned into a free throw game for York. While they didn’t make all of them, they made a lot of them to keep the upset from happening. Mountford, MacGlashing, and Campbell all finished with 12 points for the Wildcats. Cote was the high scorer for the game, finishing with 20 points. In the process, she broke the Class B West Girls tournament record with six 3-pointers.
York will now face Greely in the Semifinals later in the week.
JIM HARTMAN PORTLAND BULLDOGS FOOTBALL
MIKE ADAMS EDWARD LITTLE BOYS BASKETBALL COACH
TIM BRITTON PROVIDENCE JOURNAL RED SOX WRITER
KALLE OAKES LEWISTON SUN JOURNAL
MIKE LOWE PORTLAND PRESS HERALD
WHOLE SHOW
Lincoln Academy ruined the chance for Yarmouth to face rival Greely in the Class B West Boys quarterfinals, upsetting #6 Greely in the prelims. The #3 Clippers didn’t care who they were facing Saturday morning, as they used a tenacious full-court press and efficient outside shooting to easily handle Lincoln Academy 77-35.
Yarmouth used the press from the opening minute of the game, forcing the Eagles into a mind-blowing 21 turnovers in the first quarter. The Clippers turned those turnovers into fast-break points, as they led 27-4 at the end of the first quarter. Lincoln Academy coach Chris McKenney was so frustrated that he subbed in 5 bench players with 13.8 seconds left, trying to send his starters a message.
While the Eagles cut down on the turnovers, they didn’t cut down on the Yarmouth lead. With a chance to run a traditional offense, Yarmouth found space behind the 3-point line, hitting 5 treys in the quarter. Lincoln Academy had no answer on their own offensive end, hitting only 3 field goals in the quarter. Yarmouth went to the locker room with a comfortable 54-12 lead.
Lincoln Academy came out of the break with a little more tenacity on defense, forcing Yarmouth into turnovers. However, the deficit was too great, as was Josh Britten. The senior guard scored 8 of his game-high 22 points in the quarter, ensuring there would be no comeback.
The fourth quarter was a chance for bench players to gain some experience, as both coaches unloaded their reserves. Yarmouth may not have gotten a rivalry match-up, but they more importantly got the victory, and a trip to the semi-finals.
Boys' Class A East quarterfinal action took place at the Augusta Civic Center Saturday night, and there was everything from upsets to blowouts to just plain ugly basketball.The first match-up of the night was #3 Mt. Blue facing off against #6 Brunswick. If the Dragons were going to have any chance to play the spoiler, they had to stop Mt. Blue big man Cam Sennick. Well, Brunswick failed to do so, as Sennick poured in 29 points was all said and done, and Nick Hilton pitched in with 20 points of his own. Mitchell Black and the rest of the Dragons started off cold shooting and never warmed up as Mt. Blue won decisively 72-47.
MESN REPLAY MT BLUE COUGARS V BRUNSWICK DRAGONS
The following game featured arch-rivals Lewiston and Edward Little. Even though Lewiston was the #2 seed, seeds and records don't matter when these 2 teams clash. Neither team looked very good to start off, but the Blue Devils got on track first, leading by as much as 16 in the second quarter. Sean Ford helped the Red Eddies claw back to single digits before Corbin Hyde's lay-in at the halftime buzzer gave Lewiston a 30-19 lead.
MESN REPLAY EDWARD LITTLE RED EDDIES V LEWISTON BLUE DEVILS
Edward Little continued to inch closer in the second half, holding Lewiston to only 6 third quarter points. The Blue Devils' lead was down to 36-33 at the end of the third quarter, as their offense went cold. Edward Little kept the momentum going, taking their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter and never giving it back. The Red Eddies went on to a 60-52 upset over their biggest rival.
After a short break at the ACC, we had another match-up of rivals. While Bangor and Lawrence are bigger rivals on the gridiron, there's no love lost between the two schools. Bangor held a slight edge throughout the first half, thanks in part to the play of Bangor big Patrick Stewart. Bangor went into halftime leading 24-18, but neither team was overly happy with their play.
The third quarter was much of the same, although Bangor pulled away before Lawrence pulled back in late in the quarter. Shaun Carroll scored 5 points in the quarter for the Bulldogs, as they close the gap to 32-28 after three quarters.
MESN REPLAY BANGOR RAMS V LAWRENCE BULLDOGS
That was where the bright spots ended for Lawrence. Sloppy play ensued, including ineptitude at the free throw line. Spencer Carey's 3 points in the quarter were all Lawrence could muster, as Bangor would score 16 to win easily, 48-31. Stewart led all scorers with 17 points, as Lawrence had no answer for his 6' 5" frame.
The night cap featured top-seeded Hampden and Erskine, a team on a tear at the end of the season. Hampden found some breathing room early, as big Fred Knight hit 3 mid-range jumpers in the first quarter. The Broncos' efficiency from the field gave them a 15-8 lead after one. Erskine would pull a little closer in the second quarter, thanks to spark plug Devin Duncan. Duncan's 3-pointer helped the Eagles start the quarter on a 7-4 run. However, Hampden would pull away just a little at the end of the half, as Christian McCue had 4 points late to give the Broncos a 28-18 halftime lead.
MESN BRONCOS V EAGLES GAME REPLAY PRESENTED BY MCCUE LAW
Erskine would again draw closer, holding Hampden to just 3 field goals and 8 points in the quarter. Duncan continued his stellar play, scoring 7 points on his own, and the Eagles were down by 7 heading into the fourth quarter.
The clock struck 12 for Erskine in the fourth quarter, however, as 3-pointers by Duncan and Thomas Grady were all the Eagles could get on offense. McCue put the Broncos on his back, scoring 9 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter, and Hampden won 53-38. Duncan led all scorers with 20 points, including 4 3-pointers.
The semifinal match-ups will pit #1 Hampden against #5 Bangor, and #3 Mt. Blue against #7 Edward Little.
4:00 PM #3 Mt. Blue vs. #6 Brunswick
5:30 PM #2 Lewiston vs. #7 Edward Little
8:00 PM #4 Lawrence vs. #5 Bangor
9:30 PM #1 Hampden Academy vs. #9 Erskine Academy
In the opener, defending State Champion #4 Cheverus took on #5 Thornton Academy. Cheverus had the look of a State Champion and showed a hunger for a repeat, easily handling the Trojans 49-30.
Neither team found much rhythm on offense in the first quarter, although Cheverus used balanced scoring to take an early 8-3 lead on baskets by 4 different players. Thornton could only manage 3 Jeff Gelinas free throws for the first 7:55 of the quarter until Connor McCrum hit a short jumper before the buzzer.
Cheverus pulled away in the second quarter, behind the sweet shooting of James Kapothanasis and the timely defense of Cam Olson. Olson's steal and ensuing lay-up 1:30 into the quarter gave the Stags a 16-5 lead. Kapothanasis scored 9 points in the quarter as Cheverus led 24-10 at the break.
Thornton forced the Stags into foul trouble to start the second half, and Justin Pollard was the beneficiary, scoring 8 points in the quarter, many on free throws. However, Cheverus' defense stopped the Trojans from getting anything going on offense, and led 33-20 after three quarters.
Cheverus didn't let up in the fourth, as Olson scored 6 of his 12 points in the quarter to lead the Stags. Louis DiStasio, Andrew Ferrick, and Shawn Grover each had 3 points a piece in the frame, taking advantage of Thornton's frustrations. As the final buzzer sounded, Cheverus continued their quest for another state championship with a 19-point victory.
In the second game, top-seeded Deering faced off against #9 Biddeford, who had to win at Scarborough in the prelims just to get to the Expo. The Tigers came out with an upset on their mind, and had many believing at halftime. But Deering showed why they are the top-seed, as John Amabile, Thiwat Thiwat, and Labson Abwoch each scored at least 20 points as Deering won 66-54.
The Tigers came out fearless in the first quarter, not at all frightened by Deering's two big post men. The Tigers took it right to the Rams, getting 3 Deering starters in foul trouble before the end of the first quarter. Abwoch's dominant post game offset some cold shooting by Deering, as the big man scored 10 points in the quarter. Biddeford used a much more balanced attack, as 5 players scored in the quarter, capped off by Cameron Nadeau's lay-up at the buzzer to tie the game at 17-17.
Amabile finally got on track with two driving lay-ups early in the quarter. Biddeford did their damage from outside, as Bobby Cote got hot from beyond the arc, scoring 13 points in the second quarter alone. That helped give Biddeford a 34-31 halftime lead. The Tigers hit 5 3-pointers in the first half, whereas the Rams scored all their points either in the paint or at the free throw line.
Whatever energy Biddeford had to start the game didn't carry over to start the second half. Deering began the third quarter on a 9-0 run to take lead for good. Thiwat had two baskets early on, and the Rams used a full-court press to force Biddeford to turn the ball over. Matt Cote scored 6 points, and brother Bobby had a put-back at the buzzer to keep the Tigers close, down only 48-43 after three quarters.
Deering pulled away in the fourth quarter, as the Rams' big three played big, combining for all of Deering's points in the quarter. Biddeford continued to make mistakes as the Rams continued to apply pressure. The upset was not meant to be, as the top-seeded Rams walked off the court with a much tougher than imagined quarterfinal victory.
The other two quarterfinals will take place Saturday night, as #3 Bonny Eagle takes on #6 Marshwood at 7:30, followed by #2 Portland facing #7 South Portland.
BILLY GOODMAN
DAN LEGAGE
GOLDY AND JEFF'S PICKS
GARY CARTER from Oct 8, 2008
Good Luck to everyone involved!
FULL SHOW
DICK DUROST
RYAN FLAHERTY
Cmon..you think all the Star Wars references leave with Matty…pahleeeze.
As we say goodbye to Matty, we say hello to the next chapter for MESN. As Matty said, Jeff, Tom, Wil and everyone else involved with MESN continues to be dedicated to bring the best coverage of sports, The Maine Way. We are finalizing our plans for the Tournament! Lots of irons in the fire, we should have something out in a couple days!
The biggest thing that needs to be said is MESN is still here. The same people who have worked tirelessly to bring a better brand of coverage to the Maine is still here. We will return to the radio Monday 10AM- Noon with Calling All Sports and will be somewhere in a gym near you this week.
Matty will be missed, but the mission stays the same, bring Maine a different type of sports coverage.
Stay tuned for what will be a fantastic finish to the 2011-2012 High School Basketball season.
Over the past few weeks, I had been wanting to write this post, but things kept trucking along. Patriots make the Super Bowl, we do games, etc, etc. I laid my head back in my chair this morning, closed my eyes for a second while my wife made breakfast. My almost 2 year old daughter, who has recently started talking in sentences, ran over to me and tapped me on the leg as I closed my eyes for a second and said "Daddy, wake up!".
5 years ago, when my middle son was 1 year old, I started this so I could spend more time with my kids. Be home, write about sports, etc. It exploded. Beyond my belief. Radio. More radio. A newspaper job. Craziness. Every time I went from one season to another there was no down time. Once we left ACR in July, the schedule was non-stop screech. Shows, games, shows, games, shows, games. Even the couple of weeks between the end of high school football and the start of basketball didn't seem to recuperate me enough. "Daddy, wake up!"
My wife has adjusted her work schedule for me on numerous occasions. My in-laws and my mom had my children often, too often for my liking. Since Christmas, I couldn't help but think "You started doing this to spend MORE time with your kids." More time. "Daddy, wake-up!"
MESN will be in good hands and will continue to flourish. Jeff will work extremely hard and align himself with the right people to make it work, like he already has with Tom and Goldy. It's been a fun ride, but it's time for me to hop off the MESN train. Thanks to Jeff, Tom, Hoffer, Goldy, and everyone else who has made this a success. Keep doing what you do.
"Daddy, wake up!"
I just did.
MONDAY
Entire Show
Ian Rapoport Boston Herald
TUESDAY
Entire Show
Steve Buckley Boston Herald
Ron Borges Boston Herald
Nick DiPaolo and Artie Lange
Chris Mortesen ESPN
Maria Menounos EXTRA
WEDNESDAY
Entire Show
Former Patriot Rosie Colvin
Former Giant Amani Toomer
Mike Lowe Portland Press Herald
THURSDAY
Entire Show
Gary Tanguay Comcast Sports New England
Sal Paolantonio ESPN
Chad Finn Boston Globe
Scott Zolak 98.5 The Sports Hub
FRIDAY
Entire Show
Allison Melangton Indy Super Bowl Host Committee President Auburn Maine Native
Sid Rosenberg WQAM Miami and Giants Fan
Paul Fitzy Fitzgerald Patriots Super Fan
Mike Haynes HOFer and Former New England Patriot
Jeff P Howe NESN Patriots Beat Writer
sfsfsfsWell, another BUSY day from Indianapolis as we are the ONLY non Massachusets New England radio station at the Super Bowl! How about that. Take a listen to Calling All Sports with Lee and Jeff and a BONUS hour with Jeff, Matty and Wil the thrill. A few special guests stopped by! Take a listenBonus Show
CSNNE Gary Tanguay
ESPN's Sal Paolantonio
Hump Day at the Super Bowl, all downhill from here. Here is the ever so waited for photos from some of the sights and scenes from Indianapolis.
Jeff Schools was live from Lucas Oil Field today, and his last hour was filled with guests, ranging from Comedians Nick Dipaolo and Artie Lange (warning: slight language for that segment, I am posting it uncensored as it was it was censored for air), Steve Buckley & Ron Borges from the Boston Herald, Chris Mortensen from ESPN, and Maria Menounos from Extra. Check it out below, and support our sponsors who sent MESN to the Super Bowl: Republic Jewlery and Collectibles, Mister Sparky, Messer Truck Equipment, and Maine Hits.Jeff with Nick and Artie
Jeff with Maria Menounos
Jeff at Media Day
Bridgton Academy's Victor Cruz
UMaine hockey coach Tim Whitehead talks about his team's recent surge with Lee Goldberg on "Calling All Sports" on AM 870/1470 WLAM.
