Biddeford standout Bobby Cote has upped his scoring considerably in each of his three varsity seasons.

He had a season-high 33 points Tuesday night in a 69-62 win over Bonny Eagle that likely secured the Tigers (7-8) a spot in the Western Class A tournament. Of their three remaining games, home games tonight with Sanford and a week from tonight against Thornton Academy are key.

Working diligently on his shot helped Cote, a 6-foot-1 point guard, become the SMAA’s leading scorer with a 22.6 average. He also got serious in the weight room after his sophomore year.

Coach Mike Fecteau recalled Cote as “a scrawny little kid” his sophomore season.

“He’s bulked up,” said Fecteau. “Bobby works at his game constantly. He’s always critiquing his game to get better. He’s tough on himself.”

The Tigers made 13 3-pointers against Bonny Eagle, six by Cote from well behind the ine. Cote has hit three halfcourt shots this season, including one against the Scots.

Bonny Eagle Coach Phil Bourassa, a former Biddeford standout himself, watched a player wearing his old number (12) light up his team.

“I wore No. 12, too, but I couldn’t shoot nearly as well as he does,” said Bourassa. “Bobby is quite the player. He can flat-out shoot the ball. He has as pretty a stroke as you’ll see. And the best thing is he’s a great kid.”

As a sophomore, Cote averaged 3.0 points. He upped that to 14.2 as a junior. In his 11 seasons as head coach, Fecteau said this is the first time he’s had a player average at least 20 points per game.

Cote is the school’s all-time 3-point leader with 104. The previous record holder was Chris Cote — no relation — who made 85. Since Cote didn’t score many points as a sophomore and didn’t play as a freshman, 1,000 career points is beyond reach.

Adding muscle has enabled Cote to handle contact and and draw fouls He doesn’t have to rely solely on 3-point shooting.

“Bobby has gotten to the line quite a bit,” said Fecteau. “He’s creating contact.”

As the focus of defenses, Cote receives constant attention but handles it well.

“Bobby is a quiet kid. He really doesn’t like all the hype and lets his play do the talking,” said Fecteau, who added that Cote works as hard in the classroom as on the court.

Cote ranks No. 2 in his class and is looking to study engineering in college. His top choices are Rensselaer Poly and Worcester Poly.

Cote also plays baseball (center fielder-pitcher) for the Tigers. His grandfather is Bob Cote, the highly successful football coach at St. Louis High in Biddeford in the 1950s and 1960s, and later at Thornton Academy.

GREELY (10-5) IS playing better, evidenced by a four-game winning streak that includes wins over York and Yarmouth.

“I like how we’re playing,” said Coach Ken Marks. “We’re making less mistakes and the younger kids are becoming more seasoned.”

Marks called the 58-57 victory against Yarmouth “the most satisfying one we’ve had in years.”

The Rangers were missing starters Liam Maker and Brad McKenney. Already bothered with a tender ankle, Maker injured his other ankle in a win over Fryeburg Academy, and McKenney has been sidelined with a concussion suffered Jan. 20 against York. Maker is expected back soon; McKenney’s return is uncertain.

Cooper Allen, who replaced McKenney, had 10 assists against Yarmouth. Jonah Normandeau has filled in for Maker for the Rangers, who have been dealing with injuries and illness all season.

Michael McDevitt had 24 points and 13 rebounds against Yarmouth, and Bailey Train had seven 3-pointers and 23 points against Fryeburg.

“We have 14 players and we’ve had only one game when everyone was healthy,” said Marks. “Last season we didn’t have anyone injured or sick.”

Marks feels his team, ranked sixth in Western Class B, will stay there and host a tournament preliminary game.

The Rangers play Saturday at Lake Region, then finish with Gray-New Gloucester at home Tuesday and at Cape Elizabeth next Friday.

THE RED CLAWS and Maine McDonald’s Owner/Operator Association are seeking nominees for the team of the year award program, which honors two Maine high school basketball teams — one boys and one girls — who will each receive $1,000 for their programs. The teams will be recognized at the Maine McDonald’s All-Star Games on March 10 at Husson University in Bangor, and at a Red Claws game in Portland.

A committee comprised of representatives from McDonald’s, the Red Claws and the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches will review the nominations and select the winning teams.

The criteria are community involvement, sportsmanship, competitiveness, spirit and academics. Coaches, parents, principals, community organizations, athletic directors and others are encouraged to submit a nomination form if they know of a team that meets the criteria. Forms are available at: http://vote.mainemcdonaldsbasketball.org/public-voting. Submissions may be done electronically or printed and completed manually. Completed nomination forms must be received by Feb. 17. For more information, contact Kevin Mitchell at Rinck Advertising, (207) 755-9470 or email kevinm@rinckadvertising.com.

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or at:

tchard@pressherald.com

Twitter: TomChardPPH