A new year has arrived and the winter sports season is hitting its stride. As we draw closer to the championship month of February, city athletes figure to make a run at glory across the board.
While basketball and hockey already at their midway point, other winter sports are heating up as well.
Here’s a glimpse:
Nordic skiing
While snow has been scarce in the Portland area, there was a Nordic ski meet held Saturday, the Waterville High School Sprint Festival. Cheverus, Deering and Portland competed.
In the boys competition, won by Mt. Blue, Deering placed fifth, Portland finished seventh and Cheverus was 20th.
“It’s really nice to get up here and get on the snow,” said Portland’s Henry Morrison, who had the fifth-best time. “You look at other places around the state and they don’t have anything, but there’s some really good snow here.”
“It’s a really tough course — you can’t get too excited and go too hard on the hills — but it was a good race,” said Portland’s Alex Price, who teamed up with Morrison in the relay. “We’ve only had one day of snow in Portland, so it was great to be here.”
The girls’ competition was also won by Mt. Blue. The Bulldogs came in ninth and the Stags finished 16th. Portland’s Emma Price was fourth individually.
Swimming
The reigning Class A state champion Deering/Portland girls swim team had 64 points and defeated Freeport (23) and Kennebunk (4) in its most recent meet. The boys had 46 points and beat Kennebunk (19) and Freeport (19).
Cheverus was swept by Falmouth last week, as the boys were beaten, 53-32, and the girls lost, 58-17.
Waynflete split with Westbrook, as the girls prevailed, 64-27, and the boys lost to the Blue Blazes, 74-12.
Indoor track
Portland’s boys and girls opened the indoor track season with first-place performances in a meet which also included Falmouth, Biddeford, Sanford and Massabesic.
Cheverus girls were first and the Stags boys came in fourth in a meet which also included Scarborough, Thornton Academy and Marshwood.
Deering’s girls came in first and the Rams boys placed second in a meet which also included Windham, Kennebunk and Bonny Eagle.
Girls basketball
The biggest news of late in the girls basketball world is the sudden mortality of reigning Class AA state champion Cheverus.
The Stags, who started the season 6-0 to extend their two-year win streak to 27 games, lost last week to visiting Scarborough (47-44), visiting Edward Little (45-40) and host Gorham (62-46).
Against the Red Storm, Cheverus couldn’t hold a late seven-point lead, as Scarborough closed on a 10-0 run to snap the Stags’ 37-game home win streak. Anna Goodman had 12 points and Kylie Lamson added 10, but it wasn’t enough.
“It’s my fault,” said Cheverus coach Billy Goodman. “I didn’t teach my team how to handle pressure. We just didn’t handle it well. I should have done something different. I’m still trying to learn my team. It’s not that we lost, it’s how we lost. Everything happens for a reason.”
In the loss to the Red Eddies, the Stags managed just 12 points in the first half and a second half rally fell just short. Addison Jordan led the way with 17 points and Lamson added a dozen. Against the Rams, in a rematch of last year’s state game, Cheverus never led, trailed by 16 at halftime and couldn’t make a run in the second half. Jordan had a team-high 16 points.
“We’ve been slumping,” said Billy Goodman. This year’s team doesn’t get it yet. (Gorham) moved the ball great. Everyone on the court for them is a threat to score. It’s hard to play defense when everyone can score. Hats off to them. They did a great job and hopefully, it will make us better.”
The Stags (6-3) have several days to practice and regroup. They return to action Friday at Thornton Academy. Next Tuesday, Sanford pays a visit.
“Right now, we’re in a big slump and we’re going to try everything we can to turn it around,” Billy Goodman said.
Deering was 1-7 after losses last week at South Portland (58-27) and at home to Marshwood (55-41). Angelina Keo scored 16 points in the loss to the Red Riots and had 25 points against the Hawks. The Rams hoped to get back on track Tuesday at Mt. Ararat. After hosting Portland Thursday, Deering is home versus Gorham next Tuesday.
Portland was 2-7 after sandwiching losses at Sanford (54-41) and at home to South Portland (53-30) around a 58-54 victory at Lewiston. Baleria Yugu had 15 points against the Spartans. In the win, Yugu led the way with 30 points. Lili McCullum added 12, including two free throws to clinch it.
“Lily made some big free throws at the end,” Portland coach Joe Johnson said. “She’s a tough kid, she’s a competitor.
“I just wasn’t happy with how we played in the first half but, a different team showed up in (the second half). The second half, I thought we took care of the ball, at the end we didn’t force anything.”
Waynflete was 2-6 after a 44-21 home loss to St. Dom’s and a 37-34 home victory over Traip Academy. In the win, Lauren McNutt-Girouard led the way with 15 points and Lydia Birknes added nine. After going to Cape Elizabeth Tuesday, the Flyers visit Old Orchard Beach Thursday, host Winthrop Saturday and go to Traip Academy Tuesday of next week.
Boys basketball
On the boys’ side, Cheverus has lived up to billing as a top contender in Class AA North, passing every test but one so far.
The Stags improved to 8-1 and bounced back from their lone setback with victories last week over visiting Massabesic (77-36), host Edward Little (58-43) and visiting Gorham (68-40). In the win over the Mustangs, Leo McNabb had 17 points, Jameson Fitzpatrick added 16 and Nicola Plalum finished with 10. At the Red Eddies, McNabb led the way with 22 points, Fitzpatrick added 14 and Plalum tallied 10. In the win over the Rams, the reigning Class AA South champion, McNabb again was the top scorer with 21 points. Plalum added 12, while Fitzpatrick and Sammy Nzeyimana tallied 11 apiece. Cheverus is idle until Saturday when it hosts Thornton Academy. The Stags go to Sanford Tuesday of next week.
Deering lost at home to South Portland last Monday (69-60), then improved to 3-5 Saturday by holding off visiting Scarborough (50-49). Against the Red Riots, the Rams led, 13-0, after one quarter and held a 12-point lead in the second half, but couldn’t hold on despite 16 points from Justin Jamal, 15 from Evan Legassey and 11 from Tayshaun Cleveland.
“To beat good teams you need to execute,” said Deering coach Todd Wing. “We clearly aren’t there yet. Our game plan coming in was to limit turnovers, hold them to less than 10 offensive rebounds and get back in transition. We didn’t do that and the scoreboard reflected that.”
In the victory, Legassey (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Cleveland (13 points, 11 rebounds) each finished with double-doubles. The Rams hosted Sanford Tuesday, go to rival Portland Thursday (see our website for game story), welcome Bonny Eagle Saturday, then travel to Gorham for a playoff rematch Tuesday of next week.
Portland defeated visiting Sanford last Monday (63-54), then fell to 3-6 after losses at Lewiston (56-52) and South Portland (70-48). In the win, Lucas LeGage led the way with 21 points and Devin Walker had a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds). Against the Blue Devils, LeGage had 15 points, but the Bulldogs couldn’t hold a late lead. Portland never led at the Red Riots and went down to defeat. Cordell Jones scored 15 points, LeGage added 11 and Walker finished with 10.
“Tonight was a little bit of a setback,” longtime Bulldogs coach Joe Russo said. “We hoped to be more competitive. We went into the season knowing that we’re pretty much a JV team trying to become a varsity team, hopefully quicker than later. There are visions now-and-then that we’re heading that way, but then reality sets in that we’re really not. This is the first time we’ve lost by this much.”
Portland hosted Bangor Tuesday, welcomes Deering Thursday, plays at Edward Little Saturday, then goes to Sanford Tuesday of next week.
“We’re halfway through the season and we could be 4-5, 5-4, but we’re not,” Russo said. “We started the season knowing we had to learn and become a varsity team. We have some material. It’s just taking time.”
Waynflete lost to visiting St. Dom’s (68-39) last Thursday, then improved to 5-3 Saturday by holding off host Traip Academy (37-34). Jed Alsup scored 10 points in the setback. The Flyers hosted Cape Elizabeth Tuesday (see our website for game story), welcome Old Orchard Beach Thursday, go to Winthrop Friday, then return home next Tuesday to meet Traip Academy.
Girls hockey
On the ice, two-time reigning girls’ champion Cheverus made it five straight victories and improved to 8-1-1 after a 7-0 home win over the Gorham co-op squad last week. The Stags had tied the Rams in the teams’ first meeting this winter, but thanks to five different goal-scorers, they rolled this time around. Lucy Johnson and Caroline Rousseau both scored two goals.
“We were disappointed in that tie,” said Caroline Rousseau. “We knew we had more in the tank and we wanted to come out strong. It was great to come out strong and want to win more than they did.”
“We got probably our best effort of the year tonight,” said Cheverus coach Scott Rousseau. “Our wingers and younger players have turned the corner. We’ve had two months of development and I’m very pleased.”
The Stags are back in action next Wednesday when they travel to Penobscot. A home game versus Biddeford follows three days later.
“We get everyone’s best game and I take that as a compliment,” Caroline Rousseau said. “Everyone circles us on our calendar and I love playing tough games. The hard games make us better. We want to be our best for playoffs. We’ll get better every single day. We have a great goaltender, four really top defenders and Lucy Johnson is one of a kind, so I really think we have what it takes.”
“If you’re trying to win in December, you’re going to lose in February,” said Scott Rousseau. “I just worry about us getting better and playing good hockey. We’re trying to keep becoming the best version of ourselves. I don’t look beyond what we’re doing next. We’re only worried about practice tomorrow, but with each game that passes, we’ve passed the tests. I’m pleasantly surprised. We have a tough stretch coming, but it’s a great group. I’m ecstatic.”
The Beacons co-op team, which consists of players from Portland, Deering, Waynflete, Cape Elizabeth and South Portland, was 8-3 following a 7-4 home loss to Yarmouth/Freeport and a 10-2 home win over Greely. In the setback, standout Marina Bassett had a hat trick, but it wasn’t enough.
“We had not played a game since December 23rd and we looked like it,” said Beacons coach Bob Mills. “We got out of position, gave the puck away too much, had a hard time possessing the puck and took too many penalties. Practicing for two weeks is just not the same as playing games and that (second period) stretch really hurt us. Our bench is a little short and we got a little tired. The second period wasn’t our best period. We talked in the locker room after the second period about looking at it as a challenge and seeing if we could claw our way back in it.”
In the win, Bassett scored five goals and Caileigh Hopkins added a pair. The Beacons were at York Tuesday, visit Falmouth/Scarborough Thursday and go to Penobscot Saturday.
“On any given night, any team can win this year and it’s nice to have that parity,” said Mills. “We have to play better positional hockey, possess the puck better and not give it away as much.”
Boys hockey
On the boys’ side, the Cheverus/Yarmouth co-op squad, the reigning Class B state champion, improved to 7-0 with wins last week over visiting Brunswick (3-0) and the host Leavitt co-op team. Against the Dragons, Brady Martin, Quinn McCoy and Owen Walsh all scored once. In the second victory, McCoy and Owen Cheever had two goals apiece, Colby Carnes had one goal and four assists and Matt Paradis scored as well. Cheverus/Yarmouth was at Brunswick Monday, then host Scarborough Thursday afternoon (see our website for game story).
The Beacons co-op team, featuring players from Cheverus, Deering, Waynflete and South Portland, improved to 2-5 with a 5-0 win at Biddeford Saturday. The squad hosts Edward Little Thursday.
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