Author: KJ Cardinal

Kennett advances to championship in blowout win

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – The Kennett girls cruised past Franklin 51-24 in the semifinals of The Bash. 

It was stout defense played by the Eagles that propelled them to a victory. “We knew they had some kids that could score, and our focus was putting our top two defenders on #12 [Kourtney Kaplan] and trying to limit her,” said head coach Larry Meader. 

The Eagles came out hot to open, going on a 10-0 run in the first two minutes of the game. They carried this momentum out of a Franklin timeout and continued their dominance. Stellar defense and transition offense were the keys in the quarter, and Kennett led 24-4 going into the second.

“Offensively we just wanted to get out and run. That was the best job we’ve done just getting out on the break and having kids release down the floor,” said Meader. 

Meader’s squad was led by two players. Kaley Goodhart poured in 12 points in the quarter, and Samantha Sidoti added 10 of her own. 

The second quarter started much differently than the first. The Eagles were held scoreless until 4:30 was on the clock, when Sidoti got a bucket inside. During that time, Franklin went on a nice 6-0 run, which cut the lead to 14. 

Kennett pulled away once again at the end of the quarter, holding Franklin scoreless for the last five minutes. Behind two three-pointers from Goodhart, they entered the break up 35-10. They were paced by her game-high 18 points. 

With such a big lead, some teams get complacent and allow a comeback. The Eagles showed no sign of that happening. “We’ve had big leads before and watched them disappear. They’ve learned that they’ve got to keep the gas going and to stay on them” said Meader. 

The Eagles only extended their lead in the third quarter. They continued to play great defense on the Golden Tornadoes and continued to run the break exceptionally well. Behind a 7-point quarter from Sidoti, they entered the break with a 49-20 lead. 

The game was out-of-reach entering the fourth quarter, with Kennett up nearly 30 points going in. Both teams were held scoreless through the first three minutes of the quarter, with Franklin’s Kourtney Kaplan stopping the drought. 

When the final buzzer sounded, it was a resounding 51-24 victory for the Eagles.

Leading the way for Kennett was Kaley Goodhart and Samantha Sidoti, who both recorded a game-high 20 points. Franklin was paced by 12 points from Kourtney Kaplan, and Lily Cornell added 6 points of her own. 

Kennett will advance to the championship game tomorrow at 1:00 against the winner of Farmington vs. Profile. This is familiar territory for them, as last year, they fell to Coffee County in the title game. This year, they look to flip the script and come away with the trophy themselves.

Check out the photo gallery by KJ Cardinal…

PCA pulls off improbable win

In one of the wildest finishes in tournament history, Portsmouth Christian Academy defeated Belmont, 51-50, in a consolation game at the 44th Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash on Friday.

Trailing by three with 2.6 seconds left, PCA’s Ava Buchanan was fouled on a three-point attempt, putting the sophomore at the charity stripe for three freebies. Buchanan missed the first and made the second, setting up for the dramatics.

Buchanan intentionally missed the third free throw and freshman Jaela Stockbower got the rebound, put it back in and got fouled. She connected on the free throw to complete the and-one and give the Eagles the improbable victory.

Check out the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Smooth Move. Be sure to make a Smooth Move of your own by stopping in at a Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Rochester or Portsmouth today.

Check out photos of the action by our KJ Cardinal…

Sanborn survives and advances to Bash semifinals

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – Belmont, the reigning Bash champions, lost a hard-fought game 63-53 against the Sanborn Indians. 

Sanborn knew going into today that Belmont had size in forwards Anakin Underhill and Keegan Martinez. “We wanted to pressure their guards and make it more difficult to get the ball up the floor,” said Sanborn head coach Wayne Souther. 

Souther’s squad is lacking in size, but they make up for it in the backcourt. He played to their strengths in the game plan, relying on backcourt defense to make the Red Raiders’ lives in the paint a lot harder. 

Early in the first, it was all Sanborn. They jumped to an early 7-0 lead, and they held their opponents scoreless for the first two minutes of the game. Belmont recovered and traded some baskets with the Indians, keeping the game competitive. 

Sanborn kept their relentless pressure on offense, and they finished the first quarter with a 23-11 lead. A big reason for this was Chase Frizzell, who caught fire and scored 11 points. 

Belmont locked in defensively in the second quarter, holding Sanborn to a scoreless three minute drought to open. Offensively, this quarter was all Keegan Martinez. The junior poured in 12 points, all of which coming in the paint. 

An 8-2 run in the Red Raiders’ favor cut the Sanborn lead to just seven points entering the break. Martinez had a game-high 15 first half points, while Frizzell was leading the way for Sanborn with 11.

The third quarter was as back-and-forth as a basketball game gets. Neither team could string together a big run at any point, and both teams were trading baskets. When all was said and done, Sanborn led 47-41 entering the fourth.

A key contributor for the Indians in the third was Cole Chaplin. He’s a big forward for Sanborn, who lacks size, and he contributed six points and stellar defense and effort in the quarter.

Souther was impressed by his performance. “I’m hoping he can build off of that, and more for the regular season as well,” he said. In future games against teams with a solid big man, Chaplin can hopefully provide the Indians with a spark they need, just like he did today.

Both teams kept battling in the fourth quarter. Belmont blew it open early, going on a 7-2 run in the first minutes, forcing a Sanborn timeout. This run cut the lead to just one point. Frizzell did not waver one big, finishing two layups coming out of the timeout and bringing the Sanborn lead back up to 5.

The Indians had another 6-0 run late in the quarter which gave them a 13-point cushion and secured the victory. It ended up finishing as a 63-53 victory for the Indians, knocking out the defending champs. 

Sanborn was paced by a 21 point performance from Chase Frizzell. Dylan Rego added 17 points, and Brandon Sarette scored 15 of his own. Belmont was led by a game-high 25 points from Keegan Martinez.

The Indians advance to the semifinals to face Derryfield tomorrow night at 7:00.

Check out photos of the action by KJ Cardinal…

Portsmouth girls roll past Oceanside

PORTLAND, Maine – The Portsmouth girls used a 23-8 advantage in the third quarter to pull away from Maine Class B’s Oceanside to claim a 54-31 win in the annual Varsity Maine Holiday Hoops Showcase at the Portland Expo on Thursday.

Senior Margaret Montplaisir scored 13 of her game-high 18 points during a four-minute span in the third quarter. Mackenzie Lombardi added 12 points and Avery Romps tossed in 10, all in the first half. Renee Riplay had 12 for the Mariners, who played without star Bailey Breen (out with injury).

Portsmouth led 9-8 after the first quarter, but fell behind 16-12 in the second quarter. They ended the quarter on a 10-0 run to lead 22-16 at the break and never trailed again.

The Clippers play Brunswick, Maine, today at 3:30 p.m.

The Bash: Day 3 recap

Day three of the 44th Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash featured 11 games. Photo galleries from all games played at Farmington High School can be seen right here. You can also download high resolution images for free here.

Below is final scores from all 11 games along with the high scorers in each…

GAME 23
GIRLS: Portsmouth Christian 53, Noble 35
PCA: Ava Buchanan 19 points, Tatiana Stockbower 13
Noble: Taylor Gnirk 23

GAME 24
BOYS: Noble 66, Nute 23
Noble: Jacob Finn 10
Nute: Silas Picard 9

GAME 25
GIRLS: Coe-Brown 60, Raymond 32
CBNA: Eilah Crawn 12, Emma Lapierre 11
Raymond: Mollee Messenger 16

GAME 26
BOYS: Kennett 50, Franklin 32
Kennett: Owen Robertson 18
Franklin: Zeke McCoy 11

GAME 27
BOYS: Raymond 65, Concord Christian 62
Raymond: Caden Claytor 19, Dre Duffaut 14
CCA: Isaac Bowers 17, Jaden Young 15, Logan Duffy 12,

GAME 28: FULL STORY
BOYS: Windham 87, Portsmouth Christian 53
Windham: Bouchard 19, Begley 16, Blanco 13
PCA: Cai Summers 23, Connor Hickey 19

GAME 29
BOYS: Profile 45, Coe-Brown 30
Profile: Alex Leslie 12, Josh Robie 11, Cayden Wakeham 11
CBNA: Matson 12, Quinn Salter 10

GAME 30: FULL STORY
GIRLS: Kennett 48, Sanborn 35
Kennett: Kaylee Goodhart 21, Sam Sidoti 16
Sanborn: Emma Gillis 8, Kaylee Fortin 8

GAME 31
GIRLS: Profile 44, Belmont 36
Profile: Kyah Knight 14
Belmont: Darci Stone 15, Bailey Perkins 13

GAME 32: FULL STORY
BOYS: Sanborn 63, Belmont 53
Sanborn: Chase Frizzell 21, Dylan Rego 18, Brandon Sarette 15
Belmont: Keegan Martinez 25

GAME 33
BOYS: Derryfield 47, Farmington 45
Derryfield: Jack Krasnof 20, Alex Drake 11
FHS: Shawn Murphy 15, Cody Brazee 10

Kennett battles for quarterfinal victory at The Bash

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – In a matchup of Division II teams, the Kennett girls held on for a 48-35 victory over Sanborn and advanced to the semifinals of The Bash.

Kennett, the defending Division II champions, had to fight for this victory. “We won D-II last year, so everyone looks forward to playing us and we are going to get their best game,” said their head coach Larry Meader. 

The Eagles were given a tough game today by Sanborn, with nothing coming easy for them. Sanborn came out early and picked up a 6-4 lead behind a pair of baskets from Kaylee Fortin. Kennett answered by going on an 11-0 run driven by a trio of three pointers from Kaley Goodhart, and they led 15-8 entering the break. 

Some teams would roll over following such a big run, but the Indians did not. “They brought a lot of energy, and you could tell that they wanted the game,” said Meader. Sanborn was playing with high intensity throughout the contest, and it showed.

Despite this, Kennett extended their lead to 10 points, and the game entered halftime with a score of 26-16. Their offense was flowing through Goodhart, who knocked down two more triples in the second quarter, bringing her to five in the half. She had 17 points and was outscoring the Indians single handedly. 

The Eagles were looking to shut down Sanborn’s top scorer Emma Gillis, as well as controlling the paint on the defensive end. Meader felt that this was not accomplished well enough in the first half, so he made a change. 

“We went to a zone in the second half, and it took a while for Sanborn to get adjusted,” Meader said. Kennett switched from their usually man-to-man defense, and it worked out well for them. 

The Eagles were able to extend their lead in the third quarter to as much as 16 points by containing their opponents for much of the period. Center Samantha Sidoti was valuable in the third, pouring in 7 points and leading them to a 42-27 scoreline entering the fourth. 

While this deficit proved too large for a comeback, Sanborn fought until the final whistle. They held the Eagles scoreless until 4:30 left in the quarter. Their defense was intense, as they forced countless turnovers and tough shots. However, it was not enough, and Kennett finished with a 48-35 victory.

Kennett was led by a game-high 21 points and five three-pointers from Goodhart, as well as 16 from Sidoti. Sanborn had a balanced offensive output, with Gillis and Fortin each scoring 8 points. Maya Thompson and Ashyln Gallant chipped in with 5 points. 

Kennett advances to the semifinals of The Bash, where they will play Division IV Franklin tomorrow afternoon at 3:00.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…

Windham advances to Bash semifinals in dominant fashion

By Nathaniel Ford

Windham came away with a huge 87-53 victory today over Portsmouth Christian in the quarterfinals of The Bash. 

The Jaguars proved why they are one of the top teams at the tournament this year. They controlled the entire contest against the Eagles, thwarting any chance of a comeback at any point.

Windham jumped out to an early lead behind a 7-2 run in the first minute of the game. Portsmouth Christian put together a 7-2 run of their own, but two straight and-one baskets from Jack Begley killed all of the momentum they built. Begley led the way with 11 points, and Windham was up 24-13 entering the second. 

The Jaguars jumped out to open the quarter again, recording an 8-0 run in the first two minutes. And just like the first quarter, PCA responded immediately with an 8-2 run of their own to keep it competitive. The rest of the quarter was back-and-forth, and Windham entered the break up 44-27.

It was clear that it was a game of runs in this contest, and that trend only evolved in the second half. This time, it was PCA who strung together an early run, jumping on Windham 10-2 in the first couple of minutes, which cut the lead to single digits. 

Windham’s true colors showed once again when faced with adversity. The Jaguars did not roll over, and they did not panic. Instead, Caden Bouchard connected from beyond the arc on three consecutive possessions, which brought their lead back up to 17.

Bouchard led the Eagles on this massive run with his shooting, and his defense helped lead another huge run to end the quarter. They forced multiple PCA turnovers and capitalized in transition, ending the quarter on a 12-0 run and giving them a huge 70-44 lead entering the fourth.

This lead was too great to overcome, and the Jaguars ran away with a 34 point victory. Three-point shooting was critical to their victory, with Windham knocking down 11 from downtown. 

Leading the way for the Jaguars was 21 points from Bouchard, as well as 16 from Begley and 15 from Jackson Blanco. Portsmouth Christian was led by a game-high 23 points from Cai Summers, while Connor Hickey added 19 of his own. 

Windham advances to the semifinal round to face the Profile Patriots, who took down the Coe-Brown Bears earlier today in their quarterfinal matchup.

Check out the photo gallery by KJ Cardinal…

The Bash: Day 2 recap

That’s a wrap on day two of the 44th Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash. Photo galleries from all games played at Farmington High School can be seen right here. You can also download high resolution images for free here.

Below is final scores from all 10 games along with the high scorers in each…

GAME 13
GIRLS: Sanborn 56, Portsmouth Christian 48
Sanborn: Emma Gillis 23
PCA: Ava Buchanan 24, Jaela Stockbower 11

GAME 14: FULL STORY
BOYS: Sanborn 76, Nute 30
Sanborn: Chase Frizzell 14, Brandon Sarette 11
Nute: Collin Hathorn 12, Picard 10

GAME 15
BOYS: Derryfield 43, Kennett 33
Derryfield: Jack Krasnof 14, Alex Comire 11, Alex Drake 10
Kennett: Tavon Porter 11, Daven Bailey 14

GAME 16: FULL STORY
BOYS: Windham 68, Noble 54
Windham: Caden Bouchard 16, Jack Begley 10,
Noble: Jamier Rose 21, Bryce Guitard 18

GAME 17
GIRLS: Franklin 60, Noble 40
Franklin: Lily Cornell 21, Kourtney Kaplan 18
Noble: Aubrey Brennan 20, Taylor Gnirk 16

GAME 18: FULL STORY
BOYS: Portsmouth Christian 61, Franklin 38
PCA: Cai Summers 20, Connor Hickey 18
Franklin: Zeke McCoy 28

GAME 19
GIRLS: Profile 56, Coe-Brown 50
Profile: Morgan Presby 13, Mya Brown 22
CBNA: Emma Lapierre 15, Hannah Meehan 14

GAME 20: FULL STORY
BOYS: Profile 71, Raymond 42
Profile: Josh Robie 35, Alex Leslie 15
Raymond: Dre Duffaut 10

GAME 21
GIRLS: Farmington 57, Raymond 35
FHS: Zoey Johnson 15, Shaylee DiPrizio 13, Jaelyn Prosper 10
Raymond: Sophie Huynh 15

GAME 22
BOYS: Farmington 78, Concord Christian 56
FHS: Demery Hadges 27, Shawn Murphy 16, Dylan Zappala 11, Aiden Place 10
CCA: Jaden Young 20

Robie leads Patriots to quarterfinals

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – The Josh Robie show was in full effect, as the standout senior scored 37 points in Profile’s 71-49 victory over the Raymond Rams.

The Patriots showed today why they are true contenders, both at The Bash and in Division IV. To put it simply, they scored 10 less points today than their season average. And they scored 71. 

“We’ve got a really good squad in Division IV,” said Profile coach Mitchell Roy. The Endicott College alumni in his fourth year coaching for the Patriots. He took over a struggling squad and has brought them into contention in Division IV, sitting at an undefeated 5-0 record. 

Profile jumped out early, going on a 12-0 run in the first three minutes of play. It’s no secret that they can score in bunches. What they proved tonight is their defensive capabilities. The Patriots played inspired on their end, forcing plenty of turnovers and hustling all over the court. 

The game was out of reach after the first quarter. Profile was winning 27-2, and it was on both ends of the floor. Robie scored 15 points in the quarter alone, 9 of which coming from back-to-back-to-back three pointers on consecutive possessions. 

Raymond showed some life in the second quarter, opening it with an 11-2 run and cutting the Profile lead to 16. The Patriots stayed composed, and they rebounded with a nice run of their own highlighted by some huge baskets by Alex Leslie. 

Leslie recorded 9 points in the second quarter, and Profile kept a commanding 38-17 lead into the half. Despite Raymond winning the second quarter, The Patriots were still leading by over 20 points. 

The third quarter provided more back-and-forth play between the teams with Profile winning it narrowly. Robie had another double-digit quarter with 10 points, giving Profile a 57-32 lead entering the final quarter. 

The lead was already too big for a Raymond comeback coming into the fourth regardless of what happened. A 14-10 quarter in favor of Profile would finalize a convincing 71-42 win for the Patriots.

Profile was led by Robie’s 37 points, as well as a nice 15-point performance from Alex Leslie. Raymond had a balanced scoring attack led by 10-points from Drezell Duffaut and 8 points from Caden Claytor.

Profile advances to the quarterfinals to face a tough Coe-Brown team tomorrow at 2:00. Coach David Smith’s squad won the Team Sportsmanship award last year, and they return 2022 All-Tournament selection Quinn Salter. 

Raymond has been eliminated from contention, and they play Concord Christian tomorrow at 11:30.

Check out photos of action by KJ Cardinal…