Jordan-Small Middle School girls’ basketball team plays well despite loss

Kylugh Hovey

By Matt Pascarella

The Jordan-Small Middle School (JSMS) girls’ basketball team hit the court against North Yarmouth Academy in their first home game of 2019, on Monday January 7.

Marlie Ennis

JSMS started out aggressive, but North Yarmouth Academy jumped to an early lead. JSMS kept up their efforts, with great teamwork, moving the ball around. They had excellent defense, keeping North Yarmouth Academy from making this game a runaway. The second quarter brought more hustle from the girls and more shots on North Yarmouth Academy’s basket, which meant more points on the scoreboard for JSMS. They were playing smart, with more passing and blocking, as well as JSMS fighting for the ball.

Half: 24-10, North Yarmouth Academy

JSMS threw it into high gear in the second half. They were working together to get rebounds and continued fighting for the ball; with quick hands moving to snatch the ball away from their opponent. Raymond capitalized on any mistakes made by North Yarmouth Academy. This resulted in JSMS getting turnover opportunities, taking the ball to the hoop. Marlie Ennis #14 sank a nice shot at the buzzer to end the third quarter.

While North Yarmouth Academy was still ahead, JSMS was aggressive in closing that points gap in the fourth quarter. Their defense slowed North Yarmouth Academy down a little and JSMS put more points up on the scoreboard in the fourth than any previous quarter. Although North Yarmouth Academy took this one, 38-26, the JSMS girls played a great game. Top scorers: Marlie Ennis #14 and Kylugh Hovey #32.

“I think they played awesome. We started out slow. The last three quarters we brought our energy up and moved the ball really well. We made some good plays on defense, implementing a full court press and there was a strong finish,” said coach Ryan Roderick.

Hard work evident in wrestling team’s matches

Andrew Martin

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham/Gray New Gloucester wrestling team had a match against Marshwood and Cheverus at home on Wednesday, January 2.

Marshwood

Starting out in the 145-weight class, after Windham suffered a couple losses early, Andrew Martin fought hard to pin his opponent. Martin was keeping his head up and was aggressive in going after Marshwood; lunging at them, working to throw them off balance. Although no one was pinned, after three periods Martin gets the win.

Gabe Gendreau

In the 132-weight class, DJ Pelletier was working hard to control his opponent’s arms and get Marshwood flat on the mat. Pelletier did a solid job of trying to get his opponent down, by lunging to get him off balance. Unfortunately, Marshwood took this match.

Final score: 39-16, Marshwood

Cheverus

Peter Petersen began the match in the 138-weight class. Peterson was keeping his weight low and had his arms around his opponent’s waist to try and flip Cheverus on to the mat. Petersen slams Cheverus to the mat and gets the win.

A JV match featured Kyle Walker working to lift up his opponent and slam them to the mat. Walker was able to flip and pin Cheverus, getting the win.

Another JV match had Gabe Gendreau winning after three periods.

In the 220-weight class, Garrett Allen stayed alive for six periods before Cheverus eventually got the win.

In the 152-weight class, George Butts showed immense effort for three periods with his arms locked over his opponent’s chest. Butts had him in a headlock, keeping himself from being forced to the mat. After three periods, Cheverus wins.

Final score: 48-15, Cheverus

“We knew that it was going to be a battle against Marshwood, they’re smaller this year, but the kids they do have are tough – there’s a lot of state finalists and state champs on their team but I thought we battled them hard. [We’ve seen] Cheverus so many times this year...we had a couple of moves that didn’t work out. The kids are working hard and they are improving. We’re going to learn from it and keep building and get to where we need to be,” observed coach John Nicholas.

Varsity boys’ basketball close 2018 with a win

Eric Weisser

By Matt Pascarella

The varsity boys’ basketball team took on Massabesic on Monday, December 31 at home continuing the trend set by the girls’ varsity team, scoring in the first few seconds on gameplay.

Windham was pressuring and capitalizing on rebound opportunities from Massabesic’s missed shots, which lead to the Eagles throwing some serious points up on the scoreboard. Although Windham had pulled out ahead early on, Massabesic wasn’t far behind.

Half: 27-16, Windham

The Eagles came out with intensity in the second half, with Eric Weisser #20 and Ivan Kaffel #15 sinking a few three pointers early in the half. Windham continued widening the points gap, with a 12-point lead at the end of the third quarter. The points gap went back and forth in the fourth and final quarter, with Massabesic down by 9, with roughly four minutes left.

Windham widened the gap and the Eagles were up by 12, then Massabesic showed they were not going down without a fight and they were only trailing by 8, with less than a minute left.  

After some foul shots were made by the Eagles, they were up by 10 with a mere 10 seconds left in the game. Top scorers: Dierhow Bol #10, Weisser and Chris Naylor #25.

Final: 50-40, Windham

“We came up...trying to improve, some guys did some good things tonight; we moved the ball a lot better, we got better shots...we did a good job tonight taking a step forward with our play. It was a good night for our guys to see a win and we just have to continue to improve,” remarked coach Chad Pulkkinen.

Varsity girls’ basketball overtake Massabesic in year end game

By Matt Pascarella

Alanna Joyce

The varsity girls’ basketball team played Massabesic on Monday, December 31 at Windham and it was a game not to be missed.

The girls started strong scoring in the first few seconds of the game. The Lady Eagles jumped out to an early lead, with strong defense. Unfortunately, Hannah Talon #11, left the game in the first quarter after a possible pulled hamstring. Windham kept up the intensity ending the first quarter ahead. The girls were working to keep distance on the scoreboard, but Massabesic was catching up fast and the half ended with the score tied at 15.

In the second half, Windham turned up the offense and defense. The Lady Eagles were aggressive, pulling away from Massabesic, in order to secure the win. Massabesic was not going down without a fight, though.

After the game was tied at 26, Meghan Hoffses #2 sunk a three pointer seconds before the end of the third quarter. It was a back and forth game with the score 33-31, Windham, at four and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Sarah Talon

Then, a minute later, the game was tied at 34. This was followed by another back and forth and was scoreless for a short time until Sarah Talon #12 sunk a foul shot giving Windham a one-point lead.

Tara Flanders sunk two baskets after getting fouled by Massabesic. She then got two more foul shots and Windham was up by four. With 19 seconds left, you could here hearts racing as the clock wound down. At the buzzer, the Lady Eagles took the game, 38-34.

“It was tough for the kids to see [Hannah] go through that, but they did a good job of rallying and trying to keep their composure and push through and I thought they did a good job...some kids out there who typically haven’t been out there in those situations really stepped up and did a good job overall,” commented coach Brody Artes.

Girls’ basketball play exceptional defense

Kayla Flanders

By Matt Pascarella

The girls’ JV and varsity basketball teams took on Edward Little on Friday, December 21, at home, for their final game before winter break.

JV

Windham started out aggressive, taking advantage of rebound opportunities which lit up the scoreboard frequently early on in the first half. Windham was pressuring, with strong offense and defense, capitalizing on any mistake Edward Little made. The Lady Eagles didn’t let up, despite their lead of over ten points in the first quarter. They were beating Edward Little to the ball, getting turnovers and sinking baskets left and right.

Half: 38-11 Windham

Windham didn’t stop in the second half. They kept the pressure on and with 5:35 left in the third quarter, Windham was up by thirty points. They continued taking advantage on Edward Little’s mistakes, and the scoreboard reflected it. The Lady Eagles were focused, moving the ball around well with solid offense and defense. Top scorers:  Riley Beem #3, Kayla Flanders #21, Estella Inman #42 and Destiny Potter #45.

Final: 69-22, Windham

“Our kids played really well...improvement has been amazing. In this particular game, everybody scored, which is really a rarity at any level. It was good to see our kids come together and have a good game,” remarked coach EJ Regan.

Meghan Hoffses

Varsity
Edward Little got a jump on Windham with a twelve-point lead, but the Eagles’ intensity was ramping up. Windham was catching up to Edward Little, working to grab several rebound opportunities in the first half. With a little over two minutes left in the half, the score was tied at 25. You could feel the tension in the air. Shortly before the end of the half, Meghan Hoffses #2, hurls the ball into the air from half court and as the buzzer goes off the ball is mid-air as everyone watches it plunge into the hoop for three points.

Half: 30-27, Windham

The Lady Eagles take the court, eager to put this game in the win column. Their offense and defense were strong; blocking shots as Windham continued adding to the scoreboard, pulling away from Edward Little. At the end of third quarter it was 42-34, Windham. Windham kept up their pace in the fourth quarter, capitalizing on mistakes and sinking baskets.

Top scorers: Hoffses, Hannah Talon #11 and Tara Flanders #33.

Final: 54-40, Windham

“Coming twelve nothing out of the gate, it’s tough to come back mentally from that. The kids did a good job of keeping their composure overall...the girls did a real good job at staying mentally focused. It was a good team defensive effort for us today,” commented coach Brody Artes. 

Windham/Westbrook Hockey crushes it and wins

By Matt Pascarella

The Windham/Westbrook hockey team set the ice on fire against Skowhegan/Lawrence/MCI on Saturday, December 22 at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham.

Windham/Westbrook started strong with Holden Anderson #4 scoring in the first few seconds and then a short time later. Windham/Westbrook had great offense and defense with Derek Corbett #28 scoring. Skowhegan/Lawrence/MCI did score in the first period, but it was their only goal all game.

After one period: 3-1, Windham/Westbrook

Windham/Westbrook didn’t slow down in the second period with Travis Brown #7, scoring almost immediately. Tommy Lekousi #11 followed Brown scoring shortly after. Windham/Westbrook was dominating, pressuring and being first to the puck. Before the end of the period, Jake Jeffrey #30 and Austin White #34 scored.

After two periods: 7-1, Windham/Westbrook

Windham/Westbrook continued taking shots on goal and took more than double the shots of Skowhegan/Lawrence/MCI. Colin Casserly #9, Jordan Cantz #27 and Lekousi scored.

Final: 10-1, Windham/Westbrook

“To get the start we did, the goal thirty seconds in; that set the tone for us, the kids realized there’s going to be something here tonight if we go hard and we’re going to be rewarded for it [and they were]” remarked coach Greg LeClair.

Windham wrestling team getting stronger

DJ Pellitier

By Matt Pascarella

Windham/Gray New Gloucester wrestling team hosted Massabesic and Noble, at Windham, on Wednesday, December 19 for the first home game of the season.

Windham vs. Noble

In the 152-pound weight class, George Butts pins his opponent in the first period of play. In the 160-pound weight class Andrew Martin pinned Noble after one period of play. Garrett Allen in the 220-weight class went after his opponent’s leg knocking him off balance and was able to slam him to the mat, getting the pin. Windham fought hard, but Noble took this match.

Final: 64-18, Noble

Windham vs. Massabesic

Windham kept up their intensity and defense to stay alive during the periods. DJ Pelletier, in the 132-pound weight class, battled hard to keep from being flipped on his back. Pelletier kept his head down and was not letting up. Pelletier wins in the third period.

Owen McDuffie in the 145-pound weight class slams his opponent to the mat and keeps Massabesic from getting the opportunity to stand up and retaliate as McDuffie flips Massabesic for the pin.

A few forfeits and a couple match losses had tied the score at 24. Allen slams Massabesic to the mat, not once, but twice in the two periods of play. He fought hard and made sure his opponent wasn’t getting the opportunity to stand up and take control. Allen was in control and proved it by winning.

Several forfeits tipped the score in Massabesic’s favor and they take this match 36-30.

“Those are two of the best teams in the conference. We came out, wrestled hard, and the effort the kids are putting forth on the mat has been extra special. We’re only going to get better,” observed Coach John Nicholas.