Mt. Abram boys basketball coach Dustin Zamboni loves his team’s fast start, but knows it’s just the start. The Roadrunners are 3-0 for the first time in a long time, with wins over Madison, Wiscasset and Mountain Valley.
“We still have a long way to where we want to go. I am happy to see where we are at, at this point in the season,” Zamboni said in an email.
Last season, Mt. Abram won seven games to reach the preliminary round of the playoffs. Now, the Roadrunners look to make the Class C South quarterfinals at the Augusta Civic Center for the first time since 1999.
With many key players back from last season, Mt. Abram is buying into playing team defense and team offense, Zamboni said. Players including Hunter Warren, Nate Luce, Thomas Deckard and Parker Ross are doing the dirty work to get rebounds. The coach also praised the play of guards Kenyon Pillsbury, Adam Luce and Wyatt Sieminski.
“All in all, it’s the team that is improving as a unit and not just one or two individuals. We are working on being the best cohesive unit we can be. With potential comes work, and we have a lot of work to do,” Zamboni said.
The Roadrunners will play at Oak Hill on Thursday, and host Lisbon on Saturday.
300 CLUB
Longtime Brunswick High School boys basketball coach Todd Hanson was already in a small club, those who won a basketball state championship as a player and a coach. Now, Hanson is in another one of Maine’s small basketball fraternities. Brunswick’s 47-40 win over Yarmouth on Tuesday was the 300th win of Hanson’s career.
Hanson became head coach of the Dragons in 1996. A member of Waterville’s 1985 Class A state title-winning team, Hanson went on to play college basketball at the University of Maine. Before taking over the Brunswick program, Hanson was an assistant coach at Waterville and Thomas College.
In 2002, Hanson coached Brunswick to the Class A state title with an 83-61 win over Deering. Along with that state championship, Hanson has won five Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference titles.
“Coach Hanson is a true teacher of the game and of forgotten fundamentals,” Dan Hammond, the captain of the Dragons 2002 state championship team, said. “He made a difference in my life and the lives of countless others.”
Hanson will go for win 301 Friday when the Dragons host rival Mt. Ararat.
GRAND SCORING
Forest Hills junior Parker Desjardins scored his 1,000th career point in Saturday’s win over Vinalhaven at Kennebec Valley Community College. Desjardins became the 10th boy in school history to reach the milestone, and sixth under coach Anthony Amero.
With almost two full seasons ahead of him, Desjardins has a shot at Forest Hills’ all-time scoring record, 1,555 points, held by Evan Worster. Regardless of whether or not he catches Worster, Desjardins will move up the Forest Hills scoring ladder quite a few spots this season. Currently in 10th, Desjardins is just 129 points shy of third place Reid Griffin’s 1,133.
With two wins over Vinalhaven on opening weekend, Forest Hills extended its win streak to a school-record 24 games. The Tigers will host Pine Tree Academy on Thursday.
GROWING EAGLES
Experience gained last season paid off in a pair of season-opening wins for a Messalonskee team that returned every key player, coach Jay Dangler said.
The Eagles squeaked out a 76-75 win at Mt. Blue on Friday, then took a 63-45 win over Lawrence on Tuesday. Messalonskee wants to speed up the game and run, and when it does, first-year head coach Dangler, a former assistant coach with the program, expects good things to happen.
“We’re figuring out our identity and what we want to do, and when we do that, we’re kind of dangerous,” Dangler said.
At Mt. Blue, the Eagles dealt with some first-game jitters and with a Cougar squad playing well. There was some poor shot selection and iffy ball control, but once the Eagles calmed down, they played well in the fourth quarter to earn the win.
“(Mt. Blue) were getting back on D quite a bit, and they hit some shots,” Dangler said.
Next up for Messalonskee is Erskine, a team they can’t overlook with games coming up against Brewer, Cony and Hampden.
“We could start 3-0, but if we don’t come out those next three games, we’re right back where we started,” Dangler said.
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