Last season, everything Spruce Mountain did was centered around Alex Bessey. And for good reason: Bessey was a career 1,000-point scorer, and the Phoenix were an inexperienced team. Bessey is now playing at Central Maine Community College, but second-year Spruce Mountain coach Zach Keene said the program is ready for the next stage. “We return […]
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Maine high school sports
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Oak Hill Raiders 2017-18 girls basketball preview
The Raiders are down five seniors from last year and don’t have much returning varsity experience with which to replace them. Still, second-year coach Mike Labonte said, “Should be a fun and exciting season at Oak Hill.” Sophomore Desirae Dumais is back at point guard after leading the team with 10.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and […]
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Lisbon Greyhounds 2017-18 girls' basketball preview
A scrappy group of seniors led Lisbon to the Class B South preliminary round in 2016-17. They set the tone, but on the court were mixed in with several players who return this season. “(We) return a strong core with some experience,” seventh-year coach Julie Petrie said. Giana Russo had a standout freshman season at […]
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Monmouth Boys' Basketball
Growing pains marked Monmouth’s first season under head coach Wade Morrill last year, and that will likely continue this year with an even younger roster. “Five of our top seven from last year are gone,” Morrill said. “The guys that are back have improved quite a bit, but it’s a whole new team, really.” Senior […]
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Spruce Mountain Boys' Basketball
The rest of the Mountain Valley Conference is welcoming back Spruce Mountain, and the Phoenix are glad to be back after a three-year hiatus in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference. “The schools are familiar to what most of our community grew up competing against,” coach Scott Bessey said. “The travel will be way better and […]
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Class D South boys: Rangeley, others chasing Greenville
Jake Kraske from Buckfield blasts past Rangeley’s Devon Clark during a game at Buckfield High School between Buckfield and Rangeley last season. Even though it matched the 7-11 record that earned them a tournament spot the previous year, Rangeley missed out on the Class D South tournament by the slimmest of margins last February (six-tenths […]
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Class AA North Boys: Edward Little hopes to end Portland's dominance
Portland has dominated Maine high school basketball’s big-school class through reclassification (from Class A to AA) and change of tournament venue (Portland to Augusta and now back to Portland). The Bulldogs have won four regional titles in a row and taken home the gold ball three of the past four years, and they are the […]
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Rangeley Boys' Basketball
Coach: Jeff Larocehlle (fifth year) Conference: EWC; Class: D South Last year’s results: 7-11 Returning players: Senior — Kyle Larocehlle (5-10 guard); Junior — Leo Perez (6-0 forward); Sophomores — Levi Pitt (6-0 center), Nolan Boone (5-11 guard/forward), Ian Lillis (6-1 forward); Freshmen — Will Brey (5-10 guard), Kenny Thompson (5-9 guard). Key losses: Ricky Thompson, Carl Trafton. Promising newcomers: Senior — Hunter […]
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Lisbon Boys' Basketball
Each year, the Class B South tournament changes venue from the Portland Expo to the Cross Insurance Arena between the quarterfinals to the semifinals. After two consecutive years of hitting road blocks at the Expo, Lisbon is hoping to get to the bigger building without having to buy a ticket this year. If the Geryhounds […]
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Mt. Blue Boys' Basketball
The Cougars continue rebuilding with their fifth coach in the last seven years in Charlie Castonguay, and less varsity experience than they’ve had at any other point during that stretch. “We’ve got a lot of growing to do,” said Castonguay, whose previous stops include coaching girls’ teams at Oak Hill and Leavitt. “We’ve got some […]