Page 6 - Newsletter_Spring_2019

Two 3-pointers by Porter 17 seconds apart midway through the fi rst quarter after a Houlton timeout not only got
the Shiretowners on the scoreboard, but stoked an 11-1 run that sent them to a 13-8 lead by the end of the opening
quarter.

“We got out to a good start and then we missed our assignments and let Porter get open twice, and once they got
rolling that was it because they shot really well,” GSA coach Carter said about Houlton, which went on to shoot 48
percent (22 of 46) from the fi eld for the game.

Houlton’s defense, meanwhile, rarely allowed an unchallenged off ensive possession, and when Gentle made 4 of his
7 second-quarter shots, the Shiretowners were en route to a double-digit cushion at intermission.

“We were a little nervous starting off the game so we got a timeout and told them we just needed to settle down
and run our stuff , we weren’t being aggressive,” Brewer said. “ en, we hit a couple shots and broke the ice, and we
settled in after that.”

After GSA’s Isaac Wardwell netted a fall-away jumper
to open the second half, Houlton limited the Eagles
to one Reece Dannenberg 3-pointer over the next 5½
minutes while breaking the game open with a 13-3
run that included two more 3-pointers by Porter,
propelling the Shiretowners to a 40-24 lead entering
the fi nal period.
e game ended with the Shires claiming the Northern
Maine title on a 54-34 win.

Houlton faced Winthrop the following Saturday in the
state fi nal game in Bangor.

e Winthrop Ramblers were 20-1 on the season and
won their second regional title in three years with a 55-
Houlton’s Keegan Gentle ‘20 swats the ball at the opening tip of the 32 victory over Hall-Dale of Farmingdale in the South
Class C North championship against George Stevens Academy. fi nal. At fi rst glance, it appeared as though Winthrop
(photo courtesy of Joseph Cyr ’89, Houlton Pioneer Times)
might be able to impose its will on Houlton in the
Class C boys basketball state championship game.

e Ramblers owned a sizeable height advantage, featured more experience and backed that up with considerable
depth. ose qualities won out, but not before the Shiretowners gave them everything they could handle.

Senior guard Nate Leblanc knocked down two 3-pointers to spark a 9-2 fourth-quarter run, helping Winthrop
outlast Houlton 61-49 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.

It was the 15th consecutive win for coach Todd MacArthur’s Ramblers (21-1), who claimed the program’s 5th state
championship.

Houlton wound up 17-5 while playing in its fi rst state title game since 2014.

e Ramblers were determined to win in the Bangor locale after suff ering a last-second 3-point loss to George
Stevens Academy in the 2017 championship game. eir four seniors refused to let it slip away this time and
combined for 15 fourth-quarter points to fi nally shake off a determined Houlton squad.

Coach Tim Brewer’s Shiretowners made the Ramblers work to get the ball down low consistently, using cohesive
man-to-man defense to slow 6-foot-8 senior Cam Wood and 6-5 senior Sam Figueroa. Houlton Junior Cam
Callnan, despite giving away several inches, drew the assignment of try to contain Wood. “I thought my kids had a
valiant eff ort,” Coach Brewer said.

As the game wore on, the physical toll of trying to match Winthrop’s size and depth seemed to fi nally catch up to

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