November 14, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Belfast relishes victory> Girls hoop team ends 68-game skein

Belfast managed to put the brakes on its 68-game losing streak with a 65-51 schoolgirl basketball win over Searsport Saturday.

Boosted by a 28-point night from Liza Batchelder, the win marks the first time in three years the Lions have found themselves in the winners column.

“It was really exciting, I haven’t won a game on varsity since I’ve been there,” senior co-captain Gwen Russ said. “It was really intense out there because you didn’t want to be the one to mess up.”

Russ was a freshman junior varsity player when the Lions won their last game, which was their season opener of ’92-93.

Few of the players, or second-year coach Ernie Welch, were willing to believe the streak would end until the last second ticked off the clock.

“We were kind of leery up until the last minute,” Welch said. “It was a pretty consistent 15-point lead but they got it down to 10 a couple of times.

“I was more concerned with the girls on the court,” he said. “They kept looking at the scoreboard.”

Searsport had already snatched two victories away from Belfast in their last three meetings.

Last season, the Vikings beat the Lions on a last-second free throw, and this season, they came back from a 15-point, third-quarter deficit to record the victory.

“I think that’s what made us so nervous,” junior co-captain Darcy Brown said. “It’s what I’ve been waiting for for three years.”

Brewer baseball coach Dennis Kiah and 17-year tennis coach Bob Simko submitted their resignations to the Brewer school board Monday night.

“Basically, I have a son who’s 10 years old and I haven’t seen him play a spring baseball game,” said Simko, who didn’t rule out a return to the hardcourts.

Kiah cited his combined duties as Brewer High’s athletic director and assistant principal as the reason for his resignation.

Scarborough’s boys and girls track teams will participate in the state Class B indoor track meet on Feb. 19 at Bates College in Lewiston.

The Maine Principals’ Association’s Executive Committee issued a letter of admonition and placed the Redskins on a year-long probation for violating the association’s sports season policy Tuesday, Executive Director Richard Tyler said.

“It differs from a letter of reprimand, in that it simply points out the things that you have not done, and should have,” Tyler explained. “Probation means that you are put on notice, placed under special scrutiny for 365 days, and you need to be very sure that everything you do is done in a timely and effective way.”

The defending state champions’ troubles began when they started practice before the MPA’s winter season opening date of Nov. 20.

Coach Michael Carter recently notched his 200th career victory with the Bucksport Golden Bucks wrestling team.

Bucksport alum Don McAnn, who is a student at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., told Carter the mark must be coming up soon, which sent Carter’s wife Micky scurrying through old records.

“It came up a little bit unexpectedly,” said Carter, whose record stands at 200-46-3. “One of the kids who wrestled for us, who’s now in college, was keeping track.”

Carter’s team racked up the win Jan. 31 in a dual-team meet against Hyde School and Wiscassett at Bucksport.


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