BANGOR – Snappy new shooting shirts aren’t anything new at the Eastern Maine tournament, as teams often arrive in Bangor with some new, tourney-specific duds.

But when Julia Knights ran onto the Bangor Auditorium floor with her Woodland Dragons teammates on Tuesday afternoon, she sported a shirt that elicited a few chuckles.

All of the Dragons wore new tie-dyed purple shirts. Many of them included names and numbers. Teammate Kristina Huwa, for instance, wore one that identified her as “3rd Huwa,” a reference to an older brother and sister who played for Woodland.

Knights settled for her No. 40. … and a nickname: “Hoss.”

Knights, a lanky 5-foot-10 junior member of Class D’s top-seeded squad, said she’s had that name for quite awhile.

“When I was a freshman, I was being clumsy and [former Dragon] Angela Robb said, ‘You’re as clumsy as a horse,'” Knights recalled. “Then she was like, ‘No. It’s more like a hoss.'”

The good-natured Knights didn’t mind, and joined in the laughter.

“I thought it was funny, but I didn’t think it would stick,” Knights said. “I thought it was a little thing. But it stuck.”

And since that day, Knights has been … saddled … with the name.

“That’s what everyone calls me,” she said. “They call me that more than they call me my real name. Fans. My parents. The whole school. Everyone.”

The nickname is enough of an inside joke for Woodland faithful that one of the larger signs displayed during the Dragons’ win was a simple tribute to Knights.

The top corner of the sign consisted of Knights’ number. And the rest of it consisted of one word: “Hossome.”

On Tuesday, “Hoss” contributed 12 points, four rebounds and a block despite sitting for much of the second half as the Dragons cruised to a 60-36 win over Central Aroostook of Mars Hill.

She’s hoping the Dragons keep on winning. But one thing’s certain: Wherever Woodland’s playing – this year or next – there will be someone in the crowd screaming her nickname.

“I’ll probably be Hoss ’til the last day of my senior year,” Knights said with a chuckle.

“Then it will stop.”

A win of historic proportions

The long drought is finally over for the East Grand boys basketball program.

In only their eighth tourney appearance since reclassification in 1961, the Vikings of Danforth finally won their first boys tournament game with a 67-61 victory over Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook Tuesday afternoon.

“I don’t think we felt the pressure as much because we’d never won before,” said junior guard James Godley. “Everyone was still hyped to get that first one. It was more excitement than anything.”

Last year’s quarterfinal loss by the No. 3 Vikings to No. 6 Easton was on the minds of East Grand’s veterans before Tuesday’s game.

“Oh yeah, definitely. Right at the beginning, we were all in the locker room saying ‘Remember being here in the same exact room having a different feeling at the end of the game?’ We knew we didn’t want that again,” Godley said.

“I think we learned from that,” said third-year coach Troy Cilley. “We learned just to be more relaxed.”

It took a No. 1 seeding and key performances out of their starting guard corps, one of whom is a freshman, but the frustration is at an end.

“This is our first win in our tournament history … Wow,” said freshman guard Darius Parker, who scored 25 points.

“I think some of the pressure’s off and it’s nice to have it done with,” Cilley added. “Hopefully now we can concentrate on other things, like winning the tournament.”

Seems like old times

Tuesday morning’s upset victory over No. 4 Central Aroostook brought back some treasured memories for No. 5 Woodland boys coach Mike Look.

Look, a veteran coach who’s finishing up his first year with the Dragons, prefers the visitors’ locker room.

“In ’91 I brought the WA [Washington Academy] girls here, same locker room, ranked number eight. We played number one Schenck and upset them,” Look recalled. “That game was similar. We made a big comeback in the fourth quarter, made our foul shots down the stretch, and pulled it out.”

Look will get his favorite room again as his fifth-seeded Dragons will match up with top-ranked East Grand in the semifinals on Thursday night. He’s hoping history no longer repeats itself, however, because after WA’s big win 10 years ago, the Raiders lost to Central of East Corinth in the semis.