‘Black-box’ timer getting a mixed reaction System makes tourney debut

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If the tournament games are lasting just a bit longer at the Bangor Auditorium this year, the blame may lie with a little black box on the scorers’ table.

Thanks to a deal struck between representatives of Nevco Scoreboard Company and officials at Bass Park, the Precision Time System is making its Maine high school tourney debut this year.

“I just talked to Steve Jones with Nevco and said ‘let’s just give it to them and let them use it.’ What better advertising?,” said former John Bapst and Bangor High boys basketball coach Bob Cimbollek, now a Nevco sales representative.

The system – which includes a base unit designed to interface with all existing time-keeping equipment plus two belt packs and two omnidirectional microphones worn by officials to signal the starting and stopping of play – allows officials to start and stop the clocks at the speed of light with the blow of a whistle. The system has been shown to eliminate human lag time in stopping or starting clocks and its creators estimate that it recovers about 90 seconds of actual game time normally lost to that human error.

For the purpose of easing into the system, the tourney timekeeper is the one charged with restarting the clock.

How is the system being received? Depends on who you ask.

“Everybody seems to like it,” Cimbollek said. “They already knew about it because it’s six years old. It’s already in use in two hockey rinks in Western Maine.

“We’ve had a few times when the whistle has not stopped it, but the timer was there to do it. There’s a red light that tells them when it hasn’t come back if someone forgets to trigger it.”

The timekeeper for the tournament is Hal Stewart.

“After 20 years of doing it by hand, it takes some getting used to,” said Stewart. “Ask me again later this week. Right now, it’s one more thing to keep track of. Now I’m watching the red light more than I’m watching the game and it’s a little frustrating.

Officials have noticed a change.

“You’ve got a big pack on your waste that feels like an oversized cell phone. In the second period of the Bucksport game, it kind of loosened up and slipped off the wasteband, so I had to stop play and fix it,” said longtime official John Plourde. “It’s just one of those things we’re going to have to get used to as officials, but really, once you get going, you don’t even notice it.

“If it’s gonna help the game. It’s not a huge issue.”

A base system costs $2,195. At $200 per officials pack, a system with enough packs to outfit six officials would run about $2,800.

Maybe I’ll change my mind,” Stewart said. “I’m open to trying whatever they put in front of me, but I don’t know if you’re going to see high schools paying $3,000 to put this in the system or not.”

Anxious moment for Cyr

Kristine Cyr didn’t realize that she needed just 14 points during her Madawaska squad’s Class C quarterfinal game to reach the magical 1,000-point plateau.

But when coach Merilda Plourde called timeout with just over a minute to play, Cyr found out.

“I went to sit down, and my coach says, you have three more points to make your 1,000,” Cyr said.

Plourde drew up a play for Cyr, Cyr got open at the top of the key, and nailed a 3-pointer with 56 seconds to play.

Then, Cyr admits, things got interesting.

“That was so funny,” she said. “I was so excited and overwhelmed, I just lost it.”

After a whistle with 5.6 seconds to play, Cyr clutched her hands to her face and became ill. Then she rushed over to the press table and lay down in front of it.

Plourde came across to tend to her player, and both were laughing about what had happened.

“That big 1,000 was a lot of pressure, baby,” Plourde said.

“I’m sorry,” Cyr said, sheepishly.

Cyr said that her sudden illness was entirely due to nerves, and she hadn’t felt sick during the game. She also said (with a chuckle) that she didn’t mind people writing about what happened.

That’s not to say that she wasn’t a bit embarrassed at the time.

“There’s six seconds left and they have to stop the game for like 10 minutes just so they could clean,” she said.

For the record, she didn’t re-enter the game and finishes her stellar career with exactly 1,000 points.

Basketball bon voyage?

Woodland High School senior forward Ashley Marble wants to savor this year’s Eastern Maine Class D tournament, and for good reason.

This may be the last time the 2001 All-Maine third-team selection plays competitive basketball because the talented Marble has accepted a volleyball scholarship to the University of Maine.

“I’ve thought about that,” said Marble following her 20-point, 12-rebound, six-steal performance in Woodland’s 83-42 quarterfinal win over Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook on Monday.

“In my dad’s birthday card, I wrote this is one of the last times you’ll get to see me play basketball,” said Marble, who also had expressed a desire to give her dad a birthday win so he’ll have more opportunities to watch her.

She said she will miss basketball but was quick to point out that “I’m very pleased with my decision [to attend Maine for volleyball].”

She hasn’t completely ruled out playing basketball again, but after trying to help lead her Dragons to a second straight state Class D championship she will turn her attention to volleyball.

Hometowns for schools

Frequently, during tourney time, readers will ask the NEWS for a list of hometowns for schools which do not have the same name as the town. Here’s the list:

Averill of Hinckley

Bonny Eagle of Standish

Camden Hills of Rockport

Carrabassett Valley of Kingfield

Carrabec of North Anson

McAuley of Portland

Central Aroostook of Mars Hill

Central of Corinth

Cheverus of Portland

Cony of Augusta

Deering of Portland

Dirigo of Dixfield

East Grand of Danforth

Edward Little of Auburn

Erskine of South China

Forest Hills of Jackman

Foxcroft Academy of Dover-Foxcroft

George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill

Georges Valley of Thomaston

Gould Academy of Bethel

Greely of Cumberland

Hall-Dale of Farmingdale

John Bapst of Bangor

Katahdin of Sherman Station

Lake Region of Naples

Lawrence of Fairfield

Leavitt of Turner

Lincoln Academy of Newcastle

Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield

Maranacook of Readfield

Marshwood of South Berwick

Massabesic of Waterboro

Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln

Medomak Valley of Waldoboro

Messalonskee of Oakland

Morse of Bath

Mount Abram of Strong

Mount Ararat of Topsham

Mt. Blue of Farmington

Mount View of Thorndike

Mountain Valley of Rumford

Narraguagus of Harrington

Noble of South Berwick

Nokomis of Newport

Oak Hill of Sabattus

Oxford Hills of South Paris

Penobscot Valley of Howland

Penquis Valley of Milo

Piscataquis of Guilford

Sacopee Valley of Hiram

Saint Dominic of Lewiston

Schenck of East Millinocket

Shead of Eastport

Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook

Stearns of Millinocket

Sumner of East Sullivan

Telstar of Bethel

Thornton Academy of Saco

Traip of Kittery

Valley of Bingham

Washington Academy of East Machias

Waynflete of Portland

Wisdom of Saint Agatha

Woodland of Baileyville