BANGOR – When the Great Northern Paper mill in Millinocket shut down after Christmas many people turned to the Stearns high school basketball teams for relief of the everyday pressures of the unknown.

Both teams played well and earned trips to Bangor for the Eastern Maine Class C tournaments. Both the boys and girls teams lost Tuesday afternoon at the Auditorium. They did so in front of a large, appreciative crowd of supporters from Millinocket.

One such supporter is Dan McGillicuddy, who worked at the mill for 32 years. He appreciates the distractions the basketball teams have provided.

“This takes our minds off of what’s going on in Millinocket,” he said between games. “Down here we don’t have to think about what’s going on in Millinocket. Down here it’s just let’s enjoy.”

Glynn McLaughlin has seen it from both sides. Her husband, John, is an assistant coach with the boys’ team. He also was laid off from work when the mill closed. Their son, Kevin, is a senior and a starter for the Minutemen.

“We’ve had conversations about it and he says he definitely feels the pressure of it. He says ‘Imagine what it feels like to be a 17-year-old and going through this,'” McLaughlin said.

She also sees the teams as something the community could grab onto and take pride in.

“I think [they’ve] been the shining star. You know, as far as during this time with everyone out of work, there have been bigger turnouts for the games. The town has been very supportive behind both the teams,” she said.

Stearns boys varsity coach Mike Portwine has had to deal with handling a group of teenagers who feel at times like the walls are caving in on them. He says that he won’t blame the economic situation in Millinocket for the team’s loss Tuesday but admitted the pressure is always there on the players.

“I think that a lot of the kids, in the back of their minds, as questions like are we going to college next year? Is dad going to have a job?… I wouldn’t say that’s why we lost but they’ve been thinking about that,” Portwine said. “They mention it. They talk about it and it’s hard for a 17-, 18-year-old kid to understand and deal with something like that.”

Hillary Arsenault, a freshman on the Stearns’ girls basketball team whose father worked at the mill, saw her team’s role as something the community could count on.

“I think it’s hard. We just learned to cope with it. We have to… We just learned to live with it,” she said. “Hopefully it will get better. We just figured if we do a good job, we can support our town and our town is behind us.”

John Rush didn’t work at the mill. He works for the Millinocket Public Works department. But like everyone in the town, the mill’s closure affected him as well. He sees friends struggling and an unknown future for his town. Like many there he has found the teams as an outlet from the stress.

“[We] go to all the games. I don’t have kids in school but it’s great,” Rush said. “It’s meant an awful lot. You can see there are a lot of people here behind them. We’re trying to shelter [the kids] and not let them feel the effects of what’s going on.”

Hodgdon girls do double duty

Class C basketball fans who were at the Bangor Auditorium Tuesday night may have noticed a handful of familiar faces wearing different uniforms.

Six members of the Hodgdon High girls varsity basketball team were suited up for the Hawks’ boys game against Penquis at the Bangor Auditorium – as cheerleaders.

As the season progressed, attrition left the Hodgdon varsity cheering squad with only one member, junior Monica Leavitt. The basketball players, wanting to demonstrate their school spirit and support the boys team, offered their services to cheering coach Jan Williams.

“I was a little hesitant at first, but I figured it was great support for the school, for the community,” Ivey said. “These girls are really dedicated and they wanted to keep the spirit going.”

Danielle Fitzpatrick, Jamie Nightingale, Katie Sloat, Samantha Williams, Chelsea Wilson and Amanda Sloat are the Hawks doing double duty this week.

Ivey warned her players not to attempt any cheerleading stunts so as to risk injury. After all, they were scheduled to play Wednesday morning at 9:35.

“I don’t want them to get tired out before [the game],” said Ivey, who only let the players cheer during the first half Tuesday night. “We’re leaving at halftime to go settle down at the hotel and get some rest.”

Hodgdon athletic director Marty Bouchard explained the tourney game wasn’t the cheering debut for the girls. They also turned out for the Hawks’ preliminary game.