Shires lose Sewell Junior guard tears ACL in right knee

The Houlton High girls basketball suffered a big loss over the weekend when Danielle Sewell went down with a season-ending injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee.

Sewell, a junior guard, was averaging 17.5 points, five rebounds and five assists per game for the Shiretowners before her injury Saturday in a game against Central of Corinth.

“It’s a big loss,” Houlton coach Shawn Graham said Tuesday night after the Shires’ 27-26 victory over Class B Caribou. “With such a young team trying to make a tournament run, it’s hard to lose your floor leader.”

Graham said Sewell had jumped up in the air and was unintentionally hit in the face by a Central player, which caused her to jolt back, and when she landed her knee buckled.

The injury happened with about one minute left in the first half. Sewell helped get the Shiretowners to within two points of the Red Devils, but Central went on to pull away for a 65-44 win.

Graham was encouraged by Tuesday’s win over Caribou without Sewell and is hoping that carries over to the upcoming postseason, when he thinks the Shires will see Limestone in the first round.

“I still think we can play with them, but not at the same strength,” Graham said.

Sewell, who is also a soccer player, will likely have surgery in March to be recovered in time for the 2005-06 basketball season, he added.

“That’s her game,” Graham said.

Sewell was named Eastern Maine Class C all-tourney honorable mention and scored a team-high 12 points against eventual state champion Dexter in a semifinal last year. She was also an Aroostook County Classes B-C all-star.

Beavers’ Thompson reaches 1,500

Senior forward Jason Thompson of Washburn surpassed 1,500 career points during the Beavers’ 75-62 loss at Central Aroostook of Mars Hill on Saturday.

The 6-foot-3 Thompson, who earlier this season became the school’s career scoring leader, scored 18 points in the game while reaching the milestone.

Thompson, a four-year starter who has averaged more than 22 points per game each of the last three season, has led coach Larry Worcester’s club to a 14-3 record entering Thursday’s scheduled regular-season finale against Fort Fairfield.

Washburn began the week ranked sixth in Eastern Maine Class D, and are on track to host a preliminary-round playoff game next Wednesday.

Socoby reaches milestone

Bangor High junior forward Mark Socoby joined the 1,000-point club in quiet fashion during the Rams’ 77-34 victory over John Bapst at the Bangor Auditorium on Tuesday night.

Socoby needed just five points entering the contest, and finished with nine points in limited action.

The 6-foot-5 forward scored most of his first 1,000 points during two years as a starter at Houlton High School.

Socoby totaled 821 points as a freshman and sophomore, according to Houlton coach Sean Callahan, and averaged 21 points per game last winter as he led the Shiretowners to the Class C state championship.

He is averaging 14.6 points per game in his first season with Bangor, helping the Rams to a 13-1 record and the top seed in Eastern Maine Class A.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.