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All good things must come to an end.
That was the case Tuesday night when the Bowdoin College men’s basketball team snapped Husson College’s 15-game winning streak 75-73.
Still, the 17-6 Eagles provided themselves with a lasting memory of a six-week run without defeat.
“We got into a constant flow. Once we won five or six in a row, it became second nature. We were almost positive we were going to win,” said senior captain Jeff White of Etna, who was involved in the first seven wins before suffering a broken hand in practice that has sidelined him ever since.
He expects to return as soon as this weekend.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been on a team that won 15 games in a season before,” said sophomore forward Tyler Muzzy of Greenville who figured the previous longest winning streak he had been involved in was “four in a row in soccer in high school.”
“The streak was good for us. We gained a lot of confidence as a team through the streak,” said junior forward/center Buddy Leavitt of Guilford.
Leavitt is no stranger to winning streaks as his Piscataquis Community High School Pirates went 21-0 and won the Eastern Maine Class C championship his senior year before losing to Boothbay 71-66 in the 2001 state championship game.
“This was a much bigger deal than the high school streak. This is a much higher level. The level of competition is a lot greater,” said Leavitt.
The streak was the longest at Husson for coach Warren Caruso, who is in his 11th season at the Bangor-based school.
“Any time you get on a roll like that, you see the confidence build and the camaraderie come together. Winning creates all that. The kids believe in what they’re doing and it perpetrates itself. To see a young team come together and raise its level of play is really enjoyable,” said Caruso from his bed at St. Joseph Hospital where he had his appendix removed Wednesday afternoon.
“We played as a team. We grew a lot together and became a lot closer because of the streak,” said Leavitt.
Caruso and the Eagles said the cornerstone of their success was their half-court, man-to-man defense.
“That’s our identity. We do a good job on the defensive end of the floor and the bigger the game, the better we play defensively,” said Caruso.
“No matter how much we may have struggled offensively, our defense was always there,” agreed Muzzy.
Muzzy said the team stayed loose during the streak.
“We actually called ourselves the Red Sox. We laughed and had a lot of fun. The streak was no big deal. We were a bunch of idiots. We’d be joking around until we stepped on the floor. Then we were all business,” said Muzzy.
It is no coincidence that the streak began when guard Jason Harvey of Bucksport transferred back to Husson from the University of Maine, where he was the starting shortstop last spring.
“Jason has given us a huge lift,” said Leavitt. “He is a leader off the court as well as on the court. He leads by example.”
“He was the cornerstone of our program during the recruiting process. He’s the guy we wanted to build around. When he left, it set us back. Having him back has been a real plus for us,” said Caruso.
“He was a big piece of the puzzle. He can handle the ball, score and defense,” said White.
Harvey has averaged 12 points, four rebounds and three assists per game.
Muzzy and Muzzy have been the leading scorers, averaging 16.7 and 16.5 points per game, respectively. Leavitt and Muzzy are also the top rebounders along with Phil White as the trio has combined to average 19 boards between them. White averages 10 points, also.
Caruso said freshmen Andy Frost and Sheraud Lee have done an outstanding job at the point guard slot.
The players have taken Tuesday’s loss in stride.
“It’s better to have the loss now than in the playoffs,” said Jeff White.
“It’ll ignite a flame for the playoffs,” said Muzzy.
“It’s back to business now,” said Leavitt.
Husson, 10-1 in the North Atlantic Conference, entertains Elms and Becker on Friday and Saturday before hosting a playoff game on Tuesday.
Caruso said he hopes to return for Friday night’s game.
League playoffs begin Saturday
The state of Maine is home this season to three of the top Division III women’s basketball teams in the country.
Bates College of Lewiston, Bowdoin College of Brunswick, and the University of Southern Maine continue to hold impressive spots in the nation polls.
Bates (22-1) is ranked No. 1 this week in the d3hoops.com poll and is second in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA poll. Bowdoin (20-2), the national runner-up last season, is ranked No. 3 in both polls.
Perennial regional power and national contender USM (22-2) is ranked fourth in the d3hoops poll and No. 6 in the USA Today sampling.
Coach Jim Murphy’s Bobcats and the Polar Bears of Stefanie Pemper will be in action Saturday when the New England Small College Athletic Conference tournament begins at the home sites of the higher-seeded teams.
Top-seeded Bowdoin entertains Trinity of Hartford, Conn., in a 2 p.m. game while second seed Bates plays host to No. 7 Tufts of Medford, Mass., at 4 p.m.
The playoffs continue with the semifinals on Feb. 26 and the championship game on the 27th. Bates and Bowdoin, which split two regular-season games, would not meet until the title game.
Meanwhile, Southern Maine will complete its Little East Conference season Saturday at UMass Dartmouth. Coach Gary Fifield’s Huskies, who have won 20 straight games, have wrapped up the LEC regular-season title and will play host to UMass Boston in a Feb. 26 quarterfinal.
The NESCAC and the LEC winners earn automatic bids for the 50-team NCAA Division III National Tournament,
The Division III plot thickens beginning Feb. 22 when the North Atlantic Conference quarterfinals begin at home sites. Maine Maritime Academy of Castine, the University of Maine-Farmington, Husson College of Bangor and Thomas College of Waterville are among the frontrunners chasing the NAC’s NCAA automatic bid.
Coach Craig Dagan’s Mariners (19-3) hold a half-game lead over the 16-6 Beavers of Jamie Beaudoin, while Kissy Walker’s Eagles (13-10) and the 12-11 Terriers of Chris Aube are tied for third in the East Division.
Those four teams will meet in the quarterfinals, then the remaining four teams from both divisions will be reseeded for the semifinals.
MMA, UMF and Husson all split their regular-season series with each other.
The NAC closes out its regular season this weekend.
UMM slates Fan Appreciation
The University of Maine-Machias has announced Saturday and Sunday will be “Fan Appreciation Weekend.”
Fans will receive free admission for the Clippers’ Saturday games against Lyndon State (Vt.) and Sunday’s contests against the College of St. Joseph (Vt.).
The women open Saturday’s play at 1 p.m., followed by the men at 3 p.m. On Sunday, the women play at noon and the men tip off at 2 p.m.
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