Players’ reviews mixed on Augusta relocation

AUGUSTA – Crowds for the first Eastern Maine Class A tournament sessions were generally solid, particularly Saturday night’s boys doubleheader that involved No. 5 Messalonskee of Oakland’s 62-58 survival against No. 13 Cony of Augusta and top-ranked Brunswick’s 59-51 win over No. 8 Morse of Bath.

Early reactions to the move of the Eastern A tourney from Bangor to Augusta varied.

For Gardiner standout Sean McNally, it’s all good.

“Having all our fans and our families being here behind our bench and cheering us on, that what’s pulled us through all season long, and that’s what pulled us through today,” said McNally, who had 20 points and 16 rebounds in the Tigers’ 61-60 overtime win over Mt. Blue of Farmington. “Last year we didn’t have half as many fans when we played up to Bangor.”

During the game the 6-foot-7 McNally became one of the relatively rare Class A juniors to surpass 1,000 career points, reaching the milestone after grabbing an offensive rebound with 6:14 left in the game.

“It was good to have all our fans around and my family to be able to see it,” said McNally, who has verbally committed to attend the University of Maine after he graduates from Gardiner. “Only having to drive 15 minutes up the road is good for us.”

For Hampden Academy junior guard Daniel McCue, however, the atmosphere isn’t quite the same. “It’s nothing like the Auditorium,” said McCue. “It’s a nice place to play, but as far as being loud, it’s exciting but nothing like playing in Bangor.”

Free throws a weapon

In an era of high school basketball when free-throw shooting often is inconsistent, the four teams in Saturday’s first Eastern Maine Class A boys session at the Augusta Civic Center generally capitalized on their opportunities.

Hampden Academy made 20 of its first 22 tries from the line, and finished its 68-62 overtime victory over Bangor with a 31-for-40 effort. Bangor, meanwhile, made 16 of 18 attempts.

“I thought we played well, and I thought Hampden played well,” said Bangor coach Roger Reed. “But they shot 40 foul shots and made 31 of them, and that’s a tremendous hill to climb.”

In the earlier game, Gardiner struggled at times, particularly early in its overtime, but did finish at 61 percent (14 of 23), while Mt. Blue of Farmington made 75 percent (12 of 16) to help itself stay close.