The Presque Isle girls basketball team accomplished two big things in picking up two wins this weekend.

Not only did the Wildcats win their 33rd straight home game, but they also went a long way in reassuring coach Jeff Hudson that despite deep graduation losses, Presque Isle can make a run at repeating its 2006 Class B state title.

“I think the girls are starting to get really confident in themselves,” Hudson said. “They understand, if anybody’s going to beat us at home [the opposition is] going to have to play really well or we’re going to have to play awful.”

The Wildcats beat Mount Desert Island and Ellsworth Friday and Saturday, respectively, and John Bapst of Bangor last weekend. MDI and Bapst are both considered top contenders in Eastern Maine Class B while Ellsworth has a standout player in Hillary Savage.

Presque Isle will face all three teams later in the season and has yet to play Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, another of the top EM Class B teams in the Big East Conference.

The rematches start with a Jan. 6 game against Bapst in Bangor. Mount Desert Island hosts Presque Isle Jan. 12. The Wildcats and Lynx play Jan. 20 and 27.

As expected 5-foot-10 senior center Angela Norsworthy and sophomore guard Sarah Porter, the only returning starters, have averaged 19.3 and 14 points per game, respectively.

The surprise has been the variety of players, including Janna Clukey, Allison Dean, Chelsea Glovins, Kayla Legassie, Amy Michaud and Shaina Watananuchit, who have contributed at different times.

“In our preseason we didn’t have anybody who scored at all, and now we’re having kids that are chipping in with five points, six points, seven points. That all adds up,” Hudson said.

Players such as Norsworthy have also done a good job drawing fouls, Hudson added. The Wildcats went 18-for-28 at the free-throw line against MDI.

“That’s been the difference in the close games,” he said.

The Wildcats don’t get much of a rest in the next week. On Wednesday they travel to Houlton, one of the top Class C teams in Eastern Maine, and play host to Hermon Saturday.

“Houlton’s really good and Hermon is very good, too,” Hudson said.

Presque Isle’s last home loss came against Nokomis of Newport on Jan. 25, 2003, a 49-41 overtime defeat.

Hudson wasn’t sure the last time Presque Isle lost a home game in regulation.

“We’ve got a nice tradition going here,” he said. “[This year’s team] doesn’t want to be the one to mess it up.”

Stearns’ new floor to be unveiled

It took about two months to complete, and cut into physical education classes, but Stearns of Millinocket will show off its new basketball floor Thursday when the Minutemen girls host Central of Corinth in their home opener.

The new floor replaces the floor that went into Wentworth Gymnasium when the new high school gym opened in 1975.

The project, which started the first week of August and was completed in early October, cost $150,000. The money was included in the school budget.

“Everybody was really supportive,” athletic director Tom Winston said. “It was amazing to see [the project] from start to finish.”

Louis DiFrederico, who handles maintenance at the city’s schools, ripped up the old floor.

It had undergone some patchwork repairs last year.

“They did a good job but [the patches] were still obvious,” Winston said. “They couldn’t keep patching it and they couldn’t keep sanding it down.”

The floor won’t have any fancy graphics, mainly because the school wanted to finish the floor as quickly as possible. Physical education classes weren’t able to use the gym regularly and other, small issues developed.

“It really had a trickle-down effect,” Winston said. “Where can you let in officials to change for a football game, or visiting team? We were using the junior high gym, but that cut into their Friday night dances.”

Chasse, Poirier shine

Mindy Chasse and Katie Poirier have both had huge weeks for the Ashland and Dexter girls basketball teams, respectively.

Chasse recorded three double-doubles in the Hornets first three games while Poirier came up huge in a rivalry game last Thursday.

Chasse, who is averaging 24 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, had her double-double string end Saturday when she scored 19 points and had only five rebounds for Ashland.

But the 3-1 Hornets did pick up a 59-56 come-from-behind win over a strong Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook squad.

Chasse, a 5-foot-8 junior center, is also 32-for-49 (65.3 percent) from the free-throw line.

Ashland was to face 3-0 Greater Houlton Christian Academy Monday night.

Poirier has had a fine season so far but really made her mark Thursday in a 52-44 win against Central of Corinth.

With Dexter playing without injured 6-6 center Mallory Ames, Poirier poured in 29 points against the rival Red Devils. She scored seven in the fourth quarter for the Tigers (2-1), who trailed by a point at the end of the third.

Poirier, a 5-11 senior forward, is averaging 19.3 ppg.

SAD 5 to be honored

Rockland High School was set to unveil a banner Monday night recognizing SAD 5 for its leadership role in the Sports Done Right initiative.

Sports Done Right director Karen Brown was to help make the presentation before Rockland’s boys basketball game against Medomak Valley of Waldoboro.

SAD 5 was one of the first of 12 pilot sites throughout the state to receive full Sports Done Right accreditation, which it received Oct. 30.

Sports Done Right is a federally funded initiative administered by the University of Maine. The initiative seeks to define healthy interscholastic athletic programs.

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