One boys basketball team that has been slowly building momentum in the Class B ranks of the Big East Conference is Hermon, which takes six consecutive victories into today’s game at Mount Desert Island of Bar Harbor.

Coach Dave Pepin’s club got off to an 0-3 start with losses to Ellsworth, Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln and Presque Isle but is undefeated since then, a run highlighted by a victory over Caribou.

Defense and offensive balance have been pivotal to the Hawks’ success, as they are allowing just 44.2 points per contest while scoring an average of 52.8 points per game.

“Since I’ve been here we’ve been preaching defense,” said Pepin. “The three seniors we had last year worked hard at the defensive end, and we stressed it during the summer and the kids are doing a good job with it this year.”

One defensive leader for the Hawks has been sophomore guard Kevin Tarr, who typically draws the toughest defensive assignment.

Junior Derek Helms leads Hermon offensively, averaging 13.5 points per game, but six different Hawks have been the team’s top scorer in games this season including Tarr, point guard Zach Deabay, frontcourt players Nick Robinson – with four double-doubles in his last five games – and Ben Hinton, and freshman sixth man Colton Gross.

“There’s not really one guy you can key on,” said Pepin.

Armed with the program’s longest winning streak in recent years, Hermon now embarks on its toughest stretch of games since the opening week of the season. After visiting an MDI team that has lost only twice this winter, the Hawks host once-beaten Mattanawcook on Tuesday night before hosting John Bapst of Bangor – the only team to beat Mattanawcook – on Thursday.

Then comes a trip to Aroostook County for a Jan. 27 rematch against Caribou.

“We take them one game at a time, but we’ve circled the next four games and then the last four games,” said Pepin. “We know what we need to do to get to the playoffs, and we think we can do that.

“There’s a lot of parity in the Big East Conference this year, but most of all we’ve just got to worry about ourselves. We know we’ve got a tough road coming up, but realistically if we can get two of our next four, we’ll be in pretty good shape.”

Different look, same results

The Central Aroostook of Mars Hill boys basketball team has a different look this season, but it’s producing familiar results.

The two-time defending Class D state champion has extended its overall winning streak to 33 games with an 11-0 start this winter.

But much of the success to date this season has been done with an eye toward the big picture – and the big picture in this instance stands 6-foot-8.

CAHS graduated Bangor Daily News All-Maine choice Andrew York, but a healthy veteran nucleus back from last year’s team was poised to challenge for another title even before senior center Silas Kelly transferred to his hometown school after playing his first three years at Greater Houlton Christian Academy.

For a program that has achieved its recent success without the presence of a traditional low-post threat, having the athletic Kelly join the Panthers has required some sacrifice by all involved.

“It was a change because we hadn’t had a big guy in the system before,” said CAHS coach Tim Brewer, whose scheduled game Friday against Ashland was postponed until Jan. 27 due to inclement weather. “The guys are getting used to playing with him, but it’s obviously changed some roles on the team.”

It’s also required change on Kelly’s part, as he makes the transition from more of a perimeter-oriented style to someone who plays largely with his back to the basket.

“We’ve been trying to work Silas into the mix,” said Brewer, “so I don’t think I’ve let the other guys look for their offense as much as they could be yet.”

Yet despite the transition, Central Aroostook remains with Deer Isle-Stonington – the team the Panthers defeated in last year’s EM final – as one of two undefeated clubs left in Eastern Maine Class D.

Much of that can be credited to the strong play of senior forward Tim Carlson, one of the top sharpshooters in the region who scored his 1,000th career point earlier in the season.

“Typically in the past three years, he’s gotten off to a slow start and come on at the end,” said Brewer, “but this year he’s played well right from the start.”

Carlson and Kelly are joined in the starting lineup by point guard Manny Martinez, backcourt mate Cameron York and forward Sam Clockedile, all experienced players with a championship pedigree.

Top reserves for the Panthers are brothers Logan and Blake McCarthy and Shaun Walling, all juniors.

With tournament time less than a month away, Brewer sees Central Aroostook, Deer Isle-Stonington, Schenck of East Millinocket, and Lee Academy as the leaders among a competitive Eastern D field.

“Those four teams really stick out, but having said that, there are some other pretty capable teams out there, too,” said Brewer.