Council honors Calais team Blue Devils basketball acknowledged for 40-game win streak

CALAIS – Twice is nice, but three would be a scream.

That’s if the Calais Blue Devils Boys basketball team can turn its 40-game winning streak into a 60 and 0 win next year.

But right now, the team is basking in the glory of its 70-66 victory over Boothbay earlier this month. And that relishing of the win was carried over until Friday when this border community named March 9 Calais Blue Devils Boys Basketball Day.

The team was at the City Council meeting Thursday night where Mayor Vinton Cassidy read a proclamation from the city marking the day. “We are very proud of you,” the mayor said. “We did this last year.”

Cassidy praised the team’s feat. “I hope that you folks realize what a tough thing it is to do this two times in a row,” he said.

Calais Coach Ed Leeman also had high marks for the team. He said the young men had spent their summers working hard to prepare for that winning night. “They lifted a lot of weights, put in a lot of time on the hardwood, so it’s a credit to them,” he said.

The coach also had high praise for the city’s support. “There is a great feeder system here in this town, and without those we wouldn’t have the team year in and year out,” he said. “We feel very fortunate, and we thank you for all the support you’ve given us.”

Then the team performed their famous shuffle. Lined up, they swung back and forth and chanted, “We undefeated.”