LEE – Lee Academy basketball standout Hakeem Rodriguez has been suspended from the team and school in the aftermath of Tuesday night’s game at Calais where he drew three technical fouls.

“He’s been suspended from school for a minimum of a week and from the team indefinitely,” said Lee headmaster Bruce Lindberg.

Rodriguez, a 16-year-old junior from the Queensbridge section of New York City, is a first-year boarding student at Lee.

The 6-1 guard has been the Pandas’ leading scorer and rebounder this winter. He led the team to a 10-2 start and second place in the latest Eastern Maine Class C Heal point ratings entering the showdown at top-ranked Calais, the two-time defending state champion.

Rodriguez drew his first technical foul of the game with 3:47 left in the first quarter when he slapped the backboard excessively after a basket by Calais guard Jordan Leeman.

That turned into a six-point possession for Calais, as Leeman followed by making two technical free throws and teammate Sam Bell hit a layup on the additional possession the Blue Devils gained.

Rodriguez’s second and third technicals came after the same play with 5:36 left in the second quarter.

After he grabbed a defensive rebound and turned to dribble downcourt, he was fouled by a Calais player. Rodriguez dropped the ball on the fallen defender, and after being whistled for his second technical – which meant he was ejected from the game – he made contact with a game official on his way back to the bench.

Bell made three of four free throws resulting from that double technical.

Information related to the technical fouls drawn by Rodriguez has been collected by Maine commissioner of basketball Peter Webb, as is the case for any technical fouls issued in a high school game statewide.

The information in this matter will be forwarded to the Maine Principals’ Association, Webb said.

Calais went on to win the game 67-60 for its second victory of the season over Lee and 55th consecutive win overall.

Lee, now 10-3, has five regular-season games remaining on its schedule, beginning Thursday night at home against Bangor Christian.

N.E. wrestling dates announced

One of the bigger challenges facing top Maine high school wrestlers as they have prepared for the annual New England championships has been the time between the state championships and the New Englands.

Typically the down time is between three weeks and a month, as compared to some other states that hold their championship meets the weekend before the New Englands.

Thanks to some quirks in the calendar and the Maine Principals’ Association move to push back the states a week this year while holding that three-class event in three different locations instead of the Bangor Auditorium, there will be less of a gap.

The 44th annual New England Interscholastic Wrestling Championships will be held Feb. 29 and March 1 at Lowell (Mass.) High School.

That comes just two weekends after the Maine championships, to be held Feb. 16. The Class A meet will be held at Cony High School in Augusta, Class B at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, and Class C at Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft.

The gap between the state meet and the New Englands will be a week longer next year, as the all-class state meet is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2009, at the Augusta Civic Center.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

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