John DeRaps knows it’s tough to end a postseason run the way his Narraguagus of Harrington girls basketball team did.

“It’s part of the game,” DeRaps said. “You’re gonna lose some like that, but you’re gonna win some like that.”

But the Knights’ heartbreaking, buzzer-beater Eastern Maine Class C quarterfinal loss at the hands of eventual regional champ Dexter wasn’t the reason behind DeRaps’ decision to resign from his position coaching the Knights, which he announced to his team last week.

It was the 110-mile, one-way trip from Lincoln, where DeRaps lives, to Harrington for practices and games.

“I hated to get done, but the travel was just too much,” he said. “You start to miss things, my kids and my wife.”

DeRaps’ wife, Marianne, is an assistant principal at Mattanawcook Junior High School and all three of their children will be in high school next fall. The family lived in Franklin – a much easier drive of less than 25 miles one way – before moving to Lincoln.

DeRaps coached the Knights for three seasons in which they improved their record every year, going from 6-13 to 8-11 to 12-8 and a berth at the Bangor Auditorium this year.

DeRaps attributed the steady improvement to the work he and assistant coach Chris Burke did at the lower levels.

“We put in a lot of time at the junior high level, ran some camps, and did a lot of 1-on-1 individual work where we were allowed,” DeRaps said.

With four starters returning and just three seniors graduating to what will likely be a wide-open EM Class C next year, DeRaps predicts big things for the Knights.

“It was a strong group,” he said. “We came a long way and I expect them to be one of the top teams next year.”

DeRaps, who is a lobsterman in the warmer weather, said he plans to return to coaching if and when a position opens that’s a little closer to home.

“I’m not out of coaching yet,” said DeRaps, who coached junior high basketball in Trenton and at the freshman level at Narraguagus before taking the girls varsity job. “I’ll definitely do it again.

Hodsdon sets N.E. mark

In addition to winning the New England title in the 100-yard breaststroke for the second straight year at Saturday’s championship meet in Rhode Island, Brewer High’s Jessica Hodsdon also broke her own meet record.

Her time of 1 minute, 7.96 seconds bettered last year’s mark of 1:09.54.

Waterville’s Megan Rancourt also set a meet record with her 5:24.09 in the 500 freestyle.

Cougars’ sportsmanship shines

Not only did the Katahdin of Stacyville boys and girls basketball teams earn their first East Class D sportsmanship banners this winter, but the Cougars also became the first Class D team to win both boys and girls banners in the 22-year history of the award.

Central Aroostook of Mars Hill swept both banners in 1988, but the Panthers were in Class C then.

Other basketball sportsmanship winners from the East were the Leavitt of Turner boys and Lawrence of Fairfield girls in Class A, the Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield boys and Rockland girls in Class B and the Dexter boys and Penobscot Valley of Howland girls in Class C.

West winners were the Gorham boys and Kennebunk girls in Class A, the York boys and Wells girls in Class B, the Boothbay boys and Mount Abram of Strong girls in Class C, and the Buckfield boys and Vinalhaven girls in Class D.

Katahdin is the seventh program to win both boys and girls awards in one year. Other two-time winners are: Bangor, 2004; Gorham, 2000; Houlton, 1997; Winthrop, 1995 and 2002; Narraguagus, 1995; and Central Aroostook, 1988.

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