BANGOR – Jerry Goss arrived at the Bangor Auditorium at around 12:15 p.m. Friday for his so-called squeak test on the Auditorium basketball court.

It’s a fairly simple test in which Goss walks the floor to see, well, if it’s sufficiently squeaky – meaning there’s enough traction for the games ahead.

On Friday, however, the floor failed the test. It was too slippery.

“It almost put me on my rear end,” Goss said with a smile.

An Auditorium maintenance crew wiped down the floor with towels before Friday’s Eastern Maine Class C semifinal between the No. 2 Lee boys and No. 3 Schenck of East Millinocket.

Goss, who serves as the tournament floor manager, said his best guess for the reason the floor has been slippery is a spray that the maintenance staff uses on its mops to pick up the dust has left a film on the floor.

The problem first surfaced during one of the Class D semifinals Thursday, when areas of the floor were wiped down at halftime.

“I wish I had a definitely answer. Whether it’s the wrong stuff, too much stuff, I’m only guessing,” Goss said. “We’ll leave that up to maintenance. The only thing I know for sure is, it’s slippery, but we’ve got it OK now.”

Goss said the tourney staff hadn’t heard any complaints from players.

“I noticed it, and it has to pass my muster first,” he said with a smile.

Hoarse Harris

Lee Academy boys basketball coach and athletic director Randy Harris doesn’t have much of a voice this week. He has been sick with what he thinks might be the flu.

Harris said he feels fine but doesn’t have much of a voice.

So how has Harris been communicating with his team in the loud atmosphere of the Bangor Auditorium?

“Not very well,” Harris rasped after the Pandas’ 55-51 victory over Schenck Friday afternoon. “That’s probably why we won. They couldn’t hear what I was saying.”

jbloch@bangordailynews.net

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