A rash of ankle injuries has besieged standout players at the start of the basketball season.

Before the season was even a week old, starters Chris Gray of Hermon, Tory King of Camden-Rockport, and Chris Howell from Lincoln Academy of Newcastle were waylaid by sprains.

“Chris is a huge part of the offense we’d been working on for a month – he gets a lot of touches – and that flow has been out of sync,” said Hermon coach Clayton Blood.

Other missed starters of note are Bangor forward Hampton Clarkson, who is out at least two to three weeks with a knee injury (cartilage); Orono guard Mark Mehuren, who is day-to-day due to the effects of a concussion; and Ellsworth guard Chris Clark (broken wrist).

The Presque Isle girls are as banged-up as the average football team with star center-forward Brianna Blanchard suffering a leg contusion, forward Jennifer Hallett out with a possible hyperextension of the knee which could be compounded by ligament or cartilage damage, and freshman Miranda Condon’s ankle problems threaten to keep her out for the season.

“She’s scheduled for surgery in January,” said Presque Isle coach Jeff Bearden about Condon. “She’s been trying to practice through it, but I’m not optimistic about her playing this year.”

Bearden said Condon’s problem isn’t injury-related, it’s something she was born with.

“She’s missing the bone that holds the tendon to the back of her ankle and, as she’s grown, I guess it’s become more and more painful,” Bearden explained.

Three long bus rides in 24 hours didn’t seem to bother Central of East Corinth basketball standout Ryan Rivera.

The senior guard shattered the Central single-game scoring record with 46 points against Deer Isle-Stonington Wednesday night. The old record of 41 points was set by Bob Pomeroy in 1980.

The Red Devils won the game 98-55 in a contest that was supposed to be played Tuesday evening but was postponed when power to the gymnasium was lost during the junior varsity game in Deer Isle.

Rivera scored his 46 points on four 3-pointers, 13 2-point field goals, and eight free throws. He did all of that with three fouls in the first half.

“A lot of his scoring came in transition,” Central coach Jamie Russell said. “They even threw a box-and-1 at him for a while.”

Several current and former University of Maine and Bangor High School athletes have been popping up on the sidelines of area teams.

Two Bangor High basketball alumnae have turned up on the Rams bench with girls coach Tom Tennett. Injured UMaine forward Katie Clark is assisting and former Black Bears shortstop Michelle Puls is coaching the freshman girls squad.

“Bangor and Coach Tennett gave me so much when I was here and I want to give something back,” Clark said after a recent Bangor-Presque Isle game. “I was here when the seniors were freshmen, and it’s great to see them playing well.”

Orono’s newest assistant coach doesn’t have far to travel from the site of her greatest exploits. Former Black Bears forward and Jonesport-Beals High standout Sandi Carver is assisting Orono girls coach Steve Gardner.

“It’s great for the kids to work with her,” Gardner said. “Who else has worked so hard to get where she is today?”

And Mike Reid, who was a member of three state Class A swimming championship teams while at Bangor, is earning a credit from UMaine for assisting Rams boys coach Phil Emery at meets.

“It’s definitely a pick-me-up to have him here,” Bangor sophomore swimmer Jason Thomas. “Emotionally he’s been through it all and he was so great last year, so I tend to believe what he says. If he says we can do something, we do it.”