GUILFORD- The Piscataquis Community High School (PCHS) Pirates hosted the Central Red Devils on Monday night in a Class C North boys and girls basketball doubleheader. At the end of the night and for the second time in less than a week, the Red Devils would come away with the doubleheader sweep over the Pirates.
In the boys game- Central got some big plays down the stretch from senior Lucas Gustin and held on for a 74-68 win over PCHS. It was a close first quarter with neither team holding more than a three point lead, with the home Pirates holding a 17-15 advantage after eight minutes. The Red Devils exploded in the second by outscoring the hosts 23-14 led by eight points from Kolby Bean and six from Raolin Willis for a 38-31 lead at halftime. PCHS rallied in the third quarter, as they did a much better job defensively and also rebounding and would take a brief 48-47 lead on two free throws from freshman Brady Gaw. Central took the lead for good 49-48 on a move down the left side of the lane by Gustin with less than a minute left in the period, as they held that one point edge heading into the fourth. The Red Devils increased their lead to seven on several occasions in the final eight minutes, but some fouls with PCHS in the bonus allowed the Pirates to creep back in. Scott Chadbourne hit two free throws to slice it to 71-68 with 32.6 seconds left after Bean missed a wide open layup. The guests would clinch the win on a 1-2 effort from the line by Willis, and a long baseball pass that Hayden Strout took in for a layup. Jakson Pollock would lead Central (4-11) to the victory with a team high 21 points and four rebounds. Gustin had 15 points, seven rebounds, and four steals (eight points in the fourth quarter). Gustin was named the Bangor Savings Bank Player of the Game. Bean finished with 10 points and five rebounds, and Willis had nine points and four rebounds. Also scoring for the Red Devils was Benjamin Speed with seven points, Justin Butler six, while Strout and Ethan Ladd had three points a piece. The Red Devils had 26 rebounds and shot a remarkable 21-25 from the foul line. Gaw had a game high 30 points along with three rebounds and three assists in the loss for PCHS (5-9). Chadbourne filled up the stat sheet with 15 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks. Ben Higgins had 11 points, while Dawson Simpson, Ty Cobb, and Noah Kain had four points a piece. The Pirates had 22 rebounds and went 14-20 from the foul line.
In the girls game- Izzy Allen and Mary Allen combined for 55 points as Central after a slow start rolled to a 68-34 win. PCHS surprised the Red Devils early as baskets from Katelynn White and Abbey Ricker and a free throw from Ava Goulette made it 5-0. After a timeout by head coach Jamie Russell, Central would turn it on as Izzy and Mary Allen both had five points in a 13-0 run to make it 13-5 after one quarter. The guests continued that run in the second as they scored 23 of the first 25 points in the period (36-2 run overall) to take a 29 point lead and they never looked back after that. Izzy Allen was a key to that second quarter scoring 18 points, and she finished with a game high 35 points (three 3-pointers), seven rebounds, five assists, and 10 steals in the win. Izzy was named the Bangor Savings Bank Player of the Game. Mary Allen had 20 points, three rebounds, and five steals. Rylee Speed added seven points, three rebounds, four steals, and two blocked shots. Also scoring for Central (13-2) was Chloe Daigle with three points, Sydney Gray two, and Bayleigh Irish who had a free throw for one point. Central had 23 rebounds and shot 18-30 from the foul line. Kendall Kimball and Abbey Ricker both had seven points in the defeat for PCHS (7-9). Goulette finished with five points, Jazmyn Channon and Brylee Ricker added four points a piece, White had three points and three steals, while Chloe Kimball and Hope Hunt rounded out the Pirates scoring with two points a piece. PCHS had 20 rebounds and shot 9-14 from the foul line. The five seniors on the team were honored before the game on Senior Night- Kendall Kimball, Katelynn White, Abbey Ricker, Brylee Ricker, and Maria Velame.
The Central boys and girls teams play again Tuesday night at Searsport, while PCHS boys and girls next play on Thursday night at Dexter.
Recaps by Chris Lessner. Photos and videos by Marc Calnan
Boys game highlights
Girls game highlights
