Portland: Winter sports season passes midway point

The fun is just beginning with the winter sports season.

Girls’ hockey has just a couple weeks left, while basketball has passed the midway point and boys’ hockey nears it. The biggest events for indoor track, swimming and skiing aren’t far off either.

Everything will be magnified going forward and here’s a glimpse at where local teams stand:

Girls’ basketball

Deering freshman Angelina Keo drives to the basket during last week’s overtime home loss to Falmouth. Michael Hoffer / The Forecaster

Cheverus’ girls’ basketball team remained undefeated and atop the Class AA North Heal Points standings at press time.

Last week, the Stags improved to 11-0 by downing host Lewiston (69-51) and visiting Edward Little (69-39). Senior standout Maddie Fitzpatrick led the way against the Blue Devils with 36 points and Ruth Boles contributed 10. Fitzpatrick then had 21 points and seven assists in the win over the Red Eddies. Anna Goodman added a dozen points, Boles had nine with five assists and Megan Dearborn also had nine points. Cheverus hosted Greely in a first-ever countable meeting Monday, has a showdown at Thornton Academy Friday and welcomes Lewiston Tuesday of next week. On a side note, Fitzpatrick entered play this week with 961 career points, 39 shy of the 1,000 mark.

Portland fell to 2-9 and seventh in Class AA North after losses last week to visiting Kennebunk (50-38) and host Oxford Hills (59-37). Baleria Yugu scored 20 points against the Rams. The Bulldogs were at Edward Little Monday and travel to Biddeford Friday.

In Class A South, Deering was 4-6 following Friday’s 42-41 overtime home loss to Falmouth. In the teams’ first-ever countable meeting, the Rams got 15 points from Maya Gayle and nine points, eight rebounds and four steals from freshman Angeline Keo, but couldn’t hold a late three-point lead and only managed two points in the overtime session.

“It’s very frustrating,” longtime Deering coach Mike Murphy said. “Missed shots, missed layups, missed opportunities. We’ve had moments of being very good, but our decision making has been a struggle. It’s tough to watch opportunities slip away. When you have a team down you have to keep them down.”

After hosting Westbrook Monday, the Rams (ninth in the Heals) welcome reigning Class A South champion Brunswick Thursday (see our website for game story), then go to Fryeburg Academy Tuesday of next week.

“We have to get healthy,” said Murphy. “One thing I’m impressed with my kids is they show up and play hard. I’d just love to see better decisions with the ball when it counts. We have a long way to go. There are plenty of teams we hope to compete with but we need everyone healthy.”

In Class D South, Waynflete fell from the undefeated ranks last Tuesday, as a late rally fell just short against visiting North Yarmouth Academy, 45-42. The Flyers got 23 points from Lauren McNutt-Girouard and 10 from Maeve Mechtenberg and cut a 14-point deficit to three late, but a potential game-tying prayer at the horn from McNutt-Girouard was off target.

“This is the best we’ve played and it was against our toughest opponent,” said Waynflete coach Andrew Leach. “This is what gets you ready for the playoffs. (NYA’s) been to Augusta. They’ll make a deep run in the playoffs. I really like what we did out there. For us to respond like we did and have moments where the game could have been ours, I can see that we’re disappointed, but this will help us later on.”

The Flyers then fell at home to Lake Region, 53-31, before improving to 7-2 with a 45-24 win at Kents Hills. Against the Lakers, Lucy Hart led the way with 15 points. Hart then had 13 points and McNutt-Girouard added 11 in the win over the Huskies. Waynflete (ranked fourth in the region) was at St. Dom’s Monday, hosts Poland Friday and goes to NYA Tuesday of next week.

“Our potential for growth is exponential,” Leach said. “We just have to make sure we keep mixing up our defense, get a little more tightened up on offense and meet the moment.”

Boys’ basketball

Portland’s Kevin Rugabirwa battles for possession during Friday’s home win over Oxford Hills. Rugabirwa had a game-high 20 points in the victory. Shawn Patrick Ouellette / Portland Press Herald

On the boys’ side, Cheverus and Portland, along with Windham, which both teams have lost to, have been the class of Class AA North this season.

The Stags improved to 10-2 and second to Windham in the region following 51-37 wins last week over visiting Gorham and host Edward Little. Against the Rams, who came in undefeated, Cheverus never trailed and got 19 points from Leo McNabb for its biggest victory to date.

“We came out, played physical, matched their energy and got the win,” point guard Sammy Nzeyimana said. “Our bigs found their spots and were able to finish. We knew they had great shooters and we focused on defense and we knew our offense would come.”

“They’re good shooters, but we just had to stop them and that’s what we did,” McNabb said.

“This is the first game this year I can think of that we played a complete game,” added Stags coach Richie Ashley. “We didn’t really have any lulls. When we did, we didn’t allow them to score either. We took advantage of having the lead, then we capitalized with some easy baskets. It was probably the best team defense we’ve played.”

In the win over the Red Eddies, McNabb had 13 points and Gio St. Onge added 10. Cheverus hosted Deering Monday and returns to action Tuesday of next week at Lewiston.

Portland improved to 8-2 and third in Class AA North after wins last week at Deering (58-51) and at home over Oxford Hills (54-31). Against the Rams, Drew Veilleux (15 points), Kevin Rugabirwa (13), Cordell Jones (12) and Jeissey Khamis (11) all scored in double figures. In the win over the Vikings, in a rematch of last year’s regional final, Portland rolled to an 18-3 lead after one quarter and a 30-9 advantage at halftime and prevailed behind 20 points from Rugabirwa and 10 apiece from Jones and Khamis.

“It was just good basketball,” said Rugabirwa. “We passed the ball well, we moved to open slots and we made shots.”

“It’s been fun,” said Jones, who transferred to Portland from Gorham this school year. “I have great teammates. They’ve welcomed me and showed me the ropes. Now, I’m getting more time and starting. I’m figuring out my role. I’m hoping to try to win as many games as possible, hopefully get back to the state championship and cap off the season with a win.”

“We’ve been on three wheels, not four and we’re far from four wheels, but we’re better than three wheels now,” added longtime Portland coach Joe Russo, after his 471st victory with the program.

The Bulldogs hosted Thornton Academy Monday, welcome Edward Little Wednesday and play host to two-time reigning Class AA state champion South Portland Saturday.

“We just have to keep building and keep winning,” Rugabirwa said. “Next week will be a tough week.”

“We have to build on this,” Russo said. “We want to stay in the top three. I’ve been telling the kids it’s about how we’re performing. We have to understand our roles. We have three games next week that won’t be easy.”

In Class AA South, Deering fell to 4-7 and fourth after losses last week to visiting Portland (59-51) and host Gorham (79-59). Against the Bulldogs, Justin Jamal led the way with 13 points, while Michel Butera and Tavian Lauture each added 10. In the loss to Gorham, Evan Legassey had 18 points and Jamal finished with 15. The Rams were at Cheverus Monday, welcome Gorham Friday and go to Thornton Academy Tuesday of next week.

In Class C South, Waynflete improved to 7-2 and sixth after wins last week over visiting NYA (49-28) and host Lake Region (71-69, in an overtime thriller). Against the Panthers, Nico Kirby had 24 points. Kirby then played the hero against the Lakers, hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, giving him a game-high 32 points. Jed Alsup added 20 points. The Flyers were at St. Dom’s Monday, welcome Hall-Dale Wednesday (see our website for game story) and visit Poland Friday before facing NYA again, in Yarmouth, Tuesday of next week.

Hockey

Cheverus’ girls’ hockey team, the reigning state champion, improved to 10-0 after wins last week at Falmouth/Scarborough (5-0) and Biddeford (6-0), then fell from the unbeaten ranks with a 2-1 loss at Yarmouth/Freeport in a state final rematch. Against the Tigers, Mikayla Talbot scored twice and Maddie Doherty, Brynn McKenney, Zoe Radford and Caroline Rousseau all found the net once. In the setback, Talbot scored a first period goal and goalie Ella Lemieux made 16 saves, but it wasn’t enough. The Stags (first in the South Region Heals) go to Penobscot Saturday and host Brunswick Monday of next week.

The Portland/South Portland/Cape Elizabeth/Waynflete Beacons co-op team was 8-3 and second in the South following Thursday’s 4-3 home win over Gorham. Libby Hooper had the go-ahead goal, while Marina Bassett, Jane Flynn and Hartson Mosunic also scored. The Beacons welcome Penobscot Thursday, go to Edward Little Saturday and Falmouth/Scarborough Monday, then have a showdown at Cheverus Jan. 25.

On the boys’ side, Cheverus/Yarmouth improved to 5-1 after Saturday’s 7-2 home win over Mt. Ararat. Evan Hankins and Quinn McCoy each scored twice and Sam Bradford, Owen Cheever and Owen Walsh added one goal apiece. Cheverus/Yarmouth goes to York Saturday and plays at reigning Class B champion Cape Elizabeth Monday of next week. Cheverus/Yarmouth sophomore goalie Ethan Tucker was named the Class B South December Goaltender of the Month by the league’s coaches after going 3-1 with a .936 save percentage and a 1.25 goals against average during the month.

The Portland/South Portland/Waynflete Beacons co-op squad was 5-5 and fifth in Class A after a 5-1 loss at Edward Little and a 3-2 overtime victory at Greely last week. In the loss, Ben Palsen scored the lone goal.

“For us, it was a trap game after beating Lewiston,” said Jeff Beaney, who co-coaches the Beacons with Joe Robinson. “No matter how many times I told them, ‘EL is a good team and they have good players, you better be ready,’ we didn’t really respond.”

In the victory, Ian House scored the winner, while Hunter Temple and Toby Lappin also had goals. The Beacons are idle until next Thursday when they host Biddeford.

Indoor track

Portland’s boys indoor track team continued its strong season last week by beating Scarborough, Bonny Eagle and Noble. The Bulldogs girls were second to Scarborough. Portland’s boys then defeated Windham, Marshwood and Westbrook. The girls placed second behind the Eagles.

Deering’s girls were second to Gorham in a meet which also included Biddeford and Marshwood. The Rams boys were third behind Gorham and Marshwood. Deering then took part in a meet with Falmouth, Noble and Thornton Academy. The boys were runners-up to the Navigators. The girls placed third behind Noble and Falmouth.

Cheverus’ girls beat Gorham, Bonny Eagle and Massabesic. The Stags boys were third behind Gorham and Bonny Eagle.

Swimming

In the pool, Deering/Portland’s girls lost to defending Class B state champion Cape Elizabeth, 100-74, while the boys’ squad was beaten by the Capers, 133-31.

Cheverus’ boys defeated Windham, 62-37, while the girls lost to the Eagles, 75-61.

Waynflete split with Freeport, with the girls winning, 75-54, and the boys losing to the Falcons, 69-46.

Skiing

Deering’s boys won the first local Nordic skiing freestyle race of the season last week at Riverside Golf Course, defeating 13 other scoring teams. Portland was second, Waynflete eighth and Cheverus 12th.

The girls’ meet was won by Greely, with Portland placing fifth, Cheverus coming in seventh, Waynflete finishing eighth and Deernig 13th.

On the Alpine side, Cheverus took part in a nine-team slalom meet. The boys placed fifth.

Sun Journal staff writer Nate Fournier contributed to this story.