A one-week break couldn’t have come at a better time for Maranacook, the top girls basketball team in Western C Heal points.

The Black Bears (11-2) haven’t played since a 59-51 win over Maine Central Institute last Friday and don’t return to action until Friday, when they host Waterville. They’ve spent the layoff battling illness and helping their top player recover from a sprained ankle.

Senior Christine Miller left the MCI game after rolling her ankle. Coach Jeannine Paradis said the ankle has improved but she is being cautious with the reigning Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B Player of the Year’s return.

“(Thursday) she’ll do some halfcourt stuff in practice and then we’ll see how she feels in warm-ups on Friday,” she said.

Several players missed Wednesday’s practice with a virus that’s been going around the school, Paradis said. The hope is that they will all be feeling better and ready to play on Friday.

Several players stepped up in Miller’s absence in the MCI game, including Liz D’Angelo — who had a big third quarter — Sarah Clough and Catherine Sanborn, who all scored in double figures. Sophomore guard Justice Merrill, who hadn’t seen a lot of varsity time, also provided a spark off the bench.

Paradis said the win over MCI also showed her team’s poise and resilience, qualities its exhibited in other games, such as its 54-33 win over Oceanside and 63-57 triple-overtime loss to Medomak Valley.

“The girls are really playing together hard,” she said. “I think the biggest thing is we’re not panicking when the game is on the line and we refuse to lose.”

• • •

Messalonskee just had the toughest part of its schedule. While the Eagles (6-8) have lost four games in a row, they came to Mt. Blue, Oxford Hills, Lawrence and Brunswick, four of the top teams in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference that are a combined 41-12.

Still, Messalonskee is in eighth place in the Eastern Class A Heal Point standings, and coach Keith DeRosby is confident the Eagles can get back on track entering the tournament.

“Anytime you compile a couple losses, it’s easy to question what you do,” DeRosby said. “We’ve gone back to basics. You try not to reinvent the wheel. We’ve had some success.”

Monday’s 55-45 loss at Mt. Blue was a four point game with a minute to play, DeRosby said, and the Cougars made their free throws to ice the win. With less height than many of the other teams in the league, the Eagles will continue to try to play a fast style of basketball.

“We like getting out and running. We can score in different ways,” DeRosby said. “We have a lot of dimensions. It makes it fun to get out and coach.

Messalonskee hosts Skowhegan on Friday and plays at Hampden on Tuesday. The Eagles close the regular season with games at home against Brewer and at rival Lawrence.

• • •

Nokomis (7-6) is in 10th place in Eastern B, and the Warriors have some big game coming up with Leavitt and Maranacook.

Nokomis hosts Leavitt on Friday, and Maranacook makes the trip to Newport on Tuesday. Both games are a rematch of a close Nokomis loss earlier this season. Leavitt beat Nokomis in Turner, 38-32, on Dec. 12. A few days later, on Dec. 16, the Warriors lost at Maranacook, 41-34.

Four of Nokomis’ final five games are at home. After a trip to Waterville on Jan. 30, the Warriors close the regular season with home games against Winslow and Maine Central Institute.

• • •

Madison began its playoff push on Wednesday night with a 37-31 win at Wiscasset. The win improved Madison’s record to 7-7. Entering Wednesday’s game, the Bulldogs were in ninth place in the Western Class C Heal Point standings, but the final four games of the regular season present Madison with the opportunity to win points, move up and host a preliminary round game in the playoffs.

The Bulldogs host Mountain Valley (7-5) on Saturday, then are off until Friday, Jan. 30 when they travel to Monmouth (9-4). Madison has a home game against Wiscasset (4-10) before ending the regular season at home against a strong Boothbay (13-1) team.

• • •

Around the state: At 13-0, Spruce Mountain is in first place in Western B. The biggest challenge to a undefeated regular season for the Phoenix comes in the next-to-last game of the regular season, when Spruce Mountain hosts Maranacook (11-2)… Since opening the season with back-to-back losses, Piscataquis has won 12 games in a row to move into first place in Eastern C… Gorham’s 53-48 win over Thornton Academy on Monday tightened up the Western A playoff race. Gorham (11-2) is in fourth place, just 2.5 points behind Deering for third.

Staff writer Travis Lazarczyk contributed to this report.

Randy Whitehouse — 621-5618

@rwhitehouse@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @rawmaterial33

Copy the Story Link