WATERVILLE — It’s two in a row and counting for the Maranacook/Winthrop boys lacrosse team.
On a hot but windy day at Thomas College, the Hawks were able to beat Gardiner 16-9 for the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B championship. Maranacook/Winthrop captured its first conference title last year, beating Morse 11-2.
While that team was led by scoring standouts Toby Smith and Zach Glazier, this year’s team has a more eclectic group of scorers.
“What I love about this team, they’re all sevens and eights (out of 10s),” Hawks coach Zach Stewart said. “I never know who’s going to have a great game on whatever day that is. We just spin the ball, are patient on offense and we take our takes when we get it.”
The proof showed in the scoring. Denver Cram led the Hawks with four goals and two assists. Kyle Morand and Bailey Clark each scored three goals, while James Canwell and Josh Murphy added two goals. Ty Smith had a goal and four assists for the Hawks.
The Hawks jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the first quarter with goals from Cram, Morand, Clark and Canwell. Maranacook/Winthrop showed an aggressive, physical presence offensively, able to keep pressure in the Gardiner zone.
The Tigers did not back down, however, answering back with goals from Adrian Heath and Walker Norton. Gardiner did well setting up shots in the first half in the Maranacook/Winthrop zone.
“We had a little more flow on offense than last time,” Gardiner coach K.C. Johnson said. “Defensively, we struggled today. Last time it was a 3-0 score at halftime. We’re getting there.”
Maranacook/Winthrop was able to pad its lead in the second quarter, entering halftime ahead 9-5. The Hawks found its offensive rhythm in the second half, outscoring Gardiner 7-4 in the second half to cruise to the win.
Gardiner struggled with penalties in the second half, making life more of a burden for its defense.
“We battle with those emotions in a rivalry game,” Johnson said.
Josh Caldwell led the Tigers with three goals, while Heath and Norton each scored two goals. It was the third time the rivals have faced each other this season. The Hawks have taken all three games, also beating the Tigers 10-4 on April 29 and 13-3 on May 29.
KVAC A SOFTBALL
MESSALONSKEE 2, BANGOR 1: Sarah Labbe scored from third base on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning to lead the Eagles to the KVAC A championship.
Labbe singled, moved to second on a Bangor error and reached third on a bunt by MollyAn Killingbeck before she scored on the wild pitch.
In her second varsity start, Madisyn Charest had a brilliant start in the circle for the Eagles, limiting Bangor to one run on two hits. She stuck out three battters and walked one.
Kristen Prelgovisk and Dakota Bragg each had a single and a double for Messalonskee. Cassidy Baker had two singles for the Eagles.
It’s the second win of the season over Bangor for Messalonskee, which enters the Eastern Class A playoffs as the No. 1 seed. The Eagles beat the Rams 7-1 on May 5.
KVAC B SOFTBALL
LINCOLN 2, GARDINER 0: Lilly Chepke had a double and single, but it wasn’t enough for the Tigers, who fell to the Eagles at Thomas College in Waterville.
Mikayla Shaw and Bri Brochu each had two singles for Gardiner. Kristal Smith added a single for the Tigers.
Morgan Achorn smacked a triple and inside-the-park home run for Lincoln.
KVAC A GIRLS LACROSSE
MT. ARARAT 15, MESSALONSKEE 12: Trailing 8-4 at halftime, the Messalonskee girls came back in the second half to tie Mt. Ararat in the KVAC A championship game. Mt. Ararat responded with five unanswered goals before taking the title at Bernatchez Field at Thomas College.
Lauren Pickett led the scoring for Messalonskee with four goals. India Languet and Nathalie St. Pierre scored three goals, while Allysa Turner chipped in with two goals.
The two teams traded goals back-and-forth early in the first half before Mt. Ararat found an offensive rhythm, scoring four unanswered goals to take the 8-4 halftime lead.
“We knew (Messalonskee) would be tough,” Mt. Ararat coach Elizabeth Harris said. “They come out tenacious every time. They come out wanting it just as much every time. They played well. It just came down to which team had more heart and wanted it more and we came out on top.”
Languet sparked the comeback for Messalonskee in the second half, scoring two goals, while St. Pierre and Turner notched scores to tie the game 9-9 with 16 minutes remaining.
“At halftime, we just focused on what was working, identified the things that weren’t working,” Messalonskee assistant coach Amie DuBois said. “Together we made a couple little changes — not too many — that we decided to stick with throughout the second half and I think they played the absolute best that they could.”
Mt. Ararat responded with its five unanswered goals two of which came from Emily Welch, who scored a game-high five goals. Erin Tome added four goals for Mt. Ararat.
Messalonskee won the first encounter between both teams, pulling out a 12-11 win on May 19. Messalonskee enters the Eastern Class A playoffs as the No. 1 seed, while Mt. Ararat is No. 2.
KVAC A BOYS LACROSSE
BRUNSWICK 15, MESSALONSKEE 7: The Brunswick boys lacrosse team jumped out to a 9-3 halftime lead and cruised to a win for the KVAC A title at Smith Field at Thomas College.
Connor Smith and Alden Balboni each scored two goals to lead the Eagles. Dylan Jones, Jack Bernatchez and Dylan Burton each added a goal for Messalonskee.
Josh Dorr led Brunswick with five goals.
It was the third time this season the teams have met, with Brunswick coming out on top in each game. The Dragons beat the Eagles 19-12 on May 1 and 17-13 on May 23.
Dave Dyer — 621-5639
ddyer@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @Dave_Dyer
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