Cam Wood has been a starter, and an impact player, for the Winthrop boys basketball team for all four years of his high school career.

Coach Todd MacArthur, however, has seen his big man reach a new level in what’s been another stellar season for the Ramblers.

“I’m just so proud of that kid in terms of his growth,” MacArthur said. “Not only are his attributes and his fundamentals and his skills growing, but his mindset and his mental side for the game right now are growing immensely.”

Wood capped off the regular season by scoring his 1,000th point Wednesday night at home against Richmond, becoming the sixth in the program’s history to reach the mark. He’s commanded the attention of anyone watching and any team playing Winthrop since he showed up as a 6-foot-7 freshman, but while he’s always been a shot-challenging presence and daunting post matchup, he’s seen his offensive repertoire improve this season as he’s had to perform as more of a go-to scorer. He took averages of 21 points, 10 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game into the game with the Bobcats.

“He is developing a side of ‘It’s my time, it’s my time to dominate,’ ” MacArthur said, “and he’s carrying us as a leader, and he’s carrying us on the floor with his play.”

In two of Winthrop’s biggest wins, Wood had some of his biggest efforts. He had 13 points and 14 rebounds in a 62-58 overtime win over Spruce Mountain on Jan. 25, battling for a game-tying putback with only 27 seconds left in regulation. He was also dominant in a 65-61 over fellow C South contender Boothbay on Jan. 23, scoring 27 points and helping the Ramblers survive a game in which they had to answer four fourth-quarter deficits.

“The big guy in the middle really showed up tonight,” MacArthur said after the win over Boothbay. “I’m really proud of that kid.”

• • •

It was a special night for T.J. Maines. And his team gave him a special effort.

The Cony coach and former Morse player made his return to the Bath school on Tuesday, where he led the Rams against a Shipbuilders team coached by his father, Tom.

It was the first time the two had faced each other, and T.J. said the night had a unique feel to it from the opening tip — if not earlier.

“It was incredible. They had a great crowd, the gym was packed,” he said. “I had family members there, my sister in Boston came in, my best friend growing up came back right from the Super Bowl, another buddy flew in from Chicago. We were all teammates at Morse. … It was something. I grew up in Bath, and there were a lot of hugs and kisses and handshakes before the game.”

Once it began, Maines was treated to one of the best performances his team has had all season. Cony hit 15 3-pointers in the first half alone and 20 in the game, coming away with a 93-48 win. Dakota Dearborn and Kyle Douin hit five threes apiece, and freshman Luke Briggs added four.

“We played about as well as we’re going to play,” Maines said. “People who were at the game walked out of there going ‘That’s a really good team, and they shoot the heck out of the basketball.’ ”

Tom Maines had worked with the Cony players before, and T.J. said that everyone was in high spirits after the game.

“It was great for our program, great for our kids, but for me personally, it was really special to coach against him and compete against him,” he said. “He just said he was proud of me and loved the way our kids play, and that he’d be at our tournament games. That was pretty cool.”

• • •

Oak Hill won’t be making the postseason this year. The future, however, is pretty bright for the Raiders.

Oak Hill had fallen to last in the B South Heal points at 5-12 going into Wednesday’s finale with Lisbon, but coach Tom Smith took an upbeat approach when talking about his team’s season.

“I think this is a big step for this program going forward,” he said. “We played some solid games for only a half, or three quarters. We really haven’t played four really good quarters. … We played in bits and pieces. And it’s a learning curve for them.”

It’s a learning curve, though, that the Raiders should be able to continue. Nineteen of the 20 players on the roster and all of the players who got extensive minutes will be back, promising players like Gavin Rawstron, who developed into a standout over the course of the year, Gabe Samson and Caden Thompson are only sophomores and a freshman, respectively, and Smith said the JV program has good talent coming up.

“The majority of the ones that have been playing, I expect to be back,” Smith said. “We haven’t had that consistency, and I expect that from a young team. … You’re playing against championship teams (like) Winthrop, Hall-Dale, Boothbay.”

Smith, however, said he saw what he thinks can be a winning core for next year and beyond. He’s seen it before — Oak Hill went 4-14 in 2014-15, then found itself in the B South semifinals two years later.

“Everyone in the program worked really hard, and they want to get better,” he said. “And next year, I think we’re going to make that run like we did before, where we got in the prelim game and then, the following year, we really made a run. When I have my seniors, with Gavin and Gabe, if it’s not next year, then I think that following year we’re going to be that (team) again.”

Drew Bonifant — 621-5638

dbonifant@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @dbonifantMTM

 

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