The St. Joseph’s College men’s basketball team faced adversity in the first half of the season. With the three leading scorers from last season all dealing with injuries, the Monks suffered a number of close loses.

The Monks, the defending Great Northeast Athletic Conference champions, started 3-8 but have won 10 straight and are 8-0 in the league.

Coach Tyler Ackley said the team started to come together when Remijo Wani (Portland), Silvano Ismail (Cheverus) and John-Paul Frazier (York) began returning from injuries in December.

“We’ve started to catch a little bit of a rhythm, which has been great,” Ackley said. “The guys are really excited. We’re just happy to have everyone back.”

Wani is averaging a team-high 21.6 points in 14 games, including 29 in a 93-78 victory against Dean College on Saturday. Frazier has played 16 games and is averaging 15.6 points, and Ismail has played five and is averaging 6.8.

Davis Mann of Falmouth, who is averaging 14.8 points per game and Yusuf Dakane of Lewiston helped fill in early in the season. Tong Maiwen, a 6-foot-5, 180-pound senior, used his size and athleticism to contribute as well.

The Monks had opporunities in close games early in the season but couldn’t get shots to fall, Ackley said. During their winning streak, they have won four games decided by five points or less.

“Not even at our best, we’ve been able to figure some things out, which is obviously a sign of a really good team,” Ackley said. “We’re kind of excited to use these last 2 1/2, three weeks of the regular season to get ourselves rolling in the right direction. Hopefully take this thing all the way into March again.”

Mainers producing for Saint Anselm’s basketball teams

Elise MacNair of Old Orchard Beach and Anna Nelson of Gorham are making an impact this season for the Saint Anselm women’s basketball team.

MacNair, a 2023 Miss Maine basketball finalist, is averaging 13 points and 5.3 rebounds for the 9-8 Hawks.

Nelson, a 2022 Miss Maine Basketball finalist, is averaging 8.3 points per game.

The Saint Anselm men’s team also has a Maine player making an impact. Will Davies, the 2023 Mr. Maine Basketball winner, is third on the Hawks in scoring (13.1 ppg). He is also first in NCAA Division II with 167 assists.

Former Brunswick girls hockey playing well for Plymouth State

Lisi Palmer, who helped Brunswick to a girls hockey state championship-game appearance in 2025, is enjoying a solid first season at Plymouth State.

Palmer has four goals and seven assists in 20 games for the Panthers, who are 10-10 after a 6-2 win over New England College on Friday.