With another snow storm forecast for the next couple of days, few people in Maine are thinking of baseball. While most of us gear up for another round of shoveling, the University of Southern Maine baseball team is preparing to start the season this weekend in Yaphank, N.Y., with a pair of games against Mt. St. Mary and Old Westbury.
Travis Lazarczyk
Columnist
Travis Lazarczyk has covered sports for the Portland Press Herald since 2021. A Vermont native, he graduated from the University of Maine in 1995 with a BA in English. After a few years working as a sports information director and in the ski industry, he began his journalism career at the Berlin (N.H.) Reporter in 1999. Prior to joining the Press Herald, Lazarczyk spent 20 years covering sports in central Maine at the Morning Sentinel and Kennebec Journal. He's been twice honored as the Maine Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.
WESTERN C GIRLS BASKETBALL: Waynflete too much for Madison
AUGUSTA — For the Madison Area Memorial High School girls basketball team, Waynflete had a little too much of everything. Too much defensive pressure caused by too much speed and tenacity, and too many offensive opportunities caused by too many Madison turnovers.
TRAVIS LAZARCZYK: Respect is mutual between these rivals
AUGUSTA — Forest Hills and Valley might be the friendliest boys basketball rivalry in the state. You’ll find more animosity at a chilli cook off than you will between the Tigers and the Cavaliers.
EASTERN A BOYS BASKETBALL: Lawrence falls to Hampden at buzzer
AUGUSTA — In his first season as Lawrence High School’s boys basketball coach, Mike McGee coached the Bulldogs to one of the biggest upsets of his career, beating Waterville in the Eastern Class A final. On Friday night, McGee almost did it again. It took a buzzer-beating 30 foot 3-pointer by Hampden Academy freshman Nick Gilpin to beat Lawrence and give the Broncos a 40-39 win in the Eastern A final.
TRAVIS LAZARCZYK: Miller, West bring Valley back
AUGUSTA — This is what Carrington Miller and Josh West have been waiting for, or perhaps, there’s a better way to put it. Miller and West have been building up to this.
WESTERN C BOYS BASKETBALL: Boothbay knocks off Madison
John Hepburn scored 20 points to lead the Seahawks, all but a pair of free throws coming from the low post, to lead top-seeded Boothbay to a 55-43 win over the No. 4 Bulldogs in the Western Class C semifinals.
EASTERN A BOYS BASKETBALL: Hampden a tall task for Lawrence
It’s been a long time since a team dominated Eastern Class A like Hampden Academy has dominated the region this season. Standing between the 20-0 Broncos and a second consecutive regional title is Lawrence (16-4).
EASTERN A BOYS BASKETBALL: Lawrence moves on to final
As the final seconds ticked away in Lawrence’s Eastern Class A semifinal game against Edward Little of Auburn, Lawrence coach Mike McGee raised his arms in victory, knowing that with his team’s 49-41 win, he’d have at least one more game.
WESTERN C GIRLS BASKETBALL: OOB holds off Monmouth
AUGUSTA — Monmouth Academy girls basketball coach Scott Wing was happy with everything about his team’s Western Class C quarterfinal game against Old Orchard Beach, except the outcome.
CLASS B TRACK AND FIELD: Brown sets two records as Waterville wins
Led by senior Bethanie Brown’s record-setting effort in the 1-mile and 2-mile, the Waterville girls cruised to their third consecutive state title. The Panthers scored 112 points, well ahead of second place Greely (69.6 points) and third place Traip (38).