/

Cougars’ experienced crew look to build on last season

2 mins read
MBHS Boys Basketball stands for National Anthem Dec 13th, 2022

FARMINGTON- Experience and talent look to push the Mt. Blue High School boys’ basketball team into one of the top contenders for Class A North division. The team has started strong, opening the 2022-2023 season with a 2-1 start, with victories coming against Messalonskee High School and Skowhegan Area High School.

In the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference (KVAC) North A Preseason Poll, Mt. Blue was predicted to finish in 4th place out of the 8 teams in the conference. The teams ahead of the Cougars included Skowhegan, Brewer and Nokomis.

The team returns a core group of players, including Seniors – Zach Poisson, Chandler Briggs, Jayden Meader, Zak Koban, Hayden Dippner; Juniors – Evans Sterling, Charles Stevens, Noah Prescott; and Sophomores – Nolan Leso, Carter Norton. The 2022-2023 team looks to improve last year’s 8-11 record with this more experienced group.

In the Cougars opener, the squad took down the Eagles 59-40. The squad put on a show, with three players reaching double digits. The balanced scoring effort was headed by Briggs’ 19 points, followed by 12 from Poisson and Sterling. Other major contributors include Stevens and Meader, with 5 and 3 points respectively.

To open up the season at home, the varsity team defeated the top ranked KVAC rival 67-45. Sterling exploded in the first quarter, netting 19 of his game-high 34 points. The Cougars maintained a tough defensive presence, forcing several turnovers for the Riverhawks. Mt. Blue’s Chandler Briggs and Nolan Leso added 8 points a piece to round out the team’s offensive output. Skowhegan’s Kyle and Colin LePage both added 14 points to lead the team.

On December 15th, the boys faced the Cony Rams at home. The Cougars lost to the Rams 71-63. Mt. Blue’s first loss of the season came at a time where the team was low on numbers and missing key players, including Sterling. Leading the Rams to victory was Parker Sergeant, who scored 26 in the effort.

The Cougars next home game is December 22, with a 7 p.m. tipoff against defending state champions Nokomis Regional High School.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email