Dexter remembers Ed Guiski as Tigers prevail over BC
By Mike Lange
Staff Writer
DEXTER — Big Ed would have been proud.
The Dexter Tigers, playing before a packed house of red-clad fans, clawed their way back from a three-point deficit at the end of the third quarter to defeat Bangor Christian 48-47 Friday night in their regular season finale.
The evening began with a moving tribute to the late coach Ed Guiski, known as “Big Ed” to many, who passed away in December. During his 26 years as boys’ varsity coach, the Tigers won 329 games, made the tournament 18 times, won the Eastern Maine championship in 1985 and the state title one year later.
Observer photo/Mike Lange
GOOD FOR TWO — Dustin Sirabells (50) of Dexter and Bangor Christian’s Cody Collins watch a successful shot from Sirabella’s teammate Bailey Spack. The Tigers won a cliff-hanger, 48-47 in the season finale for both teams.
Today’s Tigers finished their season at 11-7 while Bangor Christian ended their campaign at 9-9.
“There were a lot of things going on tonight, and I think the kids just got off to a slow start,” said Dexter coach Peter Murray. “Bangor Christian is a scrappy team, they play a tough zone (defense) and if you don’t hit outside shots, it’s going to be a long night.”
Murray said that the Tigers also had some “clean looks at some 3-pointers and didn’t get them in. We’re usually better than that. But we managed to hang on.”
Ethyn Gould led Dexter with 18 points and 10 rebounds, Matt Bartlett added 10 points — including a pair of treys — and Trevor Fogarty contributed nine.
Seth Pearson paced Bangor Christian with 20 points.
Observer photo/Mike Lange
JUST PASSING THROUGH — Bailey Spack (34) of Dexter finds Ethyn Gould (33) open near the top of the key during Friday’s victory against Bangor Christian. Patriot Senior Benjamin Miller (22) just misses the block.
Margaret Veazie, who worked with Guiski for years as a teacher and coach, recalled some of the more humorous moments during that era which included square dancing classes. “He never once let on that this may not have been his favorite unit as we all proceeded to square dance together,” Veazie said. “You need to realize this was the early ‘70s and the boys in our classes did not want to do this.”
Veazie recapped some of the classic teams in the 1970s with Kevin Curty, Bobby Fanjoy, Eric Haley, Mike Disotto, Dave Carr, Dana Williams and Dickie Kimball and the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when Guiski’s son, Alex, played for the Tigers.
Guiski retired once, but came back in the late ‘90s to coach the Dexter girls’ team. “The first thing he did was make me his assistant because, unbeknownst to me, he was grooming me to take over the girls’ varsity position,” Veazie said. “He did everything in his power to make sure I got the position when I was ready.”
But Guiski learned some subtle differences between coaching boys and girls. During one contest, Veazie’s daughter, Kristy, “took a shot from the outside when he didn’t want her to — you all know his style — and he blasted her,” Veazie recalled. “Well, a few games go by and she has yet to take an outside shot and he keeps getting upset with her. Finally, he turns to me on the bench and yells ‘Why won’t she shoot?’ and I proceed to say, ‘Because you told her not to.’ He looked so confused, and then it all dawned on him what happened. He said to me, ‘I only meant that time!’ He was only beginning to learn how literal girls are when you coach them.”
Dexter Regional High School also announced that an award will be presented each year “to the male and female basketball player who possesses the qualities Coach Guiski would have loved.”
Observer photo/Mike Lange
LOOKING FOR HELP — Dexter guard Matt Bartlett (5) looks for an opening while being defended by Bangor Christian’s Benjamin Miller during the Tigers’ come-from-behind 48-47 victory Friday night.