Ponies conclude regular season with a win over John Bapst

Foxcroft will play at No. 5 Winslow
in prelim matchup

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Win and they are in. This was the scenario for the Foxcroft Academy boys basketball team heading into the 2013-14 regular season finale vs. John Bapst Memorial High School of Bangor on Feb. 7.
    The Ponies came into the game ranked 13th in the Class B East Heal Point standings, while the Crusaders were right behind in 14th place. Foxcroft (who improved to 7-11) used an 18-0 run in the first half for a double-digit lead and then held off a John Bapst comeback bid to earn a 48-40 win and spot in the postseason.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    EXTENDING THE SEASON — Foxcroft senior Sam Keane goes up for a shot during the 2013-14 regular season finale on Feb. 7 against John Bapst between Crusader seniors Colby Kohn (10) and Sam Brown (30) while Pony seniors Kolby Kendall (42) and Hunter Law (1) look on. The Ponies won 48-40 to clinch the 12th seed for the Class B East playoffs.

    Late in the first quarter the Crusaders (who ended the year with a record of 3-15) went ahead 11-8. The team’s point total would remain stuck at eight as the Ponies added 18 to their side of the scoreboard. During the Jan. 24 meeting in Bangor sophomore Hunter Smith had a 26-point night, including the game-winner in the final seconds of overtime, and in the second contest Smith again had no trouble finding the basket.
    Smith converted a pair of shots from behind the 3-point line, another from the floor and four free throws for 12 of the 18 Pony points. He added two more field goals later in the second quarter for 16 points in the first half, as Foxcroft led 31-18, and would finish with a game-high 23.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    POINTS IN THE PAINT — Junior Sean Cody lays up a shot around the reach of John Bapst senior Austin Cyr during the Feb. 7 contest. Cody would record five points as eight Ponies got on the scoring sheet.

    In the third quarter the Crusaders cut the team’s deficit to six, 33-27. Before the end of the eight-minute session junior Sean Cody made both shots on a trip to the free throw line to put the Ponies ahead at 35-27, and after play resumed Smith’s third 3-pointer of the evening made the score 38-27.
    A basket by John Bapst senior Sam Brown, who along with seven classmates had their high school basketball careers ended by Foxcroft, would later get the team to within seven at 39-32. The Crusaders then could get no closer as the Ponies added nine more points to eight for the opposition. All nine points came on free throws as Smith, sophomore Dylan Harmon Weeks, freshman Riley Richards and senior Volodymyr Pyzhov combined to go 9 of 12 from the charity stripe in the final three-plus minutes.
    The victory enabled Foxcroft to not only maintain the 13th and final spot in the Class B East tournament, but move up a spot to 12th place. As the No. 12 seed the Ponies will play at fifth-seeded Winslow High School in a preliminary contest, scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 12.
    A member of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference, Winslow (15-3) does not have any mutual opponents on the hardwood as the Big East member Ponies. The two schools do have some familiarity with each other in recent high school sports history, as Foxcroft defeated the Black Raiders in the 2012 Class C football state championship and Winslow defeated the Pony basketball team in the 2013 Class B East semifinals.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    COMING THROUGH — Pony senior Kolby Kendall goes toward the basket during the first quarter against John Bapst. With the win Foxcroft clinched a playoff spot for the second year in a row.

    The regular season finale vs. John Bapst was the final home game for Foxcroft’s eight seniors, who were recognized during a pregame ceremony. Members of the Class of 2014 are Sam Keane, Ethan Kelly, Kolby Kendall, Hunter Law, Cooper Marden, Volodymyr Pyzhov, Colby Snell and Frank Stone as well as Sarah Hobbs of the cheering team.
    Foxcroft enters the postseason for the second year in a row, holding as the 13th seed a year ago and traveling to Rockland to knock off No. 4 Oceanside High School and defeating fifth seed Caribou High School at the Bangor Auditorium before falling in a semifinal to eventual Eastern Maine champion Medomak Valley High School of Waldoboro.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

   GIVE HIM A HAND — Looking for an open teammate is Foxcroft sophomore Dylan Harmon-Weeks, being guarded by John Bapst senior Colby Kohn.