The most dominant forces we’ve seen in the Bangor basketball tournament so far

By Matt Junker and Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News Staff

Gravity-defying dunks. Clutch 3-point shots. Swarming defensive stops. Highlight-reel material is being produced all day long during the early rounds of the Maine high school basketball tournament.

After three days of thrilling action at the major tournament sites in Bangor, Augusta, and Portland, there have been too many highlights to include here. But beyond individual plays, certain players have taken control of games and helped their teams advance to the semifinals. Here’s our list of the most dominant forces we’ve seen in Bangor’s North regional games so far during the start of tournament action. 

Emmitt Byther, Old Town

Old Town senior forward Emmitt Byther’s presence was felt throughout his team’s upset win over second-seeded Ellsworth on Friday night. His 21 points led the game, and the Eagles had to constantly account for him on both offense and defense. 

“Byther is an animal that we just hope to contain,” Ellsworth coach Matt Mattson said after the game. “I thought we did a decent job on him.” 

Even a strong defensive effort from a defensive powerhouse like Ellsworth was not enough to keep Byther from impacting the game throughout. His clutch free throw shooting down the stretch helped seal the first big upset of boys Class B North action. 

Addison Cyr, Mattanawcook Academy

Like Byther, the junior forward from Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln is coming off a recent individual milestone by securing 1,000 career points. And Cyr added 23 more Monday night, along with 12 rebounds and four blocks in a lopsided win over Machias. 

That Class D girls game was never much in doubt, and neither was Cyr’s control of paint. Her hard work helped make things look easy for the Lynx as they advanced to the semifinals. 

“We played a great game,” Cyr said. “We got out into transition like we wanted to and played the basketball we know we can play. Having a lot of tall girls with length really helps.”

Central Aroostook girls press

The defensive effort from the entire Central Aroostook team deserves a spot on this list. Their high-energy full-court press forced repeated turnovers in their Class D win on Saturday over Jonesport-Beals. 

“Our press is really effective,” said Central Aroostook sophomore guard Lilly Burtt, who also had 20 points in the win. “It helps our team get easy baskets off quick transitions.”

They used that press to help get ahead, and then stay ahead. 

“Defense is what won this game, not offense,” said Central Aroostook coach Cody Tompkins. 

Nothing against the Central Aroostook offense, which put up a respectable 45 points, but we have to agree with Tompkins. The press was impressive. 

Rajon Reed, Bangor Christian 

The sophomore guard provided a team-high 16 points along with some critical blocks to help overcome a slow start for the Patriots on Monday. Down 12-1 to begin the day against Lee Academy, Bangor Christian never led until overtime. 

It was Reed’s 3-pointer with about a minute left and a final free throw that helped the Patriots stretch the game into overtime, where they found a way to win. 

Reed said the win “just helps us realize that we can play with the best teams, and we can pull through.”

Madelynn Deprey, Caribou 

The senior guard from Caribou put on a shooting clinic Saturday night, especially from beyond the arc, on her way to 21 points. She led the scoring for the Vikings, who rolled past rival Presque Isle 50-31.

Deprey said she was feeling good after the win but “not satisfied yet though.”

Tristen Robbins, Caribou

Fellow Viking Tristen Robbins provided one of the most electric moments above the rim in Bangor so far, throwing down an emphatic dunk in the second quarter. It was his second of the game, both of which were met by roars from the well-traveled Vikings fans. 

“I was pumped up,” Robbins said about that second slam. “It’s a lot of momentum going into the game after a dunk.”

Claire Gaetani, John Bapst 

Claire Gaetani had never been in a tournament game until Friday night. That didn’t stop her from taking over. She had a game-high 35 points, secured nine rebounds and made six steals to fuel the sixth-seeded John Bapst Crusaders to a 59-56 upset over the third seeded Old Town girls. 

“This means everything to me,” said the 17-year-old Gaetani. “I mean four years of high school basketball and not playing here (for a quarterfinal) until my senior year. It’s really special.”

Her play has been particularly special of late. She’s scored over 30 points in both of Bapst’s playoff games so far. 

Abby Corson, Dexter

Dexter’s Abby Corson had one of the more difficult jobs at the Cross Center on Monday trying to contain Fort Kent’s 1,000-point scorer Lily Oliver. And Corson certainly rose to the occasion, helping to limit the impressive Tigers player to three points. 

That defensive effort helped lead Dexter on to the next round with a 29-18 win. 

“We knew she was their best player, she had length and she liked to get to the rim,” Corson said after Monday night’s victory. “But defense is my strength on the court.”

Elsewhere

The dominance wasn’t limited to the Bangor games by any means. In Augusta, Hampden girls’ Grace LaBree set the tone down low throughout the Broncos 43-27 win over Brewer on Friday.

The Brewer boys needed all of freshman forward Oli Higgins’ 22 points in their one-point win over Mt. Blue on Saturday. Higgins was the top scorer in that game. 

Camden Hills’ Nolan Ames continues to impact the game all over the court, with 20 points, an eye-popping 16 rebounds and five assists in the win over Cony, according to live stats from Maine Basketball Rankings and the Maine Principals’ Association.