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Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom FROM UNDERNEATH — Foxcroft Academy junior Jadon Richard leaps from the baseline for a shot during a Dec. 29 contest vs. Caribou, with senior Cameron Chase in the paint. The visiting Vikings won 62-54, and Richard scored a game-high 24 points.

Caribou earns victories over both Pony girls and boys

Stuart Hedstrom •December 30, 2022

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The Caribou High School girls and boys basketball teams both came away with victories over Foxcroft Academy on Thursday, Dec. 29. The Vikings girls won the Big East Conference/Class B North matinee matchup 52-37, and the Caribou boys defeated the Ponies 62-54.

The girls played first and Caribou (3-1 with the team’s third win in a row) jumped out to a 13-4 lead after the first quarter. Foxcroft (2-3) would get to within two at 23-21 early in the third quarter behind three consecutive field goals.

Junior Allie Smith put an offensive rebound back up for two, senior Annie Raynes had a layup, and Smith made a shot from the low post to have the Ponies go from trailing 23-15 at the half to being down by a single possession at 23-21. The layup gave Raynes two of her team-high 11 points and Smith picked up half of her eight points coming off the bench in the opening minutes of the second half.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
FROM UNDERNEATH — Foxcroft Academy junior Jadon Richard leaps from the baseline for a shot during a Dec. 29 contest vs. Caribou, with senior Cameron Chase in the paint. The visiting Vikings won 62-54, and Richard scored a game-high 24 points.

Caribou then closed out the third quarter with a 17-0 run for a 39-21 advantage. Viking sophomore Madelynn Deprey connected twice from behind the 3-point arc during this stretch. Deprey would end up leading all players with 22 points, including being a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line as Caribou finished 17-of-23 on its foul shots.

Foxcroft would have a 16-12 scoring advantage in the fourth. Senior Olivia Hill had all six of her points on a pair of 3-pointers, Raynes scored again on an offensive rebound and pair of free throws, and senior Destiny Weymouth and junior Halle Page both had 3-point shots in the last 8-minute session.

The boys game came down to the fourth quarter with the teams trading the lead several times before being tied at 42 points apiece in the last four minutes. From here Caribou (3-2) outscored Foxcroft (also now 3-2) 20-12 over the very late stages to win by the final score of 62-54. The contest was the first at home for the Ponies this season, with the Dec. 23 game vs. Washington Academy of East Machias being postponed due to a wind storm.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
TUG OF WAR — Foxcroft Academy senior Destiny Weymouth pulls the basketball away from Caribou freshman Liv Adams with Pony junior Allie Smith in on the play during a Dec. 29 game in Dover-Foxcroft. Caribou would win 52-37.

Four free throws and a layup on a steal put the Vikings up 48-42 before Pony senior Caden Crocker sank both of his free throw attempts with his team getting into the bonus at the 1:53-mark. Crocker finished the day 6-of-6 from the line.

After trading baskets at both ends of the court, Caribou senior Avery Thibodeau made a 3-pointer for a 3-possession lead at 53-46 with 1:29 on the clock. Thibodeau ended up with 14 points, second on the team to sophomore Kaymen Sargent’s 15.

Foxcroft junior Jadon Richard — who led all players with 24 points including 11 in the fourth quarter — had a layup to get the Ponies within six at 56-50. A Pony timeout stopped the clock with 35.3 seconds to go as the team went over strategy to continue the full-court pressure.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
A SHOT ABOVE — Pony senior Ivan Mutafchiev shoots over the reach of sophomore Tristan Robbins with Viking senior Henry Hebert nearby.

The Vikings opted for the long in-bounds pass with senior Reece Cavagnaro taking the ball from behind the halfcourt line to the basket for a layup and 58-50 lead.

The teams are scheduled to play again in Aroostook County on Saturday, Jan. 14 with the girls at 1:30 p.m. and an approximate 4:30 p.m. tipoff for the boys.