Tigers fall at Fort Kent in C North prelim

FORT KENT — Coach Derrick Cooper’s Fort Kent Warriors have achieved a major goal he set for them at the beginning of the 2017-2018 high school boys basketball season — they are headed to the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.

The No. 5 Warriors defeated No. 12 Dexter 68-47 in a Class C North prelim on Feb. 14 to earn a quarterfinal date against No. 4 Central Aroostook of Mars Hill on Tuesday, Feb. 20 in Bangor.
Fort Kent (15-4) dominated all four quarters of the game.

Senior captain Jacob Daigle impressed the standing room only crowd by scoring a game-high 26 points in the final home court appearance of his high school basketball career.

Caleb Delisle and Jace Rochelaeu also scored in double digits for the Warriors with Delisle netting 14 and Rocheleau adding 10, including two he drained from 3-point territory where he has been comfortable all season.

Jacob Bickford led the Tigers (11-8) with 15 points while Brett Kusnierz chipped in 11 points.

Cooper attributed the win to the intensity of the Fort Kent defense.

“I don’t think (Dexter had) seen a team that played such strong defense prior,” he said. “We moved the ball up and down the court really fast, just pushing the ball. That’s what we do.”

Fort Kent played fourth ranked Central Aroostook twice this season and beat them both times.

“It’s a gift for us. We’ve already seen them two times so we know what they have to offer,” Cooper said. “We still have to show up and play. They’re solid athletes.”

St. John Valley Times photo/Jessica Potila
PLAYOFF BASKETBALL — Fort Kent’s Eden Paradis gets ready to pass the ball while guarded by Dexter’s Trever Richards during a Class C North prelim Feb. 14 in Fort Kent. Fort Kent defeated Dexter 68-47.