Forest Hills tops Greenville in boys D South finale
AUGUSTA — Despite having won the team’s semifinal game, 54-39 vs. No. 4 Temple Academy of Waterville three days earlier, players and coaches of the top-seeded Forest Hills Consolidated School of Jackman felt the squad did not play its best. This turned out to be bad news for No. 3 Greenville High School in the 2020 Class D South championship on Feb. 22 at the Augusta Civic Center as Forest Hills won 74-44 at the Augusta Civic Center.
Now 21-0, the defending Class D champion Tigers won the team’s 43rd consecutive game, the longest active winning streak for any basketball program in the state and which dates back to the start of the 2018-19 season. Forest Hills will now face North champion Machias Memorial High School (12-8) for the gold ball at 2:45 p..m. on Saturday, Feb. 29 in Augusta. Greenville and Forest Hills have combined to win the last four D South titles and five of six.
The Tiger winning streak includes two victories over Greenville during the regular season, 60-58 at Greenville on Jan. 8 (the closest contest of 2019-20 for Forest Hills) and 91-60 in Jackman on Jan. 23.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
BUSY DAY BEHIND THE LINE — Greenville senior Sam Lane launches a 3-pointer, well over the reach of Forest Hills sophomore Jackman Daigle, for the first points of the 2020 Class D South championship on Feb. 22 at the Augusta Civic Center. Lane tied with classmate Jack Morehouse for the team lead at 12 points, with Lane’s coming on four 3-pointers. Forest Hills won 74-44 to return to the state championship.
Forest Hills head coach Anthony Amero said after the semifinal victory over Temple, all the Tigers sat down in his classroom prior to practice for a regular roundtable discussion. Every member of the team can speak on how they feel the game went and members of the starting lineup admitted they did not play well during the semifinal.
“They were great in practice yesterday and I think it carried over today, they were dialed in so credit to them,” Amero said. “For a young group of kids they handled themselves like adults, they will sit down and own when they don’t play well and to me that is the sign of a great program cause there’s no finger pointing.”
“I think that helped us play better today after having a tough game Wednesday,” he added.
Greenville (the team finishes the year at 11-10 after appearing in the regional final for the third consecutive season) scored first when senior Sam Lane hit a 3-pointer 51 seconds in. Lane and classmate Jack Morehouse would tie for the team lead at 12 points apiece with Lane’s coming on four field goals from behind the arc.
A few minutes later two Morehouse free throws upped the lead to 5-2 before a 13-5 Forest Hills run over the remainder of the opening quarter to lead 15-10.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
APPLYING THE PRESSURE — Laker junior Matt Snyder presses Forest Hills sophomore Jackman Daigle following a rebound with Greenville freshman Jace Springer (3) and senior Sam Lane looking on.
“We got them in a little foul trouble early and we felt with the size of their bench that was an advantage for us,” Amero said. “We know we’re a good foul shooting team if we get there so we want to get that contact and I think that got them reacting early cause now they have to bring somebody off the bench that wasn’t expecting to go in that early and that helped us and we ramped up.”
Leading by eight at the half, 27-19, Forest Hills increased the lead to 15 with a 21-14 third quarter. Tiger junior Parker Desjardins (who scored 34 points in the win over Temple) picked up seven of this game-high 27 points in the third quarter, coming on four foul shots and a 3-pointer. Senior Hunter Cuddy hit a pair of threes for six of his 21 points as the two outscored Greenville’s 44 total points on their own.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
TOUGH SHOT — Senior Chris Caiazzo of Greenville falls to the court after shooting against Forest Hills during the Class D South championship in Augusta. The Lakers were playing in the regional final for the third year in a row. Surrounding Caiazzo is, from left, Forest Hills sophomore Jackman Daigle, eighth-grader Cooper Daigle and junior Joey Poulin.
The pair would each pick up eight points in the last 8-minute session for 16 of the 26 Forest Hills points.
Greenville seniors are Noah Bilodeau, Chris Caiazzo, Adam Ethier, Camden Harmon, Aubrey Konholm, Sam Lane, Jack Morehouse and Andrew Worster.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Class D South
championship
No. 1 Forest Hills 74
No. 3 Greenville 44
F 15 12 21 26 | 74
G 10 9 14 11 | 44
Forest Hills: P.
Desjardins 27, Cuddy 21, Desjardins 11,
Poulin 7, Lessard 3, Welch 3 and Hale 2
Greenville: Lane 12,
Morehouse 12, Caiazzo
4, Ethier 4, Kronholm 4,
Harmon 3 and Murray 3