The 1,000 Point Club

In Saturday's newsletter, I wrote that Camden had a unique (and difficult) back-to-back with Brunswick and Cony. They won the first game, but could they get the sweep against a very talented Cony team?

It was a packed house in Rockport. I saw a number of players and fans from other and why not? An unbeaten team with the probable Mr. Basketball against a high-scoring team that's led by one of the best freshmen in the state. Plus, it's Saturday night and it's zero degrees outside.

Cony raced out to an early lead, thanks to Carter Braithwaite's ability to push the pace.

During the half, while Cony was getting whatever they wanted on offense, I was thinking of how Cony has a senior in Parker Morin who was one of the 3 or 4 best quarterbacks in the state and is a very good basketball player, but a freshman is the point guard on the basketball team. That's how good Carter Braithwaite is.

As for Camden, they looked like a team on the second night of a back-to-back. They were a little flat in the first quarter and seemingly every shot was just a little bit short.

Still, there were flashes.

Cony led 43-28 at the half. Jackson Kay had 15 of his 19 in the first half.

Camden came out better in the first half, erupting for a 15-2 run to get back in the game. Nolan Ames had 9 of his 28 in the third.

But, he picked up his fourth foul on a, uh, questionable call (and by that I mean terrible), which limited how aggressive Ames could be on the defensive end, and Cony was able to make enough buckets down the stretch to rebuild a bit of their lead. Parker Morin had 8 of his 18 in the fourth, mostly in the paint, and Rams went 5 of 7 from the line to clinch it, 70-61.

The win moved Cony to first place in B North.

They are also now the favorites for the 1 seed in the Tourney Odds.

It's a huge win for Cony and a perfectly unique test for Camden. You obviously want to win every game, but losing the second night in a back-to-back in late January against a team you won't have to play again in a game where you came back after getting punched in the mouth? That's kind of ideal for your long-term prospects.

I had considered going to the Cape Elizabeth @ Lake Region boys game instead. Cape is fighting for one of the play-in spots and Lake Region is in contention for one of the top seeds in B South. But Naples is 2 hours from my house on back roads that might or might not have cell reception and it's zero degrees out? Eh.

Maybe I should have, because Cooper Smith won it at the buzzer.

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The win would have essentially punched Cape's ticket, but they'll have more chances. Their last 4 games are all against teams with plenty of Heal Points to earn.

Karleigh Smith is Woodland's new all-time scoring leader, beating Ashley Marble's record of 1,311.

Ready for your new members of the 1,000 point club?

[cracks knuckles]

MDI's James Witham scored his 1,000th point in Saturday's win over Presque Isle. Witham is the first MDI player to score his 1,000th point as a junior

Mattanawcook's Andrew Oliver scored his 1,000th point in a win over GSA.

Shead's Jonathan Andrews got to 1K on Senior Night against Deer Isle-Stonington.

And Woodland's Evan Monk got his 1,000th point in a win over Schenck.

As we come down the stretch, we'll start to see a bunch more of these. Send them my way and I'll share them in all the places.

Elsewhere

Maddie Provost had 24 as Lawrence picked up a big win over Hermon...Nick Jamo scored 24 points, Nick Jamo added 23, and Poland blew out Traip...Daicey Speirs had 14 in NYA's win at Sacopee Valley...Charlotte Grenier's 14 led Poland over Traip...Silas Nielsen had 13 points, 11 boards, and 6 blocked shots in a win over NYA...Jaxson Sockberson had 14 in Bapst's win over Waterville...Bangor Christian's Mary Allen dropped 27 on Hodgdon. Jessie Brooker went for 29 in the boys game as BC swept.

The Patriots' win in the AFC Championship Game last night means our long regional nightmare is over.

They'll play the Seahawks, who have divine intervention on their side.

I'm not sure why the Chicago Pope is helping the Seahawks and not the Bears, but ok.

The first Stevie Award is out.

Let's update the Wins Draft standings. Greenville is killing me.

I have zero confidence that any of the games on today's schedule are actually happening, but I'll keep going because two of these teams will take snowmobiles or sled dogs or something and find a way to get a game in.

Both Southern Aroostook and Central Aroostook have locked up a bye directly to Bangor. Bangor Christian has locked up the 1 seed and Machias has the inside track on the 2 seed, but after that, it's pretty wide-open. Both Central Aroostook and Southern Aroostook could get to the all-important 3 seed that avoids Bangor Christian until the Regional Final.

Central Aroostook is 13-1 with the lone loss coming to a Wisdom team they just beat on Friday. They have the 4th stingiest defense in the state. They've held 6 opponents this season to under 20 points.

They'll take on Southern Aroostook and the 8th best scoring offense in the state. Their season low is 40 in a loss to Central Aroostook way back in early December. Can they score enough against Central Aroostook's defense to get a big W?

If this is happening, you'll be able to watch it on WHOU.

The Model's picks for the rest of today's games are after the jump.