Bonus Basketball in Mars Hill to kick-off Tourney 2022

The Maine Principal's Association basketball tournament got off to a thrilling start on Saturday as the play-in round matchups were played. In Mars Hill the Central Aroostook Panthers hosted the Sumner Tigers as the first game in the state for this year's postseason play.

Becoming familiar foes

Despite the two towns being separated by nearly 200 miles and a 3-hour drive, Sumner and Central Aroostook have become tournament rivals having faced each other in the last 3 postseasons, with the exception of last year's regional only format. This game would go to overtime with the winner advancing to play Class C North #1 Fort Kent next week. 

1st Quarter

Central Aroostook senior Lucas Haines has accounted for the majority of the Panthers points this entire season, and it continued on Saturday. The long swingman opened the game by drilling (4) three-point field goals in the first quarter and accounting for all 12 of his team's first quarter points. Nolan Christianson scored 4 points for Sumner with Caelan Billings scoring 3 points, and Billy Wray adding 2 points. The score at the end of the first quarter Central Aroostook 12 Sumner 9 

2nd Quarter

Sumner's offense came alive in the second quarter with Christianson leading the way scoring 8 points. Connor Kelley scored 5 points with Angel Valencia scoring 3 points, and Billings and Wray scoring 2 points apiece. Hunter Charette scored 6 points on (2) three-point field goals for Central Aroostook, with Haines scoring 4 points and Frankie Kearney scoring 2 points. The score going into halftime Sumner 29 Central Aroostook 24 

3rd Quarter

The offense on both teams came out ice cold in the third quarter as Sumner only put up 2 points that came from Christianson. Hunter Charette scored all 5 of Central Aroostook's points in the third quarter. After three quarters of play the score was Sumner 31 Central Aroostook 29 

Lucas Haines of Central Aroostook 2021-22
Lucas Haines of Central Aroostook 2021-22
loading...

4th Quarter

The game remained tight throughout the entire fourth quarter with neither team able to get more than 2 points ahead of each other. Charette scored 5 more points in the fourth quarter for the Panthers, with Haines scoring 3 points and Kearney adding 1 point. Connor Kelley scored 4 points for Sumner and Ethan Chase made a three-point field goal for the Tigers. The game would have to go to overtime as the team's finished regulation tied at 38. 

Overtime

Sumner held a 2-point lead approaching the final minute of overtime until Lucas Haines drilled a three-point shot at the top of the key to put the hometown Panthers in front of the Tigers. Earlier in the overtime session Christianson had hit a three-point shot field goal for the Tigers. Sumner had 2 shots to tie or take the lead with under 30 seconds to go but could not convert. As Central Aroostook grabbed an offensive rebound, Sumner received a technical foul on top of a personal foul. Haines would split the free-throws and give Central Aroostook a 4 point lead. The clock played out as Sumner saw their chances of advancing fade away. Haines scored 8 of the Panthers 10 overtime points, with Kearney adding the other 2 points. The final score in overtime Central Aroostook 48 Sumner 43

Lucas Haines led all scorers with 27 points with Charette finishing with 16 points and Kearney totaling 5 points. Nolan Christianson led Sumner, scoring 17 points and Connor Kelley scored 9 points. 

Up Next:

Central Aroostook now advances to the round of 16 next week and they will play #1 Fort Kent.

25 Highest-Rated Kid-Friendly Restaurants Around Bangor

If you are looking for a great place to eat that is kid-friendly here's a list of the Bangor area's 25 best kid-friendly restaurants based on Yelp ratings and reviews of kid-friendly restaurants in and around the City of Bangor.

More From