March 29, 2024
SCHOOLBOY BASKETBALL

‘Jammers survive in Lions’ den Stammen scores 12

BELFAST – Life on the road in the talent-rich Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B basketball ranks this winter is as much a test of survival skills as it is another chance to show off the smooth rhythm the sport usually has to offer.

So Camden Hills relied on occasional spurts of offense and survival instincts based on its relentless defensive nature to outlast Belfast 57-47 Monday night.

The win was the Windjammers’ sixth straight since an opening-night loss to Maranacook at Readfield and their fifth straight over Belfast.

The Lions, who suffered their first loss in four home games this season, are 3-4.

This game featured 42 turnovers, 24 by Belfast, as neither team was able to develop a consistent offensive flow.

“It was definitely a rugged game,” said Camden Hills junior Tim Stammen, who had 12 points and seven rebounds. “I don’t think we were ready for that type of play, and I don’t know if we did a good job of adjusting to it, but we pulled out the win and that’s the main thing.”

Camden Hills ramped up its defensive pressure gradually and took control of the game with an 11-2 run early in the second quarter that led to a 28-17 halftime lead. That run featured 3-point goals by Ryan Fitzgerald, Ben Draper, and Stammen, with Stammen’s hoop giving Camden Hills a 24-14 advantage with 4:02 left in the half.

The Windjammers’ cushion grew to as much as 42-26 thanks to an 8-0 run late in the third quarter. After Stammen went 1-for-2 from the line, Camden Hills sixth man Will Horn (10 points) hit a runner and a 17-foot jumper, and Brandon Scamfer added a 3-pointer to prompt a Belfast timeout with 2:11 left in the third quarter.

Belfast proved itself a resilient lot over the game’s final eight minutes, attacking Camden Hills’ pressure and making some free throws – something that hurt the Lions in the first half when they made only 1 of 6 from the line.

Alden Gregory, who missed the first five free throws he shot, made six straight down the stretch, including two with 3:33 left that pulled the Lions within 48-42.

Six points was as close as Belfast got, the last time at 53-47 on Nick Arthers’ 3-pointer with 26 seconds left.

“We took some bad shots early in the game, and didn’t get into a good flow,” said Belfast coach Keith Curtis. “We got more used to their press later in the game, but it was a little too late.”

Gregory scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Lions, while Arthers added 11 points and nine rebounds.

Guard Jamey Davis contributed 12 points for Camden Hills, making 7 of 11 free-throw tries in the fourth quarter.

“There was no rhythm to that game whatsoever,” said Camden Hills coach Jeff Hart. “We never got into a rhythm, and I don’t think they did either. It’s one of those games you chalk up to surviving, and you move on to the next game and don’t spend a lot of time analyzing it.”

WINDJAMMERS 57, LIONS 47

Camden Hills (6-1) Belfast (3-4)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Davis 2 9 7 11 12 Whalen 0 0 0

Beveridge 0 1 0 0 0 Lovely 0 0 0

Draper 1 5 1 2 4 Arthers 5 15 11

Horn 4 10 2 3 10 Ratten 2 6 0 4

Stammen 4 9 3 4 12 Boynton 0 2 0

Fitzgerald 3 8 0 0 7 Herman 1 9 3

Scamfer 1 3 0 0 3 Martens 1 2 2

Tedford 0 1 0 0 0 Cunning 2 7 5

Puls 2 2 1 3 5 Gregory 8 15 6 11 22

Dennen 2 3 0 2 4 Hills 0 1 0

Totals 19 51 14 25 57 19 57 16 47

Camden Hills 13 28 42 57

Belfast 10 17 30 47

3-pt. goals ? Camden Hills (5-22): Scamfer 1-1, Draper 1-3, Stammen 1-4, Davis 1-4, Fitzgerald 1-6, Beveridge 0-1, Tedford 0-1, Horn 0-2; Belfast (1-5): Arthers 1-3, Ratten 0-1, Gregory 0-1

Attendance: 600 (est.)

JV: Belfast 59-44


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