Madawaska boys excited to hit the court
MADAWASKA, Maine – The Madawaska Middle/High School boys varsity basketball team heads into the season with plenty of energy and enthusiasm.
The outlook for the Owls this year is positive with four returning starters and a slew of athletes who recently achieved success on the soccer pitch.
“We will be exciting to watch,” Coach Dean Gendreau said. “The boys are coming off of a great soccer season, so they are really pumped up and committed to working hard and will try to follow up the success of the fall season.”
The Madawaska boys soccer team captured the Class D North regional title and were runners up in the state championship game against North Yarmouth Academy.
The 2022-2023 Madawaska varsity basketball boys are: seniors Brady Gagnon, Geoff Lavoie, Ian Beaulieu and Carsen Cyr; junior Chris Boucher; sophomores Xavier Morin and Sam Thibeault; and freshman Isaac Beaulieu, Braden Pelletier, Liam Lagasse, Jerimiah Turner, Ryan Beaulieu, Conner Michaud, Keedan Dalgo and Alex Albizu-Silva.
For basketball, the Owls play in the larger Class C region, meaning the team often matches up against much larger schools than their own.
The Owls landed in the No. 13 spot last year with a record of 8-9. The team lost to Dexter, 50-33, in a preliminary road playoff against Dexter Regional High School. The Dexter Tigers went on to capture the Class C North championship and lost to Dirigo, 59-56, in the state championship.
The team this year includes three returning seniors along with some really talented young players, according to the coach.
“We have a very athletic team that is hard-nosed on defense and has good skills on offense,” he said.
Gendreau will work with the young athletes on enhancing their defensive skills this season.
“I hope that our rebounding keeps improving and that the defense becomes something that no one wants to play against,” Gendreau said.
Madawaska starters will be Gagnon, Thibeault, Ian Beaulieu, Boucher and Cyr. The Owls lost starter Adam Gendreau to graduation last year.
Hodgdon, Fort Fairfield, Fort Kent and Central Aroostook will challenge Madawaska this year, according to Gendreau. The Owls also face Class D foes in Ashland, Easton, East Grand, Wisdom and Van Buren.
“That is not say that all five other teams on our schedule are easy, because we know that you must be ready to play every night because there are no easy games,” Gendreau said. “But these four teams are in our classification and if we want to be playing in Bangor we must take care of the teams in Class C North.”