January Athletics- January Update 2011

Varsity Boys Basketball:

GPCS boys basketball team has faced major problems all
year. Yet they are doing their best to remain positive with a
very depleted squad. They played very well in attaining their
second win of the season against Pine Tree Academy. The
record at the end of January is 2-11.

Leading the Lions is senior Ben Hammond. He has scored an
average of 15.4 points per game while grabbing 14.4
rebounds per game. This month he has had amazing games
of 25 and 23 rebounds. Junior Ryan Murray has played his
heart out in each game. The recent return of junior Jordan
Peters (broken wrist) has given team a lift as they go into the
last two weeks of the season.

Varsity Girls Basketball

We had a very successful month. Our record for the month
was 8 wins and 2 losses.

Some of the highlights include two wins at North Haven, which
is the highlight of our season so far. We had a great trip and
enjoyed having the boys team there with us. In our game
against Seacoast, Suzanne Gonzalez had 20 points and 16
rebounds, which we won by 7 points, 43-36.

Our toughest test of the season came against Waynflete, a
Class C team. We were down by 1 point at halftime, and
ended up losing by 12, but it was our best played game of the
year. Against Calvary, Liz Garland had 28 points. In our last
game of the month, we traveled to Isleboro and were trailing
by 4 at half time. The team did not allow them to score in the
3rd quarter and we won by 15 points. We look forward to our
last 4 games and getting ready for play-offs!

Jr High Boys Basketball
The month of January for the Jr. High Boys was marked by
huge comebacks falling just short. The most memorable game
was against the South Portland Celtics. Trailing by fourteen
points with six minutes left in the game, the guys came
storming back and had a shot at the buzzer to win that
bounced off the rim.

Sam Gleysteen, David Frye and Joe Imler have all elevated
their level of play and have been great contributors to the
team. Finally, Ben Roach was awarded a Boys and Girls Club
Good Sportsmanship Award for his excellent attitude and play
all season long.

Jr High Girls Basketball:

We began our Jr. High Girls season in the Gorham Rec
league. There are three other teams in the league. We began
with two wins against Gorham and Windham. After a tough
loss to Windham, we bounced back with a win against
Gorham, finishing the month with a 3-1 record.

This years team members include: Abby Morabito, Ashley
Imler, Jessica Smith, Marissa Lane, Ashley Dawson, Paige
Bouchard, Clarissa Jones (child of James Jones), Bethany Ruiz, Alanna
Haslem, Kaileigh Marston, Erin Turner, Natalie Smith, Grace
MacDougall, Emily Ingraham.

K-1 Basketball:

Kindergarten and first grade boys and girls are playing in a
league with Holy Cross, St Brigid and Cathedral.
The six week league consists of a one hour session each week. The
session is divided into two halves; a skill practice and a game.

Team members include Emma and Hannah Rogers, Nathan
Hatch, Isaac Shaw, Caulin Patterson, Sonny Elder, Olivia Mann (child of Kimberly Verrier Mann)and Ronan Anderson.

Elementary boys and girls in grades 2 & 3 have had a great time this
year playing basketball in a league with Holy Cross, Cathedral and
St. Brigids. While few in numbers, they are mighty in determination.
The kids have practiced basic basketball skills under the leadership
of their volunteer coaches, Jonathan Libby, Skye & Danny Patterson
and Doug Elder. They are showing great sportsmanship and are
already talking about playing next year! Team members include:
Owen Sanborn, Ben Hatch, Christian Patterson, Emily Libby (child of Jon Libby), Olivia Elder, Owen Mann (child of Kimberly Verrier Mann).