Falmouth’s Jack Bryant drives to the basket as Greely’s Matt McDevitt defends during the Rangers’ thrilling 55-54 overtime win last week.

Yarmouth senior Cory Langenbach dives for a loose ball during the Clippers’ 35-29 come-from-behind win over Poland last week.

Greely’s Maggie McCromick soars to victory in the pole vault at a league meet last week.

(Ed. Note: For the complete Greely-Falmouth boys’ basketball and Falmouth-Greely and Yarmouth-Poland girls’ basketball game stories, with photos, see theforecaster.net)

It certainly feels a lot like winter and the winter sports season has passed the midway pole, believe it or not.

Action continued in all sports last week and here’s a look at how local squads fared:

Boys’ basketball

Greely’s boys’ basketball team was undefeated at press time. Last week, the Rangers improved to 8-0 after rallying for a palpitating 55-54 overtime win at Falmouth and enjoying an 80-64 home victory over Poland.

Against the Yachtsmen, Greely trailed much of the way, but forced overtime on Shane DeWolfe’s late basket. In the extra session, Matt McDevitt’s three-point play put the Rangers ahead to stay and they held on for the win.

“It was a very emotional game,” said McDevitt. “There was so much energy in the building. It was one of the most exciting games I’ve played in.”

“I’m super-proud of (the guys),” said Greely coach Travis Seaver. “This is what high school basketball is all about. Winning big is nice, but coming into a packed house and having an exciting game is great. I think the momentum was on our side going into overtime. We had guys make big plays and we took over.”

Against the Knights, Ryan Twitchell led the way with 22 points. The Rangers were at Yarmouth Tuesday (see theforecaster.net for game story), go to Biddeford Saturday and play host to Fryeburg Academy Monday.

Defending Class A champion Falmouth was 7-2 at the midway point after a 55-54 overtime home loss to Greely and a 54-43 victory at Lake Region. Colin Coyne had 19 points and Jack Bryant added 16 in the loss, as the Yachtsmen turned the ball over 16 times.

“We made some inexperienced mistakes,” Falmouth coach Dave Halligan said. “Guys were looking around for someone else to do it. Losing like this is better than blowing teams out by 20 or 30. It’s what makes you better.”

Coyne had 15 points, Sean Walsh 12 and Bryant 10 in the victory. The Yachtsmen host York Thursday, visit Marshwood Saturday and go to Kennebunk Monday.

In Class B South, Yarmouth extended its win streak to four and improved to 7-1 after winning at Poland (73-37) and Lincoln Academy (82-55) last week. Nolan Hagerty led the way with 22 points versus the Knights and Gibson Harnett had a team-high 21 points in the victory over the Eagles. The Clippers faced a key home test versus Greely Tuesday, go to Freeport Saturday and visit Wells Tuesday of next week.

Freeport fell to 2-5 after losses last week at home to Gray-New Gloucester (56-41) and at Maranacook (51-31). Ethan Sclar had 11 points versus the Patriots. Josh Burke and Toby Holt had seven apiece in the loss to the Black Bears. The Falcons were home with Sacopee Valley Tuesday and at Lake Region Wednesday, welcome Yarmouth Saturday and host Old Orchard Beach Monday.

In Class C South, North Yarmouth Academy won a pair of games last week to improve to 3-4, downing visiting St. Dom’s (57-24) and host Seacoast Christian (61-40). Jake Malcom and Chandler Waldron had 13 points apiece and Haven Cutko added 12 against the Saints. In the win over Seacoast Christian, Malcom went off for a game-high 27 points. The Panthers were at Buckfield Tuesday, host A.R. Gould Thursday and visit defending Class C South champion Waynflete Tuesday of next week.

Girls’ basketball

Greely’s girls’ squad took a 7-1 record into Tuesday’s game at Yarmouth (see theforecaster.net for game story) after road victories over Falmouth (64-45) and Poland (61-21) last week. Against the Yachtsmen, Moira Train made four 3-pointers in the first quarter as the Rangers opened up a 19-3 lead and never looked back. Anna DeWolfe had 26 points and Train added 14.

“We kept it up on defense as much as we could,” Train said. “They went on some runs, but we didn’t let them have too many.”

“I think turnovers gave us fire,” DeWolfe said. “Transition baskets are important for us to keep our energy going.”

“Offensively, we came out firing,” added Greely first-year coach Todd Flaherty. “We had some defensive goals we didn’t quite meet, but Falmouth came to play tonight. They hung tough and didn’t quit. They came out really well in the second half. Hats off to them.” 

DeWolfe had 24 more points against the Knights and Brooke Obar added a dozen. After five straight road games, the Rangers finally return home Saturday to battle Biddeford, then go to Fryeburg Academy Monday.

Falmouth lost at home to Greely (64-45), then improved to 5-4 by holding off visiting Lake Region, 37-35. In the loss to the Rangers, the Yachtsmen got 15 points and 11 rebounds from Adelaide Cooke, but couldn’t overcome a slow start.

“I think we came out a little nervous, to be honest,” said Falmouth first-year coach Dawn Armandi. “We came back and showed we could handle pressure in the second half. I told them to not give up and work hard and get better.”

Cooke had 13 points in the win. The Yachtsmen go to York Thursday, visit Marshwood Saturday and play host to Kennebunk Monday.

In Class B South, Yarmouth extended its win streak to four and improved to 6-2 with come-from-behind home wins last week over Poland (35-29) and Lincoln Academy (47-36). Against the Knights, the Clippers built a 19-4 lead, let it slip away and trailed by two in the fourth quarter before closing on an 8-0 run. Johanna Hattan had 10 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer, Cory Langenbach also had 10 points and Alison Clark added eight points and 11 rebounds.

“It’s all about chemistry and staying calm and staying together on the court,” Hattan said. “That comes with experience. We’ve jelled. We’ve played with each other since we were little girls.”

“We gave them the momentum there, but the key was we stayed strong and came back,” Clark said. “It’s huge for us mentally and for our confidence.”

“This was our biggest game of the season so far,” added Yarmouth coach Christina Strong. “From a tournament standpoint and for morale. We’re pretty evenly matched, so to get a win is huge. I’m proud of the girls.”

The Clippers got 11 points from Sara D’Appolonia, 10 from Clark and nine from Hattan in the win over Lincoln Academy. Yarmouth erased an 11-3 first quarter deficit. The Clippers host Greely Tuesday, welcome Freeport Saturday and play host to Wells Tuesday of next week.

Freeport split a pair of games last week and was 5-2 at press time. After a 64-33 loss at Gray-New Gloucester (Caroline Smith led the way with nine points and Taylor Rinaldi added eight), the Falcons downed visiting Maranacook, 56-27, behind 12 points from Regan Lynch. Freeport was at Sacopee Valley Tuesday, hosts Lake Region Thursday, goes to Yarmouth Saturday and visits Old Orchard Beach Monday.

In Class C South, NYA has already eclipsed last year’s win total and was 3-4 at press time after edging visiting St. Dom’s (46-41) and winning at Seacoast Christian (47-33). Katie Larson had 15 points, Maggie Larson 13 and Lindsay Tufts 12 in the win over the Saints. Against Seacoast Christian, Maggie Larson scored 17 points and Katie Larson added 15. The Panthers were at Buckfield Tuesday, host Hyde Thursday and go to Waynflete Tuesday of next week.

Boys’ hockey

Falmouth’s boys’ hockey team was 4-1-1 heading into Wednesday’s game at Bangor. The Yachtsmen host Biddeford Saturday and go to Lewiston Monday.

In Class B South, Greely was 3-3 after Saturday’s 4-3 home win over Mt. Ararat/Morse/Lisbon and Monday’s 5-1 loss at Kennebunk. Andrew Moore had a hat trick and Ben Kennedy also scored against the Eagles. Against the Rams, Matt Kramlich had the lone goal. The Rangers go to Cape Elizabeth Saturday.

Defending regional champion Yarmouth evened its record at 3-3-1 Saturday with a 5-0 victory at Camden Hills. Bill Jacobs and Dom Morrill both scored twice and Bennett Travers had the other goal. The Clippers host Gorham Saturday.

Yarmouth’s Owen Ramsay was named the Class B South December Defenseman of the Month after scoring a goal and adding six assists, in addition to playing solid defense. 

Girls’ hockey

On the girls’ side, Greely continues to surge. The Rangers won their eighth game in a row and improved to 8-1 Saturday with an 11-3 win at Yarmouth/Freeport/GNG. Emilee McGillicuddy, Bridget Roberts and Courtney Sullivan had two goals apiece. Greely was home with Lewiston Wednesday, visits Edward Little/Leavitt Saturday and welcomes Cape Elizabeth/Waynflete/South Portland Monday.

Falmouth snapped a two-game skid Saturday with a 7-0 home win over Biddeford to improve to 9-2. Reade Carmichael led the way with two goals. The Yachtsmen were home with York Tuesday and at Gorham Wednesday. They have a trip to defending state champion St. Dom’s Monday and play at Portland/Deering Wednesday of next week.

The Yarmouth/Freeport/Gray-New Gloucester co-op squad fell to 5-7 after a 13-2 loss at St. Dom’s and an 11-3 home loss to Greely. Katie Clemmer scored twice against the Rangers. After hosting Edward Little/Leavitt Wednesday, the team goes to Winslow Monday.

Track

The indoor track season continued last week with promising results.

Falmouth, Freeport and Greely joined six other teams at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. In the girls’ meet, the Rangers were first with 160 points, the Yachtsmen (116.5) placed third and the Falcons 44) were sixth.

Greely got wins from Skylar Cooney in the junior 55 hurdles (9.52 seconds), Lauren Williams in the senior high jump (5 feet, 2 inches), Lizzy Brown in the senior shot put (30-1.5) and Maggie McCormick in the pole vault (9-0). Falmouth first-place finishers included Ellie Rudnick in the junior high jump (4-6), Malaika Pasch in the open 800 (2 minutes, 20.57 seconds) and open mile (5:14.35) and Hannah Berzinis in the open two-mile (12:32.20). Freeport winners included Tara Migliaccio in the junior 400 (1:04.34) and its junior 4×200 relay team (1:59.31).

In the boys’ meet, won by York with 198.5 points, Falmouth (169) placed second, Freeport (66) was third and Greely (64.5) came in fourth.

The Yachtsmen got wins from Kyle Bouchard in the junior 55 (7.24) and junior 200 (24.80), Joshua Bradford in the junior shot put (37-1.5), Ben Wyman in the senior high jump (5-10), Ted Pierson in the senior shot put (45-5), Conner Piers in the open mile (4:50.17), John Auer in the open two-mile (9:52.32, Aaron Thomas in the open pole vault (12-0) and their junior 4×200 (1:45.32) relay team. The Falcons got first-place showings from Chandler Wyman in the senior 400 (57.56) and Jacob Tomm in the senior 55 (6.95).

Yarmouth and North Yarmouth Academy took part in the other meet last weekend. The Clippers boys tied Poland for third with 118 points and the Panthers were sixth with 39 (Gray-New Gloucester came in first with 146.5. 

Yarmouth got wins from Cole Buchanan in the junior 55 (7.48) and junior 200 (26.01), William Saint-Amour in the open 800 (2:15.46) and Sam Potter in the open mile (5:03.66).

In the girls’ meet, Yarmouth (74) was fourth and NYA (22) finished sixth and Gray-New Gloucester won with 160.

The Clippers got wins from Sophie Walsh in the junior 55 hurdles (10.92) and junior high jump (4-2), Gabby Colby-George in the junior shot put (29-3.5) and Paige Reinfelder in the open pole vault (7-6). The Panthers got a first-place showing from Isabelle See in the senior high jump (4-10).

Swimming

Greely’s girls’ swim team enjoyed a 78-66 win over Portland last weekend, while the boys lost to the Bulldogs, 101-57. The Rangers host Thornton Academy Friday.

Falmouth’s girls beat Sanford, 104-65, last week, while the boys lost to the Spartans, 94-68. The Yachtsmen are home against Bonny Eagle Thursday.

Yarmouth was at Windham Wednesday.

Skiing

Freeport, Maine Coast Waldorf School and Yarmouth joined Cape Elizabeth and Waynflete in a Nordic skate race last week at Pineland Farms.

MCW won the boys race. Tucker Pierce was first individually in 13 minutes even. The Clippers were second and the Falcons third. Yarmouth’s top finisher was John Lane (second, 13:14). Freeport was paced by Yacob Olins (sixth, 15:32).

In the girls’ meet, Yarmouth was first, MCW second and Freeport third. Individually, Olivia Skillings of MCW was first in 16:14. Yarmouth’s Grace Cowles was runner-up (16:33). The Falcons were led by Lily Horne (sixth, 17:52). 

On the Alpine side, Falmouth and Yarmouth joined Cape Elizabeth, Kennebunk and Lake Region for a giant slalom race at Shawnee Peak last week.

The Clippers girls were first while the Yachtsmen placed second. Yarmouth’s Greta Elder was first individually with a two-run combined time of 1 minute, 3.61 seconds. Falmouth was led by Audrey Morin (third, 1:06.28).

Cape Elizabeth won the boys’ meet, with Falmouth runner-up and Yarmouth fourth. The Yachtsmen were led by Angus Christie (third, 1:06.66) and the Clippers’ top finisher was Alexander Hall (fifth, 1:08.11).

Monday, in a slalom race at Shawnee Peak, the Yarmouth girls beat four other teams (including Freeport, which was fifth). The Clippers were paced by Elder (second, 1:47.29). The Falcons’ top finisher was Bella St. Cyr (13th, 2:15.86).

In the boys’ meet, won by Cape Elizabeth, Yarmouth placed second and Freeport was fourth. The Falcons were led by Liam Grogan (third, 1:50.43). The top Clipper was Ben Pearl (fifth, 1:52.80).

In a giant slalom meet Monday at Shawnee Peak, Falmouth’s boys beat Greely and Gray-New Gloucester. The Yachtsmen had the top individual (Gibson Scott, 1:03.51). Axel Lindsay (second, 1:03.93) paced the Rangers.

Greely’s girls beat Falmouth and Lake Region. The Rangers were led by individual winner Nettie Cunningham (1:05.97). Audrey Morin (second, 1:06.94) was fastest Yachtsmen skier.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.