Junior Varsity hoops

finish with a game-high 22 points in a victory over the Black Bears.

Jacoby Bardsley added 10 points while Noah Peterson chipped in 8, Jayden Meehan 6, Jackson Rinnocario 3, Raymond Tucker 3, Michael Clark 2, Joe Deschenes 2 and Wildr Hart 2.

Lakers 61, Poland 57: The Knights nearly erased a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, but Jacoby Bardsley scored 7 of his 22 points in the final stanza, and Jacoby True went 5-of-6 from the foul line as the Lakers pulled out the victory. True finished with 13 points, while Noah Peterson also added 13, which included a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter as the Lakers put up 24 points to build a 34-25 halftime lead.

Trevor Belanger and Wildr Hart each contributed 4 points, while Glynn Ross had 2 and Matt Plummer 1.

points) for a bucket, Bardsley sank a pair of foul shots to put LR back on top, 28-26.

“They run great half-court sets, and are tough to stop. We made adjustments to switch everything, and the guys did a great job communicating that. We played with good energy on defense. I thought we were okay rebounding, not giving them too many second chances. We need to continue to improve,” Coach Martin said. “We’re taking the right steps.”

Greely took a 31-30 lead at the break, attacking the paint area, scoring on an offensive rebound, while Raftice drained a pair of foul shots. He was 11-for-12 from the charity stripe.

Raftice picked up where he left off, scoring the first 4 points of the second quarter as the Rangers built a 5-point lead.

The Lakers answered with a Chadbourne jumper, a 3-pointer by Brock Gibbons (6 points) and two foul shots from Libby, who crashed the offensive glass to earn the freebies. Libby hauled down 11 rebounds (Greely won the rebounding matchup, 33-30).

The Lakers closed the third with a 9-6 run as Jack Bueler sank a foul shot, Ian Brogan converted a nifty baseline pull-up jumper, Libby swished a shot from the foul line and Duprey went on the attack, scoring a drive to the rim and adding a floater over Raftice to give LR a 48-45 lead.

With Chadbourne on the bench with four fouls, Duprey took the scoring load into his own hands to start the final period. He knocked down a 3-pointer, and then kissed a shot off the glass for two more points. Chadbourne made his presence felt upon re-entering, making a pair of foul shots as the Lakers went up 8 points.

Greely, however, made their run. McArthur drained a 3-pointer, but Chadbourne answered going 4-for-4 from the foul line.

With 1:44 left and up six, the Lakers looked to be in the driver’s seat. But, turnovers and missed foul shots left the door open for Greely to rally and nearly swipe a hardearned win from the Lakers.

“Finding the balance of keeping your foot on the gas and understanding time to score can be tough. When you are up 6 or 8 points with 3 or 4 minutes left in the game, we want to keep our foot on the gas but we also can only take great shots. I thought we did a great job securing the ball. We didn’t shoot well from the foul line, but we did a great job getting to the foul line. If we do a better job at the foul line, the game doesn’t come down to the final possession,” Coach Martin said. “Our guys are doing a better job understanding there are going to be calls that don’t go our way. That happens in life. They’re learning to play through a little adversity. We’re a young team, but we’re slowly growing in that department.”

“It’s a big win for us, coming off a five-game losing streak. Now, we’ve won two in a row and need to keep going,” Duprey added. “After this game, it shows we are really coming together as a team — we’re playing together, which we need to do to make the playoffs this year.”

What did Duprey see in this one that seemed lacking in their loss to rival Fryeburg Academy?

“The biggest difference tonight vs the game against Fryeburg is that we picked each other up. If someone did something wrong, all of us came over, made contact, high-fived him and said, ‘Get the next play.’ We stayed together as a team,” Duprey said.

Coach Martin echoed that observation.

“It’s as simple as us staying together as a team,” said Coach Martin on what it will take for the Lakers to crack the Top 10 in the Heal Ratings and earn a playoff spot in Class B South. “When there is positive energy within your team, you play better, play harder for each other. We need to keep getting better one day at a time.” a Taste of Home Bridgton Academy was delighted to host the first Taste of Home Cook Off! on Saturday, Dec. 10. Sponsored by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, the event was designed to allow students a creative outlet to showcase their backgrounds and culture by sharing their families’ culinary traditions.

The event brought together nearly 30 student and faculty chefs who vied to have their creations awarded as the “best dish.” In the lead up to the tasting and judging, several faculty members graciously opened up their kitchens to give the students a place to cook. An impressive array of recipes — from Rasta Pasta to Brigadeiro and others in between — were served to hungry attendees and judges alike.

Tyler Palumbo ’22 earned first place with his expertly braised Coq Au Vin, and second place went to Dylan Joyner ’22, whose banana pudding tickled the judges’ taste buds. Tyler and Dylan were excited to claim their prizes, gift cards to Dick’s Sporting Goods, which were sponsored by an Academy Trustee.

DEI Committee member Ms. Kayleigh Lepage was instrumental in organizing the event.

“It was a unique opportunity for our students and staff to come together and prepare a home-cooked dish to share with our community. I was thrilled to see how excited our students were to cook for their fellow classmates and how creative they were with their dishes,” Ms. Lepage said. “Everyone who participated did a stellar job, leaving our judges feeling very full and inspired. It was a perfect send off for the guys right before the holidays!”

Judges were Jude Lindberg and Tom Washburn.

Learn more about Bridgton Academy A Virtual Open House will be held on Monday, Feb. 20 from 1 to 2 p.m. Prospective and incoming students wanting to schedule a campus tour and interview should contact admissions@ bridgtonacademy.org or call 207-647-3322 ext. 1 for more information.