Wolverines Gear Up For Busy Weekend

The Bridgton Academy Basketball Team is gearing up for a busy weekend this weekend as they prepare to head down to St. Thomas More School in Connecticut for the Prides Crossing Tournament Friday and Saturday, with the Wolverines set to tip off against Champlain-St. Lambert Friday at 8pm in the opening round with the consolation and championship games to follow on Saturday. Before returning home the Wolverines will stop off in the Boston area, at Chelsea High School, for the BABC Classic on Sunday where they will square off with the nation's #3 ranked team Notre Dame Prep at 2 p.m.

Wolverines Head North To Canada, Win One Lose One

The Bridgton Academy Basketball Team headed north across the border on Thursday for a pair of games up in Quebec City. The first of the Wolverines two games came against NEDA, which stands for the National Elite Development Academy in Canada. The team is comprised of many of the top young (17-19 year old) players throughout Canada, many of whom represent Canada on the country's Junior National Team.

The game started out highly contested with NEDA taking a 19-17 lead after the first quarter before opening up an 8 point 36-28 halftime lead. The second half saw the Wolverines make a strong run out of the gate to make it a tie game at 40-40, NEDA however answered with a run of their own taking a 56-45 lead into the fourth quarter. Bridgton Academy remained competitive to the final whistle before falling by a final score of 84-67. Dwayne Smith (Toronto, Ontario) and Carl Blair (Katy, TX) each scored 19 points to lead the offensive charge, Kauri Black (Rialto, CA) also finished in double figures scoring 11 points.

The following day on Friday afternoon the Wolverines had an opportunity to salvage a split for their trip to Canada as they faced off against Saint Foye. This time the Wolverines came flying out of the gate opening up a 27-10 lead after the first quarter. Their defense remained strong, creating a multitude of offensive opportunities which saw Bridgton convert on some easy lay ups opening up a 42-21 lead heading into halftime. In the second half Saint Foye was able to win the 3rd quarter outscoring the Wolverines 27-24, cutting the lead to 18 to start the 4th. Bridgton was able to put the defensive clamps back on for the final 10 minutes to win by 21, 87-66. Dwayne Smith again led the Wolverines scoring 19 points, Malik Stith (Long Island, NY) followed with 18 (14 in the second half), and Jamal Crook (Louisville, KY) added 16.

The Wolverines return from the trip with an overall record of 12-3, although the trip wasnt all about wins and losses according to Head Coach Whit Lesure, "The primary purpose of this trip is to get back into the sinw of our season outside of our league competition. It's no different then a classroom, with a teacher trying to get their students back after a long break. Kids just think its school, but there's a whole set of routines and positive habits that have to be reestablished quickly."

With the two games in Canada complete to kick of the second semester Head Coach Whit Lesure was asked for a brief assessment of the trip and his teams current state, he replied by saying, "I see our guys with a lot of the close relationships on and off the court you need to become good. We're at the point now where we need to demand from each other the sacrifices necessary to improve. Playing good teams like we did on this trip can help, and beating good teams down the line will help us grow more confidence as well."

Latest NERR National Prep Poll Released

The second poll of the season from NewEndlandRecruitingReport.com was released on December 31st and thanks to an impressive 11-2 start the Wolverines find themselves ranked 4th in the nation, up one spot from the previous poll which had been released late in the pre-season.

Patterson School (NC) has climbed up to the top spot after starting the season 20-0, including handing Hargrave Military Academy (VA) their first loss in two years.

Hargrave (12-1) drops down to #2 followed by Notre Dame Prep (14-2) at #3, Bridgton Academy (11-2) #4, and Northfield Mount Hermon (9-1) rounds out the top 5.

For the complete write up see New England Recruiting Report's National Prep Poll

Wolverines Head Coach Whit Lesure Interview

Fork Union In the Paint Interview with Wolverines Head Coach Whit Lesure

Legendary Fork Union Prep Basketball Coach Fletcher Arritt and In The Paint host Jerry Nelson sit down and talk basketball with Bridgton Academy Coach Whit Lesure!

Wolverines Win Sun Youth Basketball Tournament, Improve to 11-2

The Bridgton Academy Basketball Team spent the weekend in Montreal, Canada for the annual Sun Youth Basketball tournament. The Wolverines faced John Abbott College, Sun Youth Organization, Dawson College, and Champlain St. Lambert en route to capturing the tournament championship.

Even before making the trip up Head Coach Whit Lesure had some kind words for those responsible for putting on the Sun Youth Tournament saying, "I'm just happy to be a welcomed guest of such a great organization that reaches so many lives in the community in significant ways..This trip goes way beyond basketball and I think our guys are able to get a sense of that."

The Wolverines got started Friday as they faced John Abbott College in the final game of the night to open up their first of two games in pool play. Dwayne Smith (Toronto, Ontario) and Malik Stith (Long Island, NY) led a strong offensive charge that saw Bridgton open up a 45-29 halftime lead before going on to win by a final score of 79-57. Smith led three players in double figures with 20 points, followed by Justin Rake (Mandeville, LA) with 12, while Stith added 10.

Game 2 of pool play saw the Wolverines take on Sun Youth Organization Saturday evening. Bridgton came out firing making a season high 9 3-point field goals in the first half alone (12 in the game). With the score 54-21 heading into halftime, minutes were spread around rather evenly over the course of the game resulting in all 13 Wolverines getting significant minutes. Justin Rake led all scorers with 17 points, followed by Dwayne Smith with 13, while Garrison Gross (Buffalo, NY), Carl Blair (Katy, TX), and Jerrel Harris (Grand Prarie, TX) scored 8 apiece.

With pool play over the Wolverines headed into the semi-finals 2-0 and squared off against Dawson College in a Sunday morning showdown. A highly contested game throughout, Bridgton was able to build up a slim 39-35 lead to start the second half, however Dawson College would just not go away. After exchanging baskets throughout the second half the Wolverines were able to hold on for a 69-61 win and punch their ticket to the Championship game. Dwayne Smith again led the team scoring 18 points, followed by Jamal Crook (Louisville, KY) with 10, Jack Houpt (Chesterton, IN) 10, Malik Stith 9, and Kauri Black (Rialto, CA) 8.

Just 6 hours after defeating Dawson College in the semi-finals, Bridgton Academy found themselves taking the court once again, this time against Champlain St. Lambert in the Championship game. The two teams had met earlier this season at the National Prep Showcase, a game that Bridgton Academy won by a score of 65-46.

Knowing all well that Champlain would be looking to avenge the early season loss the Wolverines came out strong playing patented Bridgton basketball that starts on the defensive end. After forcing 10 first half turnovers and converting on virtually every free throw opportunity, the Wolverines built up a 13 point, 42-29 halftime lead. Leading after halftime is a position the Wolverines have found themselves in a number of times this season, however the opening minutes of the second half has sometimes given their opposition hope. Wolverines Head Coach Whit Lesure made the point to say, "It comes down to guarding. We relax a bit when we get a lead, I made sure to remind the guys that their efforts today would determine the types of practices we had when they returned from vacation." With that in mind the team was able to sustain and even expand their lead at times throughout the second half before going on to win by a final score of 81-71. Dwayne Smith again led the team in scoring with 20 points, followed by Justin Rake with 15, Kauri Black 13, and Jamal Crook 10.

When asked for some final thoughts on the weekends games Lesure responded by saying, "I think we made some progress as a team over the last week. Our offense was really good at times this weekend, we shot the ball about as well as we have all season, and we did it consistently. It's always a great trip for our teams, we had a great time again this year."

It is important to mention that the trip wouldn't have been made possible without Bridgton Academy bus driver Scotty Brown. Mother nature threw everything it had at him over the course of the weekend but he more then prevailed earning weekend MVP honors from Coach Lesure for his performance on the drive back saying, "No one performed any better than Scotty did coming across Franconia Notch Sunday night...I loved it but then again I'm a little nuts too.

The four wins on the weekend put the Wolverines record at 11 wins and 2 losses heading into the break as the team will be off until January 7th when they head back up to Canada for a pair of games in Ste. Foye.

Wolverines Currently Ranked 4th In Latest Prep School Poll

The Bridgton Academy Basketball Team is currently ranked 4th in the nation in the latest Prep School Basketball Poll. The Wolverines had been ranked 5th in the preseason poll which came out over earlier this year. The entire poll is as follows.

www.GameWornUniforms.com 2009 National Boy's Prep School Basketball Poll December 16, 2008

1 The Patterson School (Lenoir, NC) 20-0
2 Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, VA) 11-1
3 Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg, MA) 12-2
4 Bridgton Academy (Bridgton, ME) 7-2
5 South Kent School (South Kent, CT) 6-2
6 Winchendon (Winchendon, MA) 6-3
7 Tilton (Tilton, NH) 3-0
8 Northfield Mount Herman (Northfield, MA) 6-1
9 Fork Union Military (Fork Union, VA) 6-3
10 Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, NH) 7-5
11 Worcester Academy (Worcester, MA) 3-2
12 Charis Prep (Wilson, NC) 23-1
13 Martinsville Heat (Martinsville, VA) 15-3
14 Blair Academy (Blairstown, NJ) 7-1
15 North Carolina Tech (Charlotte, NC) 16-2

Wolverines Lose One, Win One At Fork Union Tournament

The Bridgton Academy Wolverines Basketball team traveled down to Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia this past weekend for the annual Fork Union Basketball Tournament. The team played two games, losing to Fork Union, and beating NEPSAC opponent New Hampton.

On Friday night Bridgton took on tournament host Fork Union, a game which was tightly contested throughout, however the Wolverines came up short suffering their second loss of the season 70-59. It was a two point game with 2 minutes remaining but the Wolverines were never able to grab the lead from that point forward.

When asked for his thoughts on the game, Bridgton Head Coach Whit Lesure had this to say, "We've been going pretty god, but we were a bit complacent tonight. We got outplayed and outcoached, outcoached in the sense that their execution of transition, defensive, and offensive play was a direct result of the way they practice everyday. I have a ton of respect for that guy (FUMA Head Coach Fletcher Arritt). We need to get better."

Justin Rake (Mandeville, LA) led the Wolverines offense scoring a team high 10 points.

Less then 24 hours later the Wolverines found themselves back in action hoping to come away from the trip 1-1 after suffering a tough loss the night before. Bridgton was able to open up a 33-24 halftime lead on the strength of some strong defensive play before going on to defeat New Hampton Prep by a final score of 72-71. The final minutes saw the Wolverines make some big plays, Justin Rake was able to steal an inbounds pass and convert on the offensive end moments before Dwayne Smith hit a big 3-pointer that ultimately gave Bridgton Academy the lead for good.

Head Coach Whit Lesure had this to say after the game, "To beat New Hampton in Virginia is an accomplishment. They have a long history of playing especially well in this tournament. I give Rake and Smith full marks for having the courage to make the game changing plays at the end. And I give all our guys credit for not allowing last nights outcome to interfere with tonight's game."

Malik Stith (Long Island, NY) led three Wolverines in double figures versus New Hampton scoring 15 points, followed by Dwayne Smith (Toronto, Ontario) with 13, and Chad July (Gainesville, FL)10.

When asked for some thoughts on the weekends games Chad July responded by saying,
"I think we played hard both games, we never gave up at any point. We rebounded the ball pretty well, we finished strong, and most importantly we had some guys step up and make some big plays when we needed them most, especially in the final minutes of the New Hampton game."

Teammate Justin Rake added, "We lost to a team we could have beaten on Friday (FUMA), they just played better then we did. But we were able to come back and get a big win which I think is a sign of a good team, being able to find ways to win even when things aren't going great. Overall it was a good weekend for us, but we know we have some work to do to be great."

The Wolverines will return to action this weekend when they travel up to Montreal, Canada for the Sun Youth Tournament starting Friday, December 19th.


#24 Justin Rake lets it fly from long range.


#1 Carl Blair (Katy, TX) looks to turn the corner.


#3 Malik Stith setting up the offense.


#00 Dwayne Smith goes up for the dunk.


#32 Kauri Black (Rialto, CA) driving around a New Hampton defender.


#4 Jamal Crook (Louisville, KY) pulls things back at the top of the key.