NC Boys 1-1 in Lewistown

The North Country Maverick boys basketball team welcomes back a majority of their talent from last season, but has a total of eight in their 2023-24 campaign.

Despite their low numbers, the Mavericks showed the ability to not only win, but post a dominant win as they defeated the Highwood Mountaineers 64-34 at the Lewistown Showcase on Dec. 7. They fell 64-55 to the Centerville Miners on Dec. 8.

Leading the charge for the Mavs is Blaine Downing, who was the team’s lone All-Conference selection last season.

“His game is quite diverse,” Mavericks Head Coach Haakon Fredrickson said. “In his junior high and freshman seasons he was utilized more as a point guard so his ball handling and shooting improved drastically. Last year he became more of an inside out kind of player for us and developed some great ability to score in the post. He rebounds extremely well and is typically at the top of the team in steals. Blaine is a complete package on both ends of the floor and a tough match up for basically any Class C program.”

The team also welcomes back point guard Coy Bowman and Kade Strommen, junior guards who showed the ability to score around the perimeter.

“Coy is a strong ball handler and shooter who controls the court very well,” Coach Fredrickson said. “His leadership and skill set will help bring up the younger players on the team to a varsity level as the year goes on.

“Kade brings a competitive attitude that elevates the play of his peers both in game and in practice,” Coach Fredrickson continued. “He is a physical and athletic player that rebounds and defends extremely well for his size. Kade typically is assigned the best offensive opposing player and rises to the challenge each week.”

The team also welcomes back post Andrew Boucher, their lone senior.

“His work ethic and maturity are put on display on a daily basis. He tends to keep our team on task and moving in a positive direction during practice and games,” Coach Fredrickson said.

The team welcomes Jaydeen Hanshew, a junior.

“He will be a physical addition to our program because of his background in football and wrestling,” Coach Fredrickson said.

Freshmen Laytin Erickson returns this year. He is a six foot post who logged plenty of minutes last year.

“He played the fourth most minutes on the team last year and his tenacity on the court proves him to be a dominant defender,” Coach Fredrickson said.

Jake Brown is another freshman who played last season as an eighth grader.

“He put a tremendous amount of time in this offseason to further develop his abilities on both ends of the court,” Coach Fredrickson said. “His offensive attacks will help with putting more points on the board and create openings for our older players to have one on one matchups more frequently.”

Rounding out the team is Chase Albus, a six-foot center.

“Chase is developing into a force on the block,” Coach Fredrickson said. “Chase is a lengthy player and does a fine job defending his older counterparts.”

The Mavericks picked up their first win of the season, by defeating the Highwood Mountaineers 64-34 on Thursday, December 7.

The Mavericks started the game with a 26-5 run in the first quarter. Highwood outscored the Mavs 16-9 in the second quarter but the Mavericks outscored the Mountaineers 29-13 in the second half.

Blaine Downing had 26 points, eight assists, seven steals, and six rebounds. Coy Bowman had 10 points, four steals, and three assists. Laytin Erickson had nine points, seven rebounds, and two steals. Boucher had six points and three rebounds. Strommen had six points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Brown had five points. Albus had two points and three rebounds.

North Country forced 20 turnovers, 15 off of steals. The Mavs scored 27 points off of those turnovers.

In their loss to the Centerville Miners, North Country was led by Downing who had a 25 point, 12 rebound double-double. Bowman had 10 points and five assists. Erickson had nine points, five rebounds, and three assists. Strommen had four points and three rebounds. Brown had four points. Albus had two points and five rebounds.