{"items":["5ffdb341678ce40017d80771","5ffdb2f1c9236500176b8cc6","5ffdb28b1c22da0017e9a6b1","5ffdb22fb1427b001962bdaa","5ffdb1b8af36d90018c5b04b","5ff3a1ecfa9d1600180fac73","5ff3a29e7a1bed00179d65dd","5ff3a246e613730017266855","5ff3a0a00f52ff0017f197c7","5fedd3795f47070017e3ddaa"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Columns","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"max","cubeRatio":1.7777777777777777,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":30,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":22,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"rotatingScatter":"","chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":true,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":0,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":50,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":false,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":["SHOW_ON_THE_RIGHT","SHOW_BELOW"],"galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":0,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":60,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":75,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":0,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"jsonStyleParams":"","gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":1000,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"itemBorderColor":{"themeName":"color_12","value":"rgba(236,240,241,0)"},"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":2,"calculateTextBoxHeightMode":"MANUAL","targetItemSize":1000,"selectedLayout":"2|bottom|1|max|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":2,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":60,"externalInfoWidth":0.75},"container":{"width":220,"galleryWidth":242,"galleryHeight":0,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}
Keepin' It Real

Keepin' It Real
By: Toby Nelson
I love basketball. I especially love Maine High School basketball. If I could make a career out of it, I would be a high school basketball historian. With that said, this past weekend is always a great time of year as the high school basketball season opened up all across the state.
Everyone starts 0-0. Congratulations if you won a championship last year. The gold ball looks good in the trophy case, but it means nothing now as hope springs eternal for all teams.
I fondly remember my last opening night game in high school. Picture it. December 9th, 1994. East Millinocket, Maine. We (Foxcroft Academy) traveled to Schenck High School, the defending Class C state champs. At that time, they were still a bigger school, had strong athletes, came into gyms dressed in school issued sportcoats and ties, and drove to away games in a motorcoach provided by Great Northern Paper. Their look was worth 15 points a night. Those were the days.
Schenck had sustained losses due to graduation, but they had a good nucleus back, and Steve LeVasseur was still their head coach. Whether you liked him or not, his kids played hard for him and he won a heck of a lot more than he lost. Anyway, we were not coming off a state championship. We weren’t even coming off a playoff appearance. We were 6-12, and not that good, but again, we were 0-0 that night. Speaking of 0-0, that would be the only tie score as we got pummeled, 99-54. A 45-point beatdown on opening night…...ouch.
Our season never recovered. We lost four straight to start the year, only to win four straight. Starting 1995, we were 4-4, but that would be it. We were 2-8 the rest of the way, including a loss in our last game of the season, 106-79 to PCHS. So we bookended our season giving up 205 points in those two games, or 102.5 ppg.
Maybe that’s a record. Maybe when I become a high school basketball historian, I will research that. Either way, good luck to all teams, coaches, and officials.
0-0 is a good place to be, just not for too long.
Tags: