ROCKLAND — The Oceanside boys junior varsity and varsity teams hosted Presque Isle in the season’s first preseason games Saturday at Oceanside East. Both games were well-played, close, fun games to start the season out.

For Oceanside coach Matt Breen, it was a chance to see, with a lot of new players, how they would handle the game with just a week on the floor — two of those days being tryouts.

“We have three kids with varsity experience in Keenan [Hendrix], Nick [Mazurek] and Jarrod [Leonardi],” said Breen. “The other kids are a lot like last year, where we had a lot of question marks after losing Shane, Sam and Tyler and those guys. The other kids stepped up so now we just gotta play a little to see who’s going to fit where and hopefully some kids will step up like Dave [Gould] and Nick did last year for us.”

One of the biggest losses for the Mariners this season was losing freshman coach Darren Randell, who took a leave of absence. Randell was an important part of the staff for Breen and will be missed, but Breen is also very pleased to have Tim Matero on board. Matero volunteered to step in as the freshman coach for this season.

“Darren is the guy that did a lot of the stuff that people don’t see,” said Breen. “He was the guy that did all of our paperwork, he was great on stats, keeping the MaxPreps up-to-date so the kids would get recognized for what they were doing. He did a lot of the behind the scenes work and he was really good with the freshmen, as he had a really good rapport with them from teaching in the middle school and the kids really like him. He did a good job of getting the freshmen to come out and enjoy basketball. It’s unfortunate we don’t have him this year, but he will be back next year.”

Matero is excited to be part of the staff and said he is looking forward to the season. Matero coaches for the Coastal Surge club out of Thomaston, so he knows many of the kids already, plus he has been following the team for years, as his older stepson, Ryan Ecker, and now his son, Jordan, who is a senior this year, have been involved with the team for years. With the years of watching, coaching at the lower levels and with the Surge, Matero is a natural fit for Breen and the players.

Breen said having a preseason game so early was tough because you only have maybe three days with your team after tryouts, making it hard to get anything established. You don’t want to cram too much into three days with kids that have not been here before, he said.

“It’s easier with a veteran team that’s been through it and knows what you are asking,” said Breen. “On the other hand with all the question marks we have, it will be nice to see how some kids kind of fit into the puzzle.”

VARSITY GAME

The Oceanside boys varsity team hosted Presque Isle in a preseason match up that was a close game right down to the final few seconds. Nick Mazurek went 6-of-6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to give the Mariners the lead they would not surrender, and the 59-55 win.

If the Nov. 22 game is any indication, the Mariners is a team that works hard, plays aggressively, has some good ball handlers, some height and seems to play well as a team, regardless of who is on the floor.

This was not what some think a preseason game is. When Oceanside takes the floor, as did Presque Isle, it was time to lay to win — and both teams, while using the whole bench, did just that.

The Wildcats took an 18-15 first quarter lead and Oceanside bounced back for a 35-33 lead at the half. By the end of the third quarter, the Mariners built a 46-41 lead heading into the final quarter, when Mazurek’s 6-of-6 from the foul line and 4-of-4 in the final seconds gave the Mariners a four-point lead that the Wildcats could not overcome.

Scoring for the Mariners were Mazurek and Jarrod Leonardi with 15 points each; Hendrix, nine; Riley Sprague, six; Sam Atwood, four; and Eli Thorbjornson, Jimmy Strong, Zach Peaco, Walker Ranney and Griffin Lombardo, two each.

The Mariners went 10-of-14 (71 percent) from the charity stripe.

Other members of the Mariner varsity team are Zeke Hamlin, Nate Raye and Jordan Matero.

For the Wildcats, Andrew Patterson led all scorers with 22 points off seven three-pointers and a foul shot. Also scoring were Chase Norton with 10 points; Carter McLaughlin, nine; Ben Buckley, four; Griffin Gurrette and Kyle Rider, three each; and Devin Smart and Connor Murchison, two each.

The Wildcats went 5-of-10 (50 percent) from the foul line.

Other members of the Wildcat varsity are Kyle Nadeau, Cody McGlinn, Marcus Ouellette, Randon Mortland, Ryle Mortland and Adam Paterson.

The Mariners will travel to Bangor on Monday, Nov. 24 to take on John Bapst at the Cross Center at 4 p.m., and will open the regular season on the road at Mount View on Friday, Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m.

Presque Isle will open the season Saturday, Dec. 6 when they host Hermon.

Oceanside and Presque Isle do not play each other during the regular season, but have met in the playoffs a few times over the years.

Click here for a photo gallery from the varsity game.

JUNIOR VARSITY GAME
The Mariner junior varsity team, led by veteran coach Larry Reed, took on the Wildcats junior varsity team prior to the varsity game and was able to hold on for a 51-47 win.

Click here for a photo gallery from the junior varsity game.

Ron Hawkes can be reached at hawkesnews@gmail.com