C North girls quarterfinal recap pt.2
Mattanawcook v Machias
The 4th place Mattanawcook Lynxes defeated the 5th place Machias Bulldogs SCORE Tuesday evening in a Class C girls quarterfinal game.
The Lynxes have a record of 15-3 with their last loss being to Penobscot Valley by just five points. The Bulldogs, with a record of 17-1, lost their only game by 13 points, but dominated the rest.
Mattanawcook is able to drain clutch shots under pressure in times of need to keep up with their opponents. Machias focuses on set plays, freeing up their guards and crashing the board aggressively to get those second and third chances.
The Lynxes started off very strong this game with several contributors in the first half. Addison Cyr, a Sophomore forward, was fouled on her post move in the first minute of the game, giving Mattanawcook a 4-2 lead. Along with Cyr, Junior forward, Lily Wotton, dominated the paint. She had a putback from her teammates missed-layup and just seconds later blocked a Tiger’s shot attempt.
Machias managed to stay with their opponents despite their lack of post-prominence. Cassandra Dahl, a Junior center, kicked the ball out to Justina Smith, a Freshman guard, for a shot. Smith hit the three-pointer with one minute left in the quarter cutting the Bulldog’s deficit 13-9. Mattanawcook took the lead 15-11 heading into the second quarter.
The Lynxes sported an effective trapping-defense that agitated the Bulldogs forcing many turnovers in the first half; which granted them a lot of fast-break opportunities. Wotton connected with Sophomore guard Juliana Cloukey on an outlet from the opposite foul line for a wide open layup.
Sixty seconds later at the four minute mark, Laylah Wright, a Junior forward for Machias, made an intuitive play. The ball entered deep from the sideline, near the corner. Wright, with no open options, flew past her defenders for a quick layup making the score 22-19. However, the Lynxes did not let up and kept retrieving o-board rebounds. Mattanawcook led 33-24 at half.
As the Lynxes produced more steals from their exhausting defense they progressively fine-tuned their fast break. Cyr pushed the ball to Sophomore guard, Meghan House, who bounce-passed it from half to Wotton for an easy deuce early in the half.
Skyler Tinker, a Senior guard for the Bulldogs, drove multiple times through the key scoring in whatever gaps she could find. These efforts guided her to the foul line often in the second half. On defense, Machias stuck double teams on Cyr and Wotton in the post in hopes of ending their reign.
Nonetheless, Cyr became an unstoppable force as the lead scorer of the game with 28 points. With that, Mattanawcook took the dub 70-40.
Dexter v Mount View
The 1st place Dexter Tigers defeated the 8th place Mount View Mustangs 43-20.
Dexter has managed to keep an impressive record of 17 wins and 1 loss to Mattanawcook early in their season. Mount View has a record of 13-5 and won their most recent game by 40 points which is sure to give them some confidence.
The Tigers capitalize on their height on both ends of the court, making sure to secure rebounds and get easy baskets. The Mustangs run a fast motion offense, passing the ball from side to side looking for open players.
Dexter slung the ball to Senior forward, Mazie Peach, the whole game. Which worked to their advantage as they outscored their opponents by 22 points in the first half. But, Peach wasn’t the only one who aided this win. Three minutes into the game Hannah Dean, a Senior forward, secured an offensive rebound and was fouled on her putback. Dean cashed both free throws to take a 4-0 lead.
Due to the Tiger’s powerful offense and scrappy steals, the Mustangs were silent this quarter scoring zero points. Though, they had many good looks at the basket but the ball would not fall. So, Dexter took the lead 12-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Arianna Bradeen, a Junior guard, was the first player to put points on the scoreboard for Mount View. She received a pass on the block, faced up to the hoop and was fouled by Peach. Bradeen made one of her free throws making the score 14-1.
Dean continued to work hard for the Tigers when Peach didn’t have the ball in her hands. With four minutes left in the half Junior guard, Abilene Corson, fed Dean on the block where she made a short jumper and was fouled, converting the three point play. Dexter’s defense was relentless this whole game, which let them lead at halftime 23-1.
The Mustangs got more comfortable on the court after leaving the locker room. Lily Parson, a Sophomore guard, hit two three-pointers in the third quarter cutting their deficit 28-12. While teammate Savannah Lorenz, a Junior forward, showed up with her layups.
But, Dexter didn’t let their opponents stride get in their way. Three players for the Tigers ended up scoring in double digits this game. Ultimately leading to their win with a final score of 43-20.
PREVIEW: Mattanawcook v Dexter
Mattanawcook will face Dexter on Thursday, February 22nd at 8:30 in Bangor for the Class C semifinals game.
These teams have quite the history this season. On December 27th the Tigers lost to the Lynxes by one point. The score of that game was 39-38, which is uncharacteristic for both team’s highly-abundant offenses. Then, on January 22nd, Dexter took the win at home by five points.
This matchup will be a classic battle of the bigs with Peach on the inside for Dexter and Cyr for Mattanawcook. These teams have similar play by working it in and out of the post and crashing the board for offensive rebounds. Impressively, Peach and Cyr also serve as shot blockers and rebounders for their teams.
A high basketball IQ is prevalent whenever these teams compete, making this game an elite competition of who can turn the ball over the least.
Both teams have tremendous defense, but with their own twist. The Lynxes use a trapping-zone defense where they wait for the ball to breach the halfcourt line, then jump on the ball, spooking their opponents. Whereas the Tigers formation is more fluid. Dexter will attack the ball at any time and any place on the court to regain possession, denying their opponents of setting up a formed defense.
