C North girls quarterfinal recap
PVHS v Hodgdon
The 3rd place Penobscot Valley Howlers beat the 6th place Hodgdon Hawks 63-30 on Monday evening in Class C North quarterfinals.
The Hawks have a record of 14-4 while the Howlers have a record of 16-2. Hodgdon has won a majority of their games well over 20 points this season, showing their stamina on the court. PVHS follows a similar trend of wiping out their opponents by large numbers.
PVHS has a lot of players that contribute to the scoreboard. They can play in and out of the paint, scoring three-pointers along the way. Hodgdon’s offense isn’t as formed as their opponents, but their scrappy defense provides them with a lot of scoring opportunities.
The Hawks gained a quick lead in the first quarter due to Senior guards Meghan Peters and Aleyah Matheson. Matheson made a bonus free throw and Peters a layup in the first two minutes of the game.
The Howler’s usual star, Junior guard Ellie Austin, struggled with getting the ball in the basket this half. Luckily, Freshman teammate Brooklyn Raymond picked up her slack. Raymond was the top scorer of the game with 18 points, all in threes. With PVHS sticking their shots, they got ahead 19-10 going into the second quarter.
A minute into the second quarter, Ava Ezell, a Hawk Freshman guard, made a jumper through contact cutting their deficit 19-12. Raymond stuck three triples in a row at the seven minute mark, propelling the Howlers far ahead of their competition. With a minute left in the first half PVHS had a lead of 36-14. Matheson made a layup with five seconds left to give her team a boost. However, PVHS led 37-16 at half.
The prominence of Raymond and Austin allowed for Sophomore guard, Rylee Moutlon, to get some action. With five minutes to go in the third she scored a layup over two defenders. She advanced the Howler’s lead 42-16. This caused the Hawks to gain quite the deficit.
But, in the face of loss Hodgdon converted some beautiful plays. Peters fed the ball from the baseline three to Victoria Gilman, a Senior forward for two.
Ultimately, PVHS secured the win by pushing the ball and playing aggressive defense to close out the game.
Fort Kent v Bucksport
The 3rd place Fort Kent Warriors defeated the 10th place Bucksport Golden Bucks 42-32.
With a record of 14-4, the Warriors have won their last seven games, giving them some confidence going into this game. Their opponents, with a record of 11-7, have held their own all season with close losses and wins.
Bucksport works hard on the offensive boards to get second chances, these allow for their guards to capitalize on the open outside shots. Fort Kent thrives on the foul shots they’re awarded from their aggressive driving centered offense.
Lily Oliver, a Junior forward, dumped the ball to teammate Hannah Lovely, a Senior guard. Lovely made the bucket for the first points of the game. On defense, Fort Kent sported a 1-3-1 full court press to rattle Bucksport. This allowed the Warriors to get a 7-0 lead five minutes into the first quarter.
Once Bucksport scored their first basket, it wasn’t long until they found their stride. With two minutes left in the first, Makayla Miller, a Junior guard, stuck a triple from the corner; cutting the Buck’s deficit 8-5. But, the Warrior’s profitable press caused many turnovers for their opponents. Fort Kent led 10-5 heading into the second quarter.
Jetta Shook, a Junior guard, was fouled on her shot with five minutes left in the half. She swished both free throws to cut Bucksport’s deficit 10-7. The Bucks understood the Warrior’s repetitive offense as the half went on. They were able to stick with them as Shook and her teammates pushed the ball quickly up the court.
This allowed for open shots. Kaitlyn Flannery, a Junior guard, drained a three with three minutes left in the half to get within two. A minute later, the Bucks were down by a basket due to Oliver and Junior guard, Lily Werntgen scoring for the Warriors. As things started to look down for Bucksport, Sam Cyr, a Senior guard, made a three with seconds left in the half. The Bucks outscored the Warriors 13-7 this quarter. They also took the lead 18-17 at the half.
A minute into the second half, Oliver connected with Mia Voisine, a Senior guard, for two. This gave Fort Kent the energy they needed to overtake their opponents led by Oliver’s persistent scoring in the paint. The Warrior’s worked hard to waredown the Buck’s, proving that their stamina was superior.
Fort Kent got in foul trouble in the last couple of minutes of the third quarter, letting Bucksport exploit their mistakes. Sophomore forward, Addison Goss, cashed two bonus free throws to cut the Warrior’s lead 31-27. But, it wasn’t enough as Fort Kent led 36-27 going into the final quarter.
Down 38-29, Cyr provided a much needed breath of relief for the Bucks. She drained a three at the top of the arch to get her team’s spirit up. However, Fort Kent rallied behind Oliver’s impressive scoring and defeated the Buck’s 42-32.
PREVIEW: PVHS v Fort Kent
The Penobscot Valley Howlers will face the Fort Kent Warriors in the semifinals on Thursday, February 22nd at 7:00 p.m. in Bangor.
Both of these teams are similar in play; they rely on a strong post player to clean up the rebounds and make strong moves while their guards wait on the outside for wide-open threes. This matchup could purely come down to whose shots are falling that day.
The Howlers have several players to keep an eye on. Austin, Raymond and Lila Cummings, a Sophomore forward, are just a few of them. Raymond drains her shots consistently, while Austin provides a steady income of passes from the point position.
Fort Kent focuses on their zone defense as the core of their game, permitting them to work faster on offense. Oliver is the top producer for this team with her confident post moves and short-jumpers.
