FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine – Kaitlyn McLaughlin shook a defender, put in the layup and drew the foul to pull the Fort Fairfield girls’ varsity basketball team within one point of the Limestone Community School/Maine School of Science and Mathematics Saturday night. However, neither team would score in the final minute to preserve the 48-47 win for the Lady Eagles.
“That final minute was pretty hectic, but that’s the way we like it,” said Fort Fairfield head coach Larry Gardner. “We had a couple of chances with Caitlyn Esancy being called for a charge and then we wanted Kerri [Cunningham] to have the ball in her hands in the final seconds, which she did but just missed the layup. We couldn’t ask for more than that.”
Despite losing their starting post players to foul trouble halfway through the third quarter, the Lady Eagles pulled ahead to a 6-point lead behind the perimeter shooting of Britany King and Lauren Redmond. However Fort Fairfield went to the post play of McLaughlin and Esancy’s three-point shooting to cut the margin back to four three minutes into the final quarter.
“We knew we had to stop Kerri Cunningham from driving through the paint because she’s lightening quick,” King said. “We also wanted to stop them from getting into the post and force the outside shots.”
Fort Fairfield, however, proved dangerous, launching the long shots and following up for the rebounds. The two teams traded baskets and then turnovers through two minutes of play before Esancy nailed a long two to pull Fort Fairfield back within four with three minutes left.
King and Esancy traded threes before both teams went on another mini scoring drought.
“We were just trying to be patient on offense,” King said. “We had to move the ball around a lot to get open and just make sure that we weren’t just launching it up there and giving the other team a chance at the rebound.”
With under a minute to go and down one point, the Lady Tigers were forced to foul, but showed that their defense was still ticking too. Cunningham and Amber Forsman picked up steals off a full-court press and Maryl Shaw pulled down an offensive rebound but the two offensive fouls erased a second-chance shot and a game-winning basket.
“Our defense was working tonight,” King said. “We had players getting help-side and we did a good job cutting off the baseline and not giving up the post … Lauren Redmond and Kylie Mulherin did excellent jobs coming in off the bench to stop their post players.”
Fort Fairfield took an early 14-7 advantage behind the post play of Cunningham, but it was the long shots that pulled Limestone/MSSM back into the game and opened up the easier shots.
“Limestone is one of the best teams we play,” Gardner said. “They have size and quickness which is a tough combination … We were able to draw some fouls which was to our advantage but they go seven or eight deep with pretty solid players.”
The Lady Eagles were led offensively by Julie Peers with 15, King with 10, Redmond with seven. Kellie Peers and King hit two three pointers each.
Fort Fairfield was led by Esancy with 15 points including two three-pointers, McLaughlin with 14 and Cunningham with 11.
Both teams pulled down 27 boards and notched seven steals.
Limestone/MSSM improves to 6-1 on the season and moves from 10th into sixth place in the Eastern Maine Class D girls’ basketball standings while Fort Fairfield falls to 5-2 and from seventh to ninth place.
The two have another go at each other in Limestone Friday at 7 p.m. Fort Fairfield is also at Hodgdon Monday at 7 p.m. and Limestone/MSSM hosts Southern Aroostook Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
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