HOULTON, Maine – There was an “x” component in last Saturday night’s Eastern Maine Class D quarterfinal game between Southern Aroostook and Washburn at the Bangor Auditorium.
The squads had met on the regular season twice, with SACS sweeping the series. But, it was Washburn’s 6-3 sophomore center Rachel Palmer who helped to oust No. 10 SACS from the tournament, 43-32.
“The first game was the first game of the season,” said Washburn head coach Ron Ericson. “”We lost by three or four and we just didn’t play very well. The second time, we just gave them too many open looks.”
Palmer’s interior presence was a huge lift for the Beavers. Palmer’s stature had the Lady Warriors changing their shots and getting just one chance each time down the floor, as she pulled down 11 rebounds, blocked four shots and tossed in 15 points.
“Rachel’s been getting better and better all season long,” Ericson said. “Amy Reed has given us a big boost and the three juniors have been tough. We get good minutes from Samantha Cochran and Paige Huston too. We use a lot of players and they play well.”
Washburn out rebounded SACS 39-20.
The Lady Warriors scored the first five points of the game behind Kaylea Collier’s 3-pointer and right baseline shot. Then the Beavers ignited for a 15-4 run, as Kelsee McLaughlin knotted the game at 5-all on a drive to the basket, and Palmer hit from the lane to give Washburn a lead that they wouldn’t lose.
The No. 2 Beavers will face the No. 3 Greater Houlton Christian Academy Lady Eagles in tomorrow’s 2:05 p.m. Class D semifinal. The Lady Eagles were 38-33 winners over Ashland in the first game of the evening session on Saturday night.
“Again, it’s going to be the boards,” Ericson said. “The first time we played, they pressed us full court all the time and we handled that and scored. The second time they played zone against us which slowed the game down a bit and they didn’t miss from the free throw line. We’re going to have to play good defense and hope to get them in foul trouble.”
The Lady Warriors chiseled away at Washburn’s lead in the second, coming to within four points (20-16) when freshman Lauren McGary had an offensive putback with 1:58 left to intermission. SACS went on the scoring spurt while post players, Shana Martin and Erin Caswell, both watched from the sidelines, as they were hampered with three personal fouls apiece.
Washburn’s McLaughlin sparked her team’s momentum, finishing the last 29.5 seconds before the half with the last two baskets. She picked up a loose ball and drove through the lane, and then she stole the ball, raced the length of the court, and beat the buzzer to give her team a 24-16 lead.
“I think they were expecting an outside game from us,” said junior forward Erica McDougal. “We’ve been stepping that up this season and I think that helped us to get it inside, which is how we won.”
The game didn’t get any better for SACS, as Martin picked up her fourth personal just over a minute into the third and Kaylea Collier, the floor general, was issued her third with 5:13 left in the quarter.
The Beavers hit a scoring spurt of 10-3 to take a 34-21 lead with three minutes to go in the third after a daggering Alex Bird 3-pointer. The Beavers extended their lead to their largest spread, 42-25, when Palmer hit an off balance shot after being nudged out of position and then she had back-to-back offensive put backs. Bird capped the run with two fast break layups.
To open the final period, SACS went on a 7-0 run taking advantage of Washburn’s lack of execution on a deliberate halfcourt set. But, the drive was a little too late, as seniors Martin and Collier both fouled out of the game to end their careers at Southern Aroostook Community School, and SACS couldn’t generate enough off offense to overcome the deficit in such a short time span.
“We weren’t really focusing on anyone defensively,” McDougal said. “We were just trying to step out on everybody and make sure nobody really got off a good shot.”
Collier led SACS with nine points, including the first five points to open the game, Goodall tossed in six points. Caswell and Amanda Charette each had five points.
For Washburn, Bird tossed in 12 and McLaughlin 10 more for the winners.
