Lady Hawks showing their potential

    The Hodgdon Lady Hawks showed their potential in their last two outings, as they defeated Greater Houlton Christian Academy and nearly upset Houlton in back-to-back games.
    The Lady Hawks toppled GHCA, 45-28, and lost to Houlton, 56-47.
    “I thought we played pretty well,” said Houlton coach Shawn Graham. “Hats off to Hodgdon for a great performance in a rivalry game. They knocked down some big shots, including seven 3-pointers and played with a lot of energy. Most of the shots were contested on our part and therefore you have to give them credit.”
ONE-HANDER – GHCA’s Selena Michaud shoots up a baseline one-hander over Hodgdon’s Jillian London, while Hodgdon’s Chelsea Sloat watches from the background. The Lady Hawks stayed within range against Houlton, losing  56-47, and defeated GHCA, 45-28.
    Last Thursday, the Lady Hawks played right with Houlton, as the score was tied 13-all after the first before Houlton took a slim 23-21 halftime advantage.
    “The only difference in the game was the third quarter,” said Graham. “We were able to execute a little better on our end outscoring them 16-9. Other than that, it was an even game for three quarters.”
    In the third, Houlton’s Vanessa Sanderson broke free for a layup to push Houlton’s lead to 25-21. Then, Tori Hanson cut through the middle and Amanda Fogarty hit a shot to extend the score, 29-21 with 5:13 left in the period.
    Houlton pressed Hodgdon, and on the ensuing play Sanderson went through the middle for a basket, giving the Lady Shires a 10-point advantage, 31-21.
    “The third quarter has been the worst for us all year,” said Hodgdon coach Vaughn Farrar. “But, we made a comeback in the fourth.”
    Behind Jillian London’s hoop off an out-of-bounds play, followed by Brittany Davies’ 3-pointer and Chelsea Sloat’s basket, the Lady Hawks cut the lead to three points, 31-28 with under two minutes to play in the third.
    The Lady Shires didn’t panic. Martha McPartland hit a free throw then Fogarty followed her own miss for the putback and Sanderson finished the quarter on back-to-back layups to give Houlton a 39-28 third-period lead.
    Trailing 45-33, the Lady Hawks weren’t going away, as they showed their mettle. Sloat hit from behind the arc then Quint scored from the left elbow and Davies hit another 3-pointer to close the gap, 47-41 with four minutes left.
    After a Houlton turnover, Hodgdon’s Sloat hit from the corner to bring the score to 47-43. But, Sanderson hit both ends of a 1-and-1 and then made a layup to push Houlton’s lead to 51-43 with 1:30 left.
    Hodgdon’s Davies missed a 3-pointer, but Cierra Willette scored on a layup to keep it close, 51-45. Houltons’ Fogarty made two free throws and then a missed 3-pointer by Sloat, set up the finale, as McPartland made an old-fashioned three-point play, a layup and free throw to ice the win.
    “I knew they were ready when they came from the locker room,” said Farrar. “They had intensity and they were focused. They came out hitting like I had never seen. It was fun. I was pleased with our effort. The girls never gave up.”
    Davies led Hodgdon with 17 points, while Sloat tossed in 16 and London brought down 12 rebounds.
REBOUND – GHCA’s Emily Little fights for a rebound againt Hodgdon’s Chelsea Sloat in last Friday’s game against Hodgdon. In on the action were Hodgdon players Jillian London, No. 30 and Brittany Davies.
    Sanderson led all scorers with 28 points, while McPartland netted 13 more.
    Against GHCA on Friday night, the game was close through the first half, with GHCA leading 8-5 after the first before Hodgdon took a 20-16 halftime advantage. In the third, the Lady Hawks gave themselves breathing room, 29-20, as they pulled away in the final period, outscoring GHCA, 16-8, to pick up the 45-28 win.
    Sloat keyed Hodgdon with 13 points, while London added nine points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Davies hauled down nine rebounds and scored five points.
    For GHCA, Mariah Wiley scored nine points and McKenzie McGuire added four.
    Last Tuesday, the Lady Hawks lost to visiting Fort Fairfield, 48-36.
    After starting the game tied, 12-all, Fort Fairfield outscored Hodgdon, 14-6 in the second for a 26-18 halftime cushion. After the third, the Tigers broke the game open, 38-25.
    Sloat scored 14 points, while Willette netted 10 points for Hodgdon. London also grabbed 12 rebounds for the Lady Hawks.
    On Monday, Hodgdon edged Limestone/MSSM 34-31.
    The Lady Hawks turned a 7-3 deficit into a 16-12 halftime lead and then extended it over three, 29-17 en route to the win.
    Davies scored seven points for Hodgdon, while London added six and Willette, Quint and Emmaly Jurson all had four points.
    The Lady Hawks have responded to Farrar’s system and they are playing well.
    “It took longer than I expected,” he said. “But, in the last few games, it has been effort and intensity.”
    The Lady Hawks finish the season with Katahdin and Houlton.
     “We have changed the tide. You can see it in the girls’ faces,” said Farrar. “Something is happening here and we are all together. We are just thinking of ending with a good effort. This is a new coach, a brand new system and we are going to bring it to the table until the end.”