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| Staff Photo/Joseph Cyr IN TRAFFIC — Nicole Giberson of the Tigers tries to get a shot up over Machias’ Tate Dolley in Monday’s tournament contest. |
By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
BANGOR — Overcoming a sluggish start is never a good way to begin a playoff game. The Fort Fairfield girls found this out firsthand Monday afternoon in their quarterfinal matchup with Machias.
No. 4 Fort Fairfield fell to No. 5 Machias, 53-49, at the Bangor Auditorium. The Tigers finish with a 15-5 overall record.
The Tigers were outscored 20-11 in the first quarter and despite their best efforts to get back in the game, the team was never able to recover.
Sydney Churchill led the Tigers with 27 points, five rebounds and three steals. Taylor Churchill chipped in seven points, five rebounds and a steal, while Logan Bubar and Nicole Giberson had six points each.
For the Bulldogs (15-4), Kate Whitney had 20 points, while Rebecca Lee added 11 and Tate Dolley 10.
“I thought we were pretty evenly matched,” Fort Fairfield coach Larry Gardner said. “We dug ourselves a pretty big hole in that first quarter and it was hard to come back from that. You can’t give up 20 points like that, but to the girls’ credit, they fought hard and got us back in the game by halftime.”
At the break, the Tigers trailed 24-21.
In the third period, Fort Fairfield continued to fight its way back into the game, taking the lead on consecutive layups by Bubar. Machias remained undaunted and continued to trade baskets with Fort Fairfield for the remainder of the period to take a 38-35 lead into the final frame.
Machias did a great deal of damage from the free throw line as the team converted 19 of 32 foul shots (59 percent), while Fort Fairfield only went to the line seven times, making three free throws (43 percent).
“Their (Machias’) foul shooting was unbelievable,” coach Gardner said. “But that is what it is. I am proud of these kids, they worked hard and they have nothing to hang their heads about.”
Gardiner added the team will return many of its players next season, but will lose its top scorer Sydney Churchill, as well as Rebekah Pelkey to graduation.
“It was nice for us to be able to get here for the final year (of the Bangor Auditorum),” Gardner said.
