BANGOR, Maine — The ending may not have been pretty, but the outcome sure was desirable.
The No. 5 Houlton girls scored just three points in the fourth quarter, but had built a big enough lead earlier in the game that the Shires were able to hang on for a dramatic 38-36 upset victory over No. 4 Dexter Feb. 18 in an Eastern Class C quarterfinal at the Cross Insurance Center.
Dexter ended its season with a 14-6 record.
Natalie Hill (a 5-foot, 6-inch sophomore guard) led Houlton with 15 points, 10 of which came in the third quarter. Katie Condon (a 5-7 sophomore guard) chipped in 11 points, despite struggling with foul trouble in the second half of the game.
Abbie Melvin led Dexter with 10 points, while Tasha Pratt added nine.
It was Pratt who cut the lead to 38-36 with 3:09 to play. Neither team was able to score in the final three minutes. Houlton showed good ball movement in the final two minutes, working the ball around the perimeter to force Dexter to commit the foul.
“We were playing not to lose at that point,” Houlton coach Shawn Graham said.
Breanna Longstaff was sent to the line with just under 30 seconds to play, but missed her free throw, giving Dexter one more chance to tie or win. The Tigers called a timeout with 9.7 seconds remaining to set up one final play.
