BANGOR, Maine — Mackenzie Worcester and her Washburn High School teammates knew they faced a quality opponent in a tall, athletic Penobscot Valley High School team in Monday night’s Eastern Maine Class D basketball quarterfinal at the Cross Insurance Center.
But the top-seeded Beavers, who are the four-time defending state champs, received 31 points from Worcester and used their trademark swarming, trapping defense and quickness to post a 61-36 victory over the ninth-seeded Howlers.
The 19-0 Beavers face No. 5 Machias (15-5) in Thursday’s 3:35 semifinal.
“It’s intimidating how fast they are,” said Penobscot Valley junior center Sami Ireland, who paced the Howlers (12-8) with 14 points and nine rebounds. “They’re everywhere, their hands are everywhere. They take the ball from you so fast. You can’t keep up with them.
“They’re definitely the best team we’ve played this year,” Ireland added.
“It was definitely a team effort,” the dynamic senior guard Worcester said. “We like to push the ball up the court and make the other team tired.
“They’re one of the toughest teams in the tournament. They have a lot of height, they’re good inside and they also have a couple of good shooters. We played one of our best games of the year,” Worcester added.
The 5-foot-5 Worcester not only poured in 31 points, she also had eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
“She’s a balanced scorer who knows what to do with the ball. They’re a great team,” Penobscot Valley head coach Joe Cyr said.
Speedy junior guard Laina Mette, who missed last season with a knee injury, contributed 13 points, six steals and two assists for Washburn and senior guard Joan Overman had 11 points, five rebounds and four steals. Emmy Churchill grabbed six rebounds.
Mikayla Roy complemented Ireland with eight points and six rebounds for the Howlers, who don’t have a senior on their roster. Amy Hallett chipped in with seven points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals.
The Beavers, who forced numerous turnovers and held their own on the boards against the Howlers, outscored Penobscot Valley 20-10 to close out the first half and take a 35-19 lead into the intermission.
They built the lead to 41-21 in the third period before Hallett and Roy combined for nine points in a 9-2 spurt to close out the quarter.
But Worcester took the game over to open the fourth quarter and nailed six straight free throws before feeding Mette for a short jumper to expand the lead to 51-30.
“We played really well as a team. Defense was the key. We were quick tonight,” said Mette, who admitted she was nervous playing in her first tournament game in two years.
“I came out hard, ran fast and played with confidence,” Mette said.
