HODGDON, Maine — At long last, victory has come for the Hodgdon girls basketball team.
Hodgdon (1-6) overcame a 12-0 deficit Saturday morning to beat visiting Easton 41-40, and in the process snap a 42-game losing streak dating back to the 2013-14 season.
“The process hasn’t been easy, but I have a lot of respect for the team,” Hodgdon coach Taylor-Jo Quint said. “This team is special and has the camaraderie and trust a lot of teams don’t have, but this year we made a commitment to become a ‘basketball’ team!”
Sophomore Sydney Howell tallied 15 points and 10 rebounds to help the Hawks past Easton (3-4). Junior Taylor Desrosiers contributed four assists and three steals for the Hawks.
Elise Allen paced Easton with a game-high 16 points and Isabelle Morin added nine.
“Going into this game we stopped and talked about the opportunity we have to play this game and how we don’t want to take it for granted. Addie has been a huge inspiration and motivation for us this year and I think we are so quick to come into the gym everyday and not think anything of it. I don’t think we had gotten to the point of embracing each moment until this week and it showed in the heart and intention of the girls on the court this game,” Quint said.
Easton led 12-8 in the first quarter, but the Hawks soared to a 24-20 halftime lead and led 30-28 after three periods.
Leading by 41-40 with 45 seconds to go, Hawk Kora Lambert came up with the biggest rebound of the game on an Easton missed shot. Coach Quint quickly called a time out to set up a play and calm the nerves of her young squad.
“We were able to break the press, avoid traps and avoid being fouled (to stop the clock),” Quint said. “Then Taylor (Desrosiers) dribbled through the defenders for the remaining seconds.”
Getting that first taste of victory was especially sweet for the Hawks.
“It made all of the tears, heartache, commitment, and sacrifice worth it and to have the team persevere and continue to seek growth for two winless seasons,” Quint said. “This reminded them why they do it.”
Following the victory, the team was able to do a video chat with fallen Hawk Addie Woods, who was diagnosed with leukemia before the start of the season.
“The best feeling was getting to FaceTime Addie in the locker room as the Lady Hawks were finally ‘welcomed to the dance,’” Quint said. “So we danced together. But this is just the start.”
The Hawks have experienced their fair share of disappointment on the court, including a one-point loss at the buzzer to East Grand. But through the adversity the team has gained strength from its struggles.
“We didn’t want to question the ‘what-ifs,’ but rather wanted to stay composed, compete and leave it all out on the court,” the coach said. “We believe that if we take care of the defensive game our offense will feed off of that.”
The victory was even more impressive considering many of the varsity players had just completed a junior varsity game against the Bears. In that game, Hodgdon won 30-16.
“Of course we are celebrating this win, but we have a lot of work to do still and we aren’t satisfied,” coach Quint said. “We know now what it takes to win and will look to build on that in the gym. We have always believed in who we are as a team. Now it’s starting to show.”
