HODGDON, Maine — A strong second half surge carried the Hodgdon girls to a 40-29 victory over Katahdin Wednesday evening.
The Hawks (8-4) outscored visiting Katahdin 20-15 in the second half, including a solid 8-of-12 shooting from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, to preserve the victory.
Izzy Brownlee, center, of Katahdin puts up a shot while surrounded by Hodgdon defenders Autumn Ganzel, left, Lauren McGillicuddy, behind, and Sabra Scott during a Jan. 15 basketball game in Hodgdon. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
“The girls did a great job from the line tonight,” Hodgdon coach Wendell Harvey said. “We made our foul shots when we needed to and that was the difference in tonight’s game.”
For the evening, Hodgdon converted 15 out of 23 free throws (65 percent), while Katahdin made just 4 of 16 foul shots (25 percent).
Kylee Mooers led Hodgdon with 13 points, while Sabra Scott added 11, Emma Drew six, Lauren McGillicuddy and Autumn Ganzel both had four, and Marissa Dow chipped in two.
For Katahdin, Emily Beyer had nine points, Maizy Cullen added five, Lily Cullen, Izzy Brownlee and Makayla Hartsgrove each had four and Dee Libby added three.
Katahdin coach Shaun McAvoy attributed Hodgdon’s poise under the face of pressure, particularly late in the game when his team tried pressing more defensively, as another factor in the game.
McAvoy added that, despite the loss, he likes how things are looking for his squad in the postseason. The Cougars (6-3) were ranked third in Class D North following the loss to Hodgdon. The team’s only other losses were to Southern Aroostook and Fort Fairfield.
“I think we have a good shot at staying as the No. 3 seed,” McAvoy said. “We would get a first-round bye and go straight to Bangor.”
