HODGDON, Maine — A dominating fourth quarter lifted the Houlton girls basketball team to a 67-50 victory over Hodgdon Thursday evening.
The Shires (1-0) outscored Hodgdon 24-12 over the final eight minutes of action to break open what had otherwise been a closely contested game.
“Basically we took our two quickest defenders [Emma Ardell and Samantha Johnson] and put them on [Sabra] Scott and [Marissa] Dow who were their primary scorers,” Houlton coach Shawn Graham said. “We were able to force multiple turnovers with those match-ups which led to a lot of easy transition baskets.”
Graham added the Shires switched their offense and went strictly to a “dribble drive” method of attacking the rim. “We felt we had an advantage with our quicker ball handlers figuring they would have trouble staying with us off the dribble and getting to the rim,” he said. “When Hodgdon used helpside [defense] on our drives, we hit the bounce pass on the weak side for lay-ups a number of times. I think we shot the ball much better in the second half.”
Drew Warman led the team with 22 points, including three baskets from behind the 3-point arc. Olivia Henderson chipped in 16 points, while Sam Johnson added 12, including eight points in the team’s fourth quarter burst. Mia Henderson added seven points.
For Hodgdon, Marissa Dow and Sabra Scott each scored 13 points, while Kylee Mooers added 12.
Hodgdon opened the game strongly, outscoring the Shires 14-9 in the first eight minutes of play thanks to a balanced scoring attack. The Hawks also did a nice job handling Houlton’s trapping defense.
The two teams were knotted at 28-28 at the halftime break, while Houlton pulled out to a 43-38 lead after three periods.
The Shires were a solid 7-of-8 from the free throw line, while Hodgdon made six of nine foul shots.
Soaring to the rim is Houlton’s Samantha Johnson during a Thursday night girls basketball game in Hodgdon. Defending is Hodgdon’s Marissa Dow. Houlton won 67-50. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Houlton’s Mia Henderson, right, puts up a left-handed shot over the outstretched arms of Hodgdon’s Emma Drew during a girls basketball game in Hodgdon. Houlton won 67-50. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
