HODGDON, Maine – If anyone doubted the prowess of the Southern Aroostook girls basketball team, those concerns were likely alleviated Friday evening.
Facing undefeated Hodgdon, the SA girls scored early and often, en route to a commanding 65-53 victory. The Warriors never trailed in the contest and with the victory improved to 7-1 in Class D North.
Following the loss, the Hawks’ record also stands at 7-1 in the Class C North division.
Southern Aroostook’s Cami Shields led all players with 24 points, including four baskets from behind the 3-point arc. Emmalee Landry chipped in 16 for the Warriors, while Madison Shields added 11; Hannah McGary had six; Ally Shields and Libby Anderson both had four;
(Photo courtesy of Joseph Cyr)
Hodgdon’s Anna Oliver and Aleyah Matheson had solid efforts for the Hawks as the duo both poured in 20 points. Twelve of Oliver’s 20 points came from behind the 3-point arc. Gracie Little added six for Hodgdon, while Meghan Peters added four, Tori Gilman had two and Sydney Harvey had one.
Friday’s game featured plenty of excitement, as fans started rolling in at 5:30 p.m. for the 6:30 p.m. tipoff.
Containing Hodgdon’s Oliver was the challenge of the night for the Warriors and SA coach Cliff Urquhart. The team did precisely that in the first quarter, limiting the talented junior to just six points.
“We tried our best to contain her,” Urquhart said. “You do not want to give a player of her caliber anything easy to the basket.”
Southern Aroostook jumped to a 19-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, limiting Hodgdon to just one shot opportunity by dominating with rebounds. The lead grew to 16 points in the opening minute of the second quarter and the Warriors continued to control both the offensive and defensive glass.
(Photo courtesy of Joseph Cyr)
By halftime, SA enjoyed a comfortable 33-22 lead over the Hawks, but coach Urquhart knew Hodgdon would not go quietly.
“I always say the most overrated thing [in sports] is the score at halftime,” Urquhart said. “We were up 11 at that point, but I knew Hodgdon was going to make a run. We have been in these types of games before, with Hodgdon.”
That run came in the third quarter as the Hawks offense sprang to life thanks to an 11-point explosion by Matheson. Hodgdon made baskets both from the perimeter and by converting turnovers into open layups. By the end of the quarter, the Warriors clung to a 46-42 lead.
“They [Southern Aroostook] came out ready and we were not,” Hodgdon coach Matt Day said. “But we made a few adjustments in the third. Basically, we did not have the speed and athleticism to keep up with them [SA] after we got into foul trouble.”
Hodgdon cut the lead to 46-44 in the opening moments of the final quarter, but fatigue began to be a problem for the Hawks. Three of the five starters fouled out of the contest, allowing Southern Aroostook to slowly pull away in the final four minutes of play.
“Our girls did a good job of maintaining their poise and hitting their shots down the stretch,” Urquhart said. “We still have some work to do. It’s a long season, so we can’t get too high or too low.”
The two squads combined for 13 baskets from behind the 3-point arc – seven for SA and six for Hodgdon. Southern Aroostook was exceptional from the foul line, sinking 18 of 24 shots (75 percent). The Hawks made just three of seven free throws (43 percent) on the night.
This story was updated to clarify a quote by SA Coach Cliff Urquhart.
