BANGOR, Maine — The Presque Isle and Hermon girls basketball teams played two close, competitive games during the regular season, leading many to expect more of the same when the two squads met in Saturday morning’s Class B quarterfinal.
Hermon, however, had other ideas as the No. 2 Hawks soared to a 67-32 victory over No. 7 Presque Isle. The Hawks controlled the low post on both ends of the floor, using their superior height to limit the number of Presque Isle shot attempts.
[Check out the latest B North girls tourney bracket here]
Hermon’s Caitlyn Tracy, a 5-foot, 10-inch senior center, dominated offensively, scoring time and again from the baseline, en route to a 32-point performance to lead all players. Grace Page added 12 points and Paige Plissey chipped in 10.
The Hawks advance to Wednesday’s 7:05 p.m. semifinal contest against No. 3 Waterville (19-0), who narrowly beat No. 11 John Bapst 44-38 Friday evening.
In Saturday morning’s contest with Presque Isle, Tracy got off to a hot start, pouring in eight points in the opening frame, using her superior height advantage to repeatedly convert from the low post, helping the Hawks to a 17-7 lead.
“We knew this was going to be a tough matchup,” Presque Isle coach Jeff Hudson said. “(Caitlyn) Tracy and (Maddie) Curtis are two of the best in our league.”
That lead grew in the second quarter as the Hawks went on a 17-2 run at one point, and seized a 36-14 lead by the half. Presque Isle never recovered as the team was limited to many single shot opportunities.
For the Wildcats, it marks the first time the team has not advanced to the semifinals for at least the past eight years. Presque Isle won the Class B title in 2012 and 2013. Last year, the squad fell in the regional championship.
Madison Michaud led Presque Isle with 13 points, while Faith Sjoberg added eight.
