DANFORTH, Maine — The East Grand girls basketball team is heading to Bangor following Monday night’s 49-15 victory over Van Buren in a Class D North preliminary playoff.
With Monday’s victory, the No. 6 Vikings (11-7 overall) will advance to the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, where they will face the winner of No. 3 Machias (12-4) vs. No. 14 Bangor Christian (0-16). East Grand did not face either squad during the regular season.
No. 11 Van Buren ends its season with a 2-13 overall record.
Monday’s game marked the first time in seven years that the East Grand girls hosted a playoff game in Danforth and also earned a spot in Bangor. That 2015 team beat Stearns 48-42 in the prelims, but then fell to Fort Fairfield 54-29 in the quarterfinals.
Phoebe Foss led the way for the Vikings Monday with 22 points, followed by Isabella Cowger and Victoria Gilman, both with eight. Madeline Cowger added five and Emma Davis, Jayden Williams and Mariyah Castigliego each had two.
For Van Buren, Kylie LaPlante had seven points, while Abbie Cormier added four, Renee LaPointe had three and Kayden Bouchard one.
Both squads were tentative in the opening minutes, with neither able to sink a basket through the first three minutes of play. But once East Grand started scoring, the points came quickly as the team went on a 17-0 run to close out the first quarter.
The Crusaders finally got on the scoreboard in the second quarter, but were unable to cut into East Grand’s lead. East Grand took a 33-5 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Vikings looked to their bench often in the second half, giving players valuable experience on the floor. After three quarters, the Vikings’ lead had grown to 44-9.
East Grand’s victory over Van Buren was even more impressive considering the team was without its head coach, Matt Day. A member of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Day was deployed to Texas and will be unavailable for the team’s postseason.
Assistant Coach Angela Cowger stepped in to guide the Vikings and was impressed by her team’s defensive effort. Many of East Grand’s points came thanks to its defensive pressure, which forced multiple turnovers leading to easy layups.
“We were focusing on strong defense and having less turnovers,” the coach said. “We have three juniors, but are fairly inexperienced as we had no season last year.”
Those three juniors — Foss, Davis and Madeline Cowger — have played together since fourth grade and been able to build a solid chemistry on the court.
Van Buren Coach Brian Massey said he was proud of his squad’s resilience in what has been a difficult season. Van Buren missed the entire first month of the basketball season as the school was operating in a remote learning model.
The Crusaders also fielded a team of just seven players, which made practices difficult.
“It was always one of those things that we knew at least three of our girls were going to have to play 32 minutes every game,” Massey said. “Those girls never once complained to me or asked to come out. These girls had a lot of heart and are really something special. I could not be more proud of them.”
DANFORTH, Maine — February 14, 2022 — Phoebe Foss (right) of East Grand looks for a way around Van Buren defender Audrey Caron during Monday’s Class D North preliminary playoff. Foss scored 22 points to lead the Vikings to a 49-15 win over Van Buren. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
DANFORTH, Maine — February 14, 2022 — East Grand’s Victoria Gilman (left) plays tight defense on Van Buren’s Renee Lapointe during Monday night’s Class D North prelim contest. East Grand rolled to a 49–15 victory. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
DANFORTH, Maine — February 14, 2022 — Van Buren’s Abbie Cormier (50) prepares for the opening tip alongside East Grand’s Victoria Gilman during a Feb. 14 preliminary playoff. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
DANFORTH, Maine — February 14, 2022 — Van Buren Coach Brian Massey gives his team instructions during a break in the action Feb. 14 in a preliminary playoff game against East Grand in Danforth. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
DANFORTH, Maine — February 14, 2022 — Van Buren’s Mallory Beaulieu passes the ball while being closely guarded by East Grand’s Emma Davis during a Feb. 14 preliminary playoff. East Grand won 49-15. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
