BANGOR – All basketball players have a role on a given team. Some handle the basketball. Some are shooters. Some guard the opposition’s best player. Some do a little of everything.

Woodland’s Kristina Huwa? Her job is to swat, reject, grab and gather. Forget offense – rebounds and blocks are where it’s at for the 5-foot-10 senior.

Huwa’s defense, along with four players who scored in double figures, powered No. 1 Woodland to a 76-32 victory over No. 4 Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook in Thursday night’s Eastern Maine Class D semifinal at the Bangor Auditorium.

The Dragons’ win sets up a meeting with their Down East Athletic Conference rival Shead of Eastport, the winner of Thursday afternoon’s semifinal, for the regional title Saturday at 9:05 a.m.

Woodland, now 17-3, has beaten Shead twice this season, but the Dragons haven’t won an Eastern Maine title in three tries in the past three years.

“We’re ready for this game and we’re definitely pumped,” said Ashley Marble, who scored 14 of her 22 points in the second quarter. “There’s no way we’re going to lose this a third time.”

Marble’s scoring put the game out of reach but Huwa electrified the crowd with her rebounds and blocks – all 20 and eight of them, respectively.

Huwa might easily have had a unique double-double, but she left the game with 5:49 left in the fourth quarter and a 59-24 lead.

“Oooh, that’s good!” Huwa said when informed of her stats. “Tonight I was really rebounding good. Usually I’m known for blocking once in a while, but my rebounds were really good today. I surprised myself.”

Jessica Noyes and Julia Knights added 13 points apiece, while freshman guard Kaitlyn Leeman chipped in with 10 points.

Southern Aroostook (14-6) actually led early in the first quarter after coming back from a 6-1 Woodland lead. Rhonda Chambers scored a fast-break basket off a pass from Nicki Lyons, Lyons hit two free throws and Kristi Brooker (11 points) put in a Lyons pass for a 7-6 advantage.

But the Warrior run ended there. Noyes connected on a 3-pointer and Leeman hit a jump shot for a 13-7 first-quarter lead.

Woodland outscored Southern Aroostook 20-9 in the second quarter and 20-4 in the third. Huwa had 13 rebounds and four blocks combined in the two periods.

The Warriors tried a diamond-and-1 to put the brakes on Marble in the second half, with Lyons on Marble, but other players picked up their scoring.

“They ate it up,” SA coach Jon Porter said. “Knights went nuts in a two-minute span that we played it. They’re a talented team. Outside they didn’t get many shots, but they got a lot of layups, a lot of rebounds. I’m just proud of how my kids played.”

Dragons 76, Warriors 32

Southern Aroostook (14-6) Woodland girls (17-3)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Hartin 1 2 2 2 4 Marble 9 15 22

Chambers 4 10 0 3 8 Brown 1 2 2

Porter 0 0 0 0 0 Huwa 1 8 2

Brooker 4 14 3 3 11 Snowman 1 1 2

Lyons 1 7 2 4 4 Leeman 5 13 10

Toothaker 1 2 0 0 2 Smith 2 6 4

McGary 0 0 0 0 0 Troiani 1 3 2

Crandall 0 0 0 0 0 Lord 0 0 0

Boutilier 0 2 0 0 0 Holmes 1 1 2

Brisley 0 0 0 0 0 Noyes 6 16 13

Hersey 0 0 0 0 0 Knights 5 12 13

Dickinson 0 10 3 4 3 Vose 2 2 4

Green 0 9 0 0 0 Woodruff 0 0

Violette 0 0 0 0 0 Newman 0 0 0

Totals 11 56 10 16 32 34 79 10 76

Southern Aroostook 7 16 20 32

Woodland 13 33 53 76

3-pt. goals: Southern Aroostook (0-1): Green 0-1; Woodland (1-6): Noyes 0-1, Marble 0-1, Leeman 0-2