BANGOR – It’s not as if the Mount Desert Island girls basketball team hasn’t been competitive in the past. The Trojans have been very competitive. They’ve been 1997 Class B state championship-competitive.

But in the past four years, MDI has been knocked out of the tournament in either the quarterfinals or semifinals.

At least MDI had gotten that far. For Foxcroft Academy, the Trojans’ opposition in Saturday’s Eastern Maine championship game, the ascension to regional contender has been several years in the making. The Ponies had lost a few preliminary games over the years and had never won a regional title.

Seventh-seeded FA didn’t make it easy for No. 5 MDI, but thanks to sisters Melissa Gott and Shelley Gott, Mount Desert Island topped Foxcroft for the third time this season, holding off a third-quarter rally and then rolling in the fourth to a 41-21 win in the Eastern Maine championship game at the Bangor Auditorium.

“We wanted this so bad,” said 6-foot-1 senior Melissa Gott, who had 13 rebounds and eight points. “We work really good as a team together and we just tried to focus on the game and keep our heads up.”

Burt Barker’s Trojans, 19-3, play Western Maine champ Gray-New Gloucester for the Class B state championship Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at the Augusta Civic Center.

Shelley Gott was the Trojans’ leading scorer. She went 5-for-10 from 3-point distance, which ties a Class B tournament record, and was 4-for-5 from the free-throw line for 21 points.

The tone of the game was set early, by Foxcroft, as Holli Nichols hit a 3-pointer on Foxcroft’s second possession.

Shelley Gott answered back from the left baseline to tie the game – the first of five 3-pointers she canned.

“After I made a couple I just kept shooting,” said Shelley Gott, a sophomore. “No one could get it in to Melissa and someone had to do something.”

Amy Kelley regained the lead for Foxcroft, but not for long. Melissa Gott scored off rebounds on two straight possessions and Shelley Gott had a 3-pointer to end the first quarter with a 10-5 lead en route to a 20-10 MDI halftime advantage.

Foxcroft came back and cut the lead to 20-16 thanks to four straight MDI turnovers and baskets from Nichols, Leslie Glover and Kelley. Melissa Gott answered from inside, then Kelley made two free throws to cut it again to four points.

Kelley, who is Foxcroft’s top ballhandler and one of the primary rebounders, was called for her fourth foul with 1:51 left in the third period and left the game. The Trojans took advantage, going on a 6-1 run to end the quarter.

“When she went out Mr. Barker told us that this was the time to totally shut them out of the game,” Shelley Gott said.

MDI’s defense sparkled from there. The Trojans outscored the Ponies 13-2 in the fourth and held the Ponies scoreless until Leigh Cartwright’s jumper with 2:05 left.

Yet again, MDI’s 2-3 zone was effective against the 5-11 Glover and the 6-foot Kelley.

“We needed to score. That’s been our trouble every time we’ve played them,” Foxcroft coach Dave Carey said. “You’ve got to give credit to them, they played great defense. They have good matchups. They try to pack it in and make us beat them outside.”

Burt Barker’s daughter Bracey Barker tallied nine rebounds and six assists.

Kelley and Nichols each had seven points to lead the 15-7 Ponies. Kelley added nine rebounds.

Trojans 41, Ponies 21

Foxcroft girls (15-7) MDI (19-3)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG F AF TP

Nichols 3 15 0 0 7 Boisvert 0 0 0

Cartwright 1 2 0 1 2 Chernosky 3 6

A. Snow 0 1 0 0 0 Osier 0 1 0 0

Frasz 1 7 0 0 2 Joy 0 0 0 0

Labree 0 1 0 0 0 Stanley 0 0 0 0

Merrill 0 2 0 0 0 Joseph 0 0 0 0

C. Snow 0 2 0 0 0 Horton 0 3 0 0

Kelley 2 9 3 4 7 S. Gott 6 13 4 21

Champeon 0 2 0 0 0 Barker 1 9 5

Glover 1 10 1 2 3 Baldwin 0 0 0 0

Dow 0 0 0 0 0 Kane 0 0 1 1

Norwood 0 0 0 0

M. Gott 3 8 2 8

Totals 8 51 4 7 21 13 41 10 18 41

Foxcroft 5 10 19 21

Mount Desert Island 10 20 28 41

3-pt. goals ? Foxcroft: (1-11): Nichols 1-9, Merrill 0-1, Champeon 0-1; MDI (5-12): S. Gott 5-10, Barker 0-2