Reitsma adjusts, helps BC Pats advance vs. Lee Ham, Linscott power Pandas

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BANGOR – Bangor Christian center Pam Reitsma knows what to do against a man-to-man defense.

So when Limestone/Maine School of Science and Mathematics’ played man-to-man in its Class D quarterfinal Monday night at the Bangor Auditorium, Reitsma found her place in the post, staked out her position – and put the ball in the hoop.

“When a team goes man, we get really good lob passes into the middle. And when we start making those shots, it gives us confidence,” Reitsma said.

The 6-foot-1 junior preyed upon the shorter Eagles inside en route to 27 points (13-for-23 from the floor) and 16 rebounds (nine offensive) as Bangor Christian earned a 52-41 victory.

The 11-7 Patriots, ranked second in the Southeast division, advance to Thursday’s semifinal against Lee, an 83-45 winner over East Grand of Danforth on Monday.

Lee, the top-ranked team in the Northeast, gained its first tournament victory since 1976 and improved to 16-3.

Limestone, the third seed in the Northeast, bowed out at 15-5. East Grand, the fifth seed in the Southeast, finished 8-12.

The Patriots built a 12-point lead late in the third quarter, but Eagle point guard Ashley Brooker nailed a pair of 3-pointers in the last minute of the period and Jessica Stackhouse hit two free throws 1:15 into the fourth quarter to get Limestone back to within seven, 43-36.

Reitsma scored Bangor Christian’s next six points to put the game out of reach.

The Patriots’ towering frontcourt racked up 44 points, including 11 from 5-foot-10 forward Jenna Seymour and six from 5-foot-11 forward Emily Jenkins. Seymour also hauled down 16 rebounds. Bangor Christian enjoyed a 42-35 rebounding advantage.

Heather Niles and Kendil Snow (three assists each) fed the Patriots’ post players with some nice passes from the wing.

Limestone had just one player over 5-foot-8, 5-foot-10 center Erica Bickford.

The Eagles attempted to force the tempo with a variety of full-court defenses, falling back mainly to a man-to-man.

Defensively, Patriots’ coach Craig Miller had his team counter with a 1-2-2 zone in the half-court to minimize the effectiveness of Brooker.

Brooker finished with 11 points, but was held to 4-for-18 shooting.

Bangor Christian point guard Niles (eight points) played tireless defense at the top of the zone.

Bickford contributed 10 points for the Eagles while Traci Weatherhead grabbed 16 rebounds. Stackhouse dished out a game-high six assists.

In Monday’s other Class D quarterfinal, Lee Academy looked accustomed to postseason success in its win over East Grand.

Lee built a 10-point lead by halftime and outscored the Vikings 20-11 in the third quarter to put the game away.

Senior Deidra Ham keyed the third-period surge with 10 points and three assists. But the poised playmaker still thinks her team hasn’t reached its peak.

“We all played really well. But we can still play better,” Ham said.

Eighth-year Lee coach Carrie Goodhue said her team responded well to the pressure of its No. 1 seed and the burden of years of tournament frustration.

“We lost in the first round the last two years so we were determined to win our first game here. … It takes a load off the shoulders,” Goodhue said.

The Pandas used a pesky brand of man-to-man, run-and-jump defense to neutralize the Vikings in the second half. Ham (six steals) and Ashley Linscott (seven steals) keyed the defense.

Lee held East Grand to just one point in the final period.

Ham finished with 20 points (9-for-16 shooting, 6-for-8 in the second half) and 11 assists while freshman forward Shelby Pickering battled in the post for 21 points. Pickering connected on 7-of-9 field goals and 7-of-9 free throws.

Sophomore Katie Harris kept the Vikings’ perimeter defense honest, nailing four 3-pointers on the way to 14 points. Harris was 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the first period to help the Pandas to the early lead.

East Grand coach Wade McLaughlin said his team showed its youth in the face of the Panda pressure. The Vikings roster includes just one senior and two eighth-graders.

Junior Amanda Godley paced the Vikings with 22 points, including 9-for-11 from the free-throw line. Marie Gilman added 13 points (three 3-pointers) and Chantel Parker grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

Pandas 83, Vikings 45

East Grand (8-12) Lee (16-3)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Mortland 0 1 0 0 0 Mallett 1 3 2

Gilman 4 13 2 3 13 Bird 0 2 0

Parker 2 5 1 2 5 Hanscom 1 4 2

P. Osnoe 0 0 0 0 0 Harris 5 11 14

Godley 6 15 9 11 22 Linscott 2 5

Hanington 0 3 0 0 0 D. Ham 9 16 20

Page 0 0 0 0 0 Hersom 1 3 3 5

Marks 0 1 0 0 0 Cole 2 4 6

Shay 0 0 0 0 0 M. Ham 0 1 0 0

Zaneldin 0 2 1 2 1 Gifford 2 6 4

T. Osnoe 1 4 2 4 4 Brown 1 1 2

McKay 0 0 0 0 0 Pickering 7 21

Merrill 0 0 0 0 0 Maxwell 1 2 2

Totals 13 44 15 22 45 32 67 14 25 83

East Grand 15 33 44 45

Lee 25 43 63 83

3-pt. goals: East Grand (4-12): Gilman 3-10, Godley 1-2; Lee (5-15): Harris 4-9, Linscott 1-3, D. Ham 0-2, M. Ham 0-1.

PATRIOTS 52, EAGLES 41

Limestone (15-5) Bangor Christian (11-9)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

A. Weath’head 0 2 0 0 0 Page 1 2

Beaulieu 0 0 0 0 0 Layton 0 1 0

Stackhouse 0 2 4 6 4 Mead 0 1 0

Bickford 5 6 0 0 10 Elliott 0 0 0

St. Pierre 2 7 0 0 6 Niles 3 11 6

Brooker 4 18 0 0 11 Jenkins 3 6 6

Hancock 0 0 0 0 0 Seymour 5 8 11

Mulherin 0 0 0 0 0 French 0 1 0

Michaud 2 6 1 2 5 Snow 0 1 0

Beaton 0 5 1 2 1 Reitsma 13 22 27

T. Weath’head 1 6 2 5 4

Totals 14 52 8 15 41 Totals 25 60 52

Limestone 8 24 34 41

Ban. Christian 14 27 43 52

3-pt. goals: Limestone (5-18): Brooker 3-10, St. Pierre 2-4, Beaton 0-4; Bangor Christian (0-4): Page 0-3, Niles 0-1.