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BANGOR – In order to provoke something in his team, inspire them, remind them what they’re capable of, Calais coach Bob McShane evoked memories of a game last year in which the Blue Devils overcame a deficit.
Some of that must have struck a chord in Katie Frost, because she played an inspired game Saturday evening in the Eastern Maine Class C championship game.
Frost hit three game-altering 3-pointers in the second half – one to tie the game in the third quarter, and two on consecutive possessions in the fourth to ice it – as the Blue Devils shook off a tough but tired Penquis squad for a 58-44 victory at the Bangor Auditorium.
“The first half we were playing not to lose,” said Frost, who scored a game-high 18 points. “The third quarter we were a little timid, threw the ball away a few times. But Coach told us, it’s in our hearts and it’s in our heads. We have to win. Desire is all it is.”
Calais, which is used to performing heroics in the Auditorium, will head to the Augusta Civic Center Saturday for its sixth state championship matchup since 1996 against Dirigo of Dixfield. The Cougars won the Western Maine title Saturday night, which is their seventh straight WM crown.
The Blue Devils took last year’s state title, but had to rally for the win. McShane brought up that game in a third-quarter timeout. He also changed defenses from zone to man, which made a big difference.
This time around, it was Penquis of Milo which had a six-point lead on Calais with 3:35 to go in the third, thanks to April Allen’s second 3-pointer of the quarter (Allen led the Patriots with 15 points).
Calais star Lanna Martin (12 points) nailed a 3-pointer of her own off a pass from Morgan Drew to get within three points. Frost struck next, sticking a 22-footer off a Nanci Feck pass to tie it at 34-34.
Feck completed a conventional 3-point play as the Devils went up for good. Martin electrified the crowd with a behind-the-back pass to Drew, who scored for a five-point advantage.
But Lindsay Hamlin excited the Penquis fans with a jumper at the buzzer to cut into the lead again.
Calais had a 43-36 lead in the fourth when Allen knocked down another 3-pointer. Crystal Martin scored off a Frost assist, and after a Penquis timeout, Frost put the game out of reach. She connected on two 3-pointers, both from the right side of the floor, for a 12-point Calais lead.
“I think what happened was Penquis changed their defense and kind of left me open more and the concentration on me was moved to Lanna,” Frost said. “I got more open looks. When I hit my first one, I’m always like, give me the ball, I want to shoot my next one. I was feeling it.”
The Patriots, on the other hand, were not.
Friday’s semifinal schedule certainly benefited the Blue Devils. Calais played in the afternoon against Central of Corinth and put the game out of reach early.
Penquis, however, played a hard-fought contest against Dexter in which the starters had to scrap the entire way. Penquis point guard Megan Russell suffered a foot injury Friday and was clearly uncomfortable Saturday.
The Blue Devils’ switch from zone to man hassled an already tired Hamlin and Allen.
“The kicker was Katie Frost hitting those two bombs,” Penquis coach Wally Russell said. “That was the game. I think what affected us was they wore us down.”
The Patriots played a 2-3 zone that made it hard for Calais to go inside often. Crystal Martin was the exception, getting under the basket to score 11 of her 13 points in the second half.
“Crystal had her best game of the year,” McShane said. “She just caught the ball, squared up and shot. She did a great job.”
BLUE DEVILS 58, PATRIOTS 44
Penquis (19-3) Calais girls (21-1)
Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP
Russell 2 10 3 4 7 C. Martin 6 10 1 1 13
L. Hamlin 4 9 1 2 9 Eagan 0 0 0
Dolley 0 0 0 0 0 L. Martin 5 12
Allen 5 13 2 2 15 N. Feck 3 10 8
B. Hamlin 0 0 0 0 0 O’Brien 0 1 1
E. Morrill 0 4 0 0 0 D. Feck 0 1 0
Madden 0 0 0 0 0 Welch 0 0 2
Comeau 0 0 0 0 0 Frost 7 10 18
J. Hamlin 5 7 3 3 13 McGinley 0 0
Hussey 0 0 0 0 0 K. Smith 0 0
Drew 2 7 0 4
Totals 16 43 9 11 44 Totals 23 47 58
Penquis 8 20 36 44
Calais 13 21 39 58
3-pt. goals: Penquis (3-4): Allen 3-4; Calais (5-13): Frost 4-5, L. Martin 1-2, D. Feck 0-1, C. Martin 0-2, N. Feck 0-3
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