Barker, Gott aid MDI’s fast start in easy victory Defending state champs top Hawks

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HERMON – The Mount Desert Island girls basketball team played a near-perfect combination of offense and defense during Tuesday night’s Penobscot Valley Conference matchup against Hermon.

That’s how it went for the Trojans in the first quarter, at least, as they forced 11 turnovers and shot 11-for-15 from the field.

Things weren’t that smooth for the remainder of the game against the Hawks, but a 20-point halftime lead was enough to wrap up the win.

Bracey Barker and Shelley Gott each scored 15 points to lead the two-time defending Class B state champion Trojans to a 61-31 victory over Hermon.

MDI’s pressing defense and good shooting made the difference early.

The University of Maine-bound Barker scored the first six points of the game, including a fast-break basket off a steal, and Gott hit a 3-pointer to give the Trojans had a 9-0 lead.

Shannon Wiggin made two free throws to put Hermon on the scoreboard, but Barker hit a 3-pointer off a Leah Joy pass, Jessica Norwood put in two free throws and Gott scored on the break after a Jenna Gordius steal as MDI went up 16-2.

MDI, now 2-0, tallied eight steals in the first quarter.

“We converted pretty good in the first quarter,” Gott said. “We had a lot of steals and we got some layups from that.”

The Trojans’ full-court press bothered the Hawks (0-2), who at times had trouble getting the ball inbounds and crossing the half-court line. MDI tallied eight steals in the first quarter.

“It was a good press,” Hermon coach Margie Deabay said. “It rattled us even though I thought we were ready for it. We just kept fighting hard and I thought we looked better later in the game.”

The Hawks settled down against the pressure in the second quarter, committing just two turnovers and actually outscoring the Trojans 11-9.

MDI had a 33-25 scoring edge for the rest of the game, but made just 11 of 43 field goal attempts after the first half.

“We had a lot of energy when we were pressing,” Barker said. “We just ran out of energy as the game went on and that’s why we weren’t getting the easy steals like we were in the first quarter.”

Norwood, one of MDI’s better shooters, benefited from solid perimeter passing to put in three 3-pointers. She finished with 11 points.

Gordius scored seven points off the bench and was 3-for-3 from the floor in the first quarter.

Hermon’s Jessica Wiggin scored a team-high 10 points.

Barker (five blocks) racked up 16 rebounds and Gott had six. Both girls conceded that if they hadn’t missed so many layups, the rebounding numbers would have been lower.

“We have things to work on, definitely,” Barker said.

Hermon’s top two rebounders, Shannon Dobbins and Shannon Wiggin, combined for eight rebounds.

TROJANS 61, HAWKS 31

MDI (2-0) Hermon (0-2)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Stanley 0 3 0 0 0 J. Wiggin 3 10

Gordius 3 4 1 2 7 Smith 3 6 7

McGarr 0 0 1 2 1 Garland 0 1 0

Joy 2 3 0 0 4 Dobbins 2 10 1 6

Horton 2 3 1 2 6 Burr 0 1 0

Shuster 0 2 0 0 0 S. Wiggin 0 2

Gott 6 17 2 5 15 White 0 0 0 0

Barker 6 15 2 3 15 Nightingale 0 0

Young 0 2 0 0 0 Hall 0 0 0

Christie 0 0 0 0 0 Macdonald 1 2

Norwood 3 8 2 2 11 Hills 2 4 4

Banks 0 0 2 2 2

Dow 0 1 0 0 0

Totals 22 58 11 18 61 11 37 15 31

MDI 28 37 49 61

Hermon 6 17 25 31

3-pt. goals: MDI (6-18): Norwood 3-8, Gott 1-2, Barker 1-4, Horton 1-1, Stanley 0-1, Gordius 0-1, Young 0-1; Hermon (2-6): J. Wiggin 1-4, Dobbins 1-2

Attendance: 200 (est.)

Preliminary: MDI 61-26