November 16, 2024
SCHOOLGIRL BASKETBALL

Martin powers Maranacook by Hermon in semi

BANGOR – Toby Martin continued her stellar play in the Eastern Maine Class B tournament, and Erica Brennan had a double-double as the No. 3 Maranacook of Readfield girls basketball team held off No. 7 Hermon 48-38 in a semifinal Wednesday afternoon at the Bangor Auditorium.

Martin finished with 20 points and Brennan had 15 points, including six in a key second-quarter run, to lead Maranacook to its first berth in the Eastern Maine Class B final.

The Black Bears, now 17-3, will face No. 1 Mount Desert Island in the Class B regional final game Saturday at 2:05 p.m.

Hermon, which ended the season at 12-9, had won four straight and eight of its last nine before Wednesday’s loss.

Maranacook’s 2-3 zone defense proved to be too much for the Hawks. Hermon couldn’t get much going in the post, and the Hawk shooters struggled from the perimeter.

Hermon was 15-for-54 from the floor.

“It looked like we were forcing shots, we were hurrying, and they just weren’t falling,” Hermon coach Margie Deabay said. “We practiced against a 2-3 because we figured they might do that. And they applied more pressure, extended the zone, and that seemed to bother us.”

That’s just what the Bears were hoping to do.

“We wanted to play the zone tough, step out on the shooters, clog the middle and also stop [Jessie Wiggin] because I think she was their best shooter,” Martin said. “I think we did that well.”

Maranacook had a 10-point lead in the third quarter but the Hawks whittled that down to 28-24 thanks to baskets from Malerie Hall, Shannon Wiggin and Shannon Dobbins. The Black Bears took a five-point advantage into the fourth quarter and started the period with Shannon Bean completing a conventional 3-point play and a Martin fast-break layup.

Later in the quarter Jessie Wiggin (16 points) hit a jump shot to make it 39-33, but Nicole Mace drained a 3-pointer with 3:39 left that helped give Maranacook lots of momentum.

“We got within six or four, and they’d come down and Martin or Brennan would hit one,” Deabay said.

Dobbins scored eight of her 10 points, including two 3-pointers, in the fourth. Shannon Wiggin had eight rebounds.

The Black Bears went on a 10-0 run in the second quarter and held the Hawks scoreless for about five minutes.

“We were patient and we looked the good shots,” Martin said. “That’s what helped us get the good runs.”

BLACK BEARS 48, HAWKS 38

Hermon (12-9) Maranacook (17-3)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

J. Wiggin 7 21 0 0 16 Martin 7 15 20

Smith 0 1 0 0 0 Mace 1 2 3

Garland 0 8 0 0 0 Denbow 1 3 2

Dobbins 4 13 0 0 10 Pullen 1 1 2

S. Wiggin 2 5 0 1 4 Bardaglio 0 1

Hall 2 4 2 2 6 Edwards 0 4 0 0

Macdonald 0 2 2 2 2 Bean 2 3 5

Brennan 6 14 3 15

Mason 0 0 0 0

Totals 15 54 4 5 38 Totals 18 45 10 22 48

Hermon 10 16 28 38

Maranacook 10 20 33 48

3-pt. goals: Hermon (4-14): J. Wiggin 2-10, Dobbins 2-4; Maranacook (2-7): Mace 1-1, Martin 1-5, Edwards 0-1


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