Upstart Katahdin knocks out SAHS Shead defeats game Ashland

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BANGOR – It’s not safe to be an unbeaten No. 1 seed in the Eastern Maine girls basketball tournament. Two days after top-ranked Presque Isle was bounced in the Class B quarterfinals, Katahdin of Stacyville stunned Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook 59-48 Monday night to…
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BANGOR – It’s not safe to be an unbeaten No. 1 seed in the Eastern Maine girls basketball tournament.

Two days after top-ranked Presque Isle was bounced in the Class B quarterfinals, Katahdin of Stacyville stunned Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook 59-48 Monday night to knock the previously unbeaten Warriors out of the Class D tourney.

“Even though we lost to them twice before, we all felt like we could do it,” said Katahdin senior guard Krystle McMoarn. “We wanted it really bad.”

The win advances eighth-ranked Katahdin (13-7) to a semifinal Thursday against fourth-ranked Shead of Eastport. The Tigerettes (15-5) edged Ashland 50-44.

Katahdin never trailed top-ranked Southern Aroostook while avenging two regular-season losses.

The Cougars set an Eastern D single-game record with eight 3-point goals, including four by senior guard Brandi Violette and three by McMoarn.

Katahdin also committed just nine turnovers and displayed offensive balance, with seniors Brandi Violette (18 points), McMoarn (14), K.C. Duffy-Stanley (12) and Jayme Green (10) all scoring in double figures.

“We had to rebound, shoot well and cut down on turnovers, and we did all three,” said Katahdin coach Dick Barstow.

Violette and McMoarn each made three 3-pointers in the first half as the Cougars led by as many as 11 points and took a 31-25 lead into intermission.

“We didn’t do very well at getting out on their shooters,” said Southern Aroostook coach Jon Porter. “We tried to protect too much against their post players, and they weren’t looking to go to the post. They did their shooting from the outside.”

Southern Aroostook (18-1) rallied all the way back behind junior guard Mindy Watson and 5-8 sophomore Audrey Charette, whose back-to-back baskets early in the fourth quarter forged a 41-41 tie with 6:16 to play.

Katahdin responded with 10 unanswered points to regain control. Duffy-Stanley drove the lane for the go-ahead basket and later added four more points before Green scored on a steal and layup to give the Cougars a 51-41 lead with 2:53 left.

“We have four seniors and a junior who play a lot,” Barstow said. “They’re very mature; they don’t get rattled.”

Charette paced Southern Aroostook offensively, scoring a game-high 25 points on 11 of 14 shooting from the field. Watson added 16 points, including four 3-pointers.

In the evening’s first game, Ashland High School girls basketball coach Ben Lothrop knew 1,000-point scorer Samantha Davis was Shead of Eastport’s catalyst, so he devised a game plan to neutralize her.

The Hornets’ 2-3 zone took away Davis’ penetration and limited her to 2-for-16 shooting from the field, but she dished out nine assists, and sophomore guard Laureta Ricker scored a game-high 18 points as Shead held off Ashland.

Ricker said she was the primary benefactor in Ashland’s scheme to shut down Davis.

“I was open a lot,” said Ricker, who scored 13 of her 18 points in the second half.

“Our plan was to shut Samantha Davis down, but their other players definitely hit their shots down the stretch,” said Ashland sophomore forward Ashley Nemer, who led her team with 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.

“Other people stepped up for us,” acknowledged Davis, who finished with five rebounds and three steals to go with eight points.

The Tigerettes’ 14-7 run in the fourth quarter subdued the gritty Hornets.

Shead took a 32-30 lead into the final period, but Ricker nailed a 3-pointer off a Vicki Morrison pass. After Nemer dished to Angela Belskis for a six-foot jumper, Davis found Morrison on the right side and she banked in an eight-footer.

Following a Belskis free throw, Davis passed to Taunya Cook for an eight-footer in the lane, and Vanessa McPhail sank a free throw to make it 40-33 with 4:29 left.

The Hornets (15-5) did close to within 41-37 on Beth Chamberlin’s open 12-foot jumper, courtesy of a Nemer pass, but Davis found Cook all alone under the basket and Ricker made two free throws 14 seconds later to expand the lead to 45-37.

Cook had five rebounds to go with her eight points, and Morrison had four to go with her eight points.

Amber Smith had 10 points and 10 rebounds to complement Nemer’s performance.

TIGERETTES 50, HORNETS 44

Ashland (15-5) Shead (15-5)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Belskis 3 6 2 4 8 McPhail 0 2 2

Nemer 6 19 1 5 15 Morrison 4 8

Chamberlin 3 8 0 0 6 Richardson 2 4

Peters 1 7 1 2 3 Davis 2 16 8

Smith 3 8 4 6 10 Cook 4 7 8

Spooner 0 1 0 0 0 Ricker 4 11 11 18

Long 1 1 0 0 2 Cummings 0 5 0

Sherman 0 0 0 0 0 Constant 1 2

Totals 17 50 8 17 44 Totals 17 55 12 18 50

Ashland 5 14 30 44

Shead 10 19 32 50

3-pt. goals ? Ashland (2-13): Nemer 2-10, Chamberlin 0-2, Peters 0-1; Shead (4-12): Ricker 3-6, Davis 1-6

COUGARS 59, WARRIORS 48

Katahdin (13-7) So. Aroostook (18-1)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Ja. Green 4 9 1 2 10 Charette 11 14 3 6 25

Violette 5 13 4 5 18 Hardy 1 5 3

Duffy-Stanley 4 12 4 9 12 McLaughlin 0

McMoarn 5 9 1 3 14 Collier 0 2 0

Martin 0 0 0 0 0 Clark 0 0 0

Je. Green 0 0 0 0 0 McGary 1 5 2

Bates 0 0 0 0 0 Martin 1 8 2

Robinson 1 7 0 0 2 M. Watson 6 16 0 0 16

Hill 1 4 1 1 3 Lyons 0 0 0 0

Ryan 0 0 0 0

K. Watson 0 0 0

Totals 20 54 11 20 59 Totals 20 50 10 48

Katahdin 18 31 38 59

Southern Aroostook 11 25 34 48

3-pt. goals ? Katahdin (8-18): Violette 4-9, McMoarn 3-5, Ja. Green 1-3, Duffy-Stanley 0-1; Southern Aroostook (4-12): M. Watson 4-10, Collier 0-1, McGary 0-1


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