Rende leads Cony to victory

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BANGOR – The hope was to slug it out inside with the unbeaten Cony Rams of Augusta, but first you have to get it inside and Cony’s defense wasn’t very accommodating.

The Mount Ararat Eagles of Topsham learned that firsthand Thursday night as top-seeded Cony combined defense and its own solid post game for a resounding 70-50 Eastern Maine Class A semifinal victory at the Bangor Auditorium.

The 20-0 Rams will play No. 2 Skowhegan for the regional title Saturday at 3:05 p.m.

Freshman forward Cassie Cooper led the way with 25 points and eight rebounds, but without the effort turned in by junior point guard Briiana Rende, Cooper’s game might have suffered and the Eagles’ plan might have met with more success.

“Our hope was we could use our size more to our advantage and we were able to match up with them, but their defense created their offense tonight, not vice-versa as we hoped,” said former University of Maine player and current Mount Ararat coach Kelly Lafountain (Nobert).

Rende and her teammates narrowed the passing lanes, hounded the Eagles’ ballhandlers, and lunged after every loose ball to start the game with a 10-0 run, help force seven turnovers in the first quarter, and build a 24-8 lead.

“We knew if we played defense first, we wouldn’t have to worry about offense because it makes it easier to run and do what we like to do,” said Rende.

Rende scored 17 of her 20 points in the first half.

“She’s really learned to play this game. You need a good point guard to become a solid team and she penetrates and dishes off well,” said Cony coach Paul Vachon. “She’s become a good offensive option for us as well.”

Rende, Amanda Mason, Kristie Albert, Cooper, Natalie Nimon, Katie Rollins, and Alyssa Cloutier all did a good job wreaking havoc on Mount Ararat’s transition game.

“Erin Johnson’s a very good player and we knew if they could get it inside, she’d score, so we put the pressure on their guards and then we needed to rebound, which we had trouble with at first, but it got better,” Rende said.

The teams wound up tied in the rebounding column with 31 apiece, but when you’re shooting 57.1 percent (32-for-56) from the field, that’s more than adequate.

“We’re a young team that’s just trying to come together,” Vachon said. “I don’t think a lot of people thought we’d be back for a championship after all the kids we lost last year.”

Cony starts four juniors and a freshman. The other regulars off the bench include a sophomore and a junior.

Cony’s offense was so impressive, the solid effort turned in by standout center Katie Rollins – who hit seven of nine shots for 14 points and snatched six rebounds – almost got lost in the shuffle.

“They’ve got a great inside game and their outside game has improved a lot since the last time we played them,” said Lafountain, whose Eagles lost to Cony by 28 points in the regular season.

Johnson led the way for 16-5 Mount Ararat. The 6-foot center finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Miranda Rogers added four points, six rebounds, and four assists.

CONY RAMS 70, EAGLES 50

Mount Ararat (16-5) Cony (20-0)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Emerson 2 6 0 0 5 Jean 0 0 0

Eiane 2 8 2 4 6 Mason 1 3 2

Gilbride 0 1 0 0 0 B. Rende 9 13 1 2 20

Johnson 7 9 2 2 16 Tyler 0 1 0

Long 2 3 0 0 4 Albert 0 0 0 0

Charette 1 2 0 1 2 Doak 0 1 0

Stahl 1 1 0 0 2 Nimon 3 9 7

Allen 1 1 0 1 2 Cooper 11 19 25

Rogers 1 4 2 2 4 Cloutier 1 2

Woolford 3 13 2 4 8 Pratt 0 0 0

Haggerty 0 3 1 2 1 Rollins 7 9 14

Turcotte 0 1 0 0 0

Totals 20 52 9 16 50 Totals 32 56 70

Mount Ararat 12 26 38 50

Cony 26 41 56 70

3-pt. goals ? Mount Ararat (1-3): Emerson 1-2, Eiane 0-1; Cony (4-10): Cooper 2-3, B. Rende 1-1, Nimon 1-5, Mason 0-1