Paradis propels Indians Skowhegan to battle Oxford Hills in semis

AUGUSTA – One of the smallest kids on the floor, Skowhegan senior Nicole Paradis cast a large shadow over her team’s postseason debut at the Augusta Civic Center on Friday afternoon.

The 5-foot-4 guard scored a game-high 21 points and added six steals and six assists as the second-ranked Indians pulled away from No. 7 Morse of Bath 70-52 in an Eastern Maine Class A girls basketball quarterfinal.

“She’s 35 pounds soaking wet,” joked Skowhegan coach Heath Cowan. “But I don’t think she’s come off the floor in the last three weeks. She’s a well-conditioned athlete. You look at her and think she’d fall down or break down, but she’s good for 32 minutes, and she doesn’t slow down.”

Paradis shot 7 of 11 from the field and made five of six free throws for the 18-1 Indians, who gradually pulled away from the Shipbuilders and led by as many as 22 points late in the fourth quarter.

“Scoring-wise that’s a little high for [Paradis], but the shots were there and she was making them. That’s wonderful,” said Cowan. “Her assist numbers have come up a lot in the second half of the season just because kids are understanding their roles more and are stepping in and getting ready to shoot.”

The win advances Skowhegan to a Wednesday semifinal matchup against No. 3 Oxford Hills of South Paris at 2:05 p.m. Oxford Hills (15-4) bested No. 11 Edward Little of Auburn 47-34 in Friday’s first game behind 14 points from senior guard Kari Pelletier.

Junior center Megan Smith added 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for Skowhegan, while junior forward Beth Sevey scored 14 points and senior guard Danielle Miller had nine.

Morse (15-5) got 18 points from junior guard Kate Ross, 10 in the first half, as the Shipbuilders stayed within 31-25. Sophomore guard Jill Henrikson added 15 points for Morse, which was hampered by 24 turnovers forced by Skowhegan’s aggressive man-to-man defense.

“Offensively we played very well, but we ran into a couple of players who were hot,” said Cowan. “Henrikson is a great player and Ross is a great player, and they made shots. At times we challenged them and they still made shots, so you have to tip your hat to them.”

INDIANS 70, SHIPBUILDERS 52

Morse (15-5) 52

Brooker 0-3-3, Henrikson 4-5-15, Cavanaugh 1-0-2, Ross 7-1-18, Deterling 1-0-2, Smith 3-0-7, O’Dare, Wilson, S. Rovillaro, Succs 0-2-2, Dickinson 1-1-3

Skowhegan (18-1) 70

Saydjari 1-0-2, Paradis 7-5-21, Sevey 4-5-14, Atkinson, LaGross 1-0-2, Pinkham 2-2-6, Matchett, Miller 2-3-9. Veinotte, Dudley, Ames, Smith 7-1-15, Brown, Evans 0-1-1

3-pt. goals: Ross 3, Henrikson 2, Smith; Paradis 2, Miller 2, Sevey

Morse 12 25 34 52

Skowhegan 13 31 48 70

VIKINGS 47, RED EDDIES 34

Edward Little (9-11) 34

Ross, Nicolas 2-8-12, Forgues 2-2-6, K. St. Hilaire , Levesque, Downs 1-0-2, L. St. Hilaire 0-2-2, French 5-3-12, Lawrence, Leary, Paul

Oxford Hills (15-4) 47

Ka. Pelletier 2-10-14, L. Brett, J. Brett, Ka. Martin 1-0-2, Durgin 2-0-4, Bowden 2-0-4, Ky. Martin 0-1-1, Fox 2-4-8, Bunce 1-5-7, Ke. Pelletier 3-1-7

3-pt. goals: None

Edward Little 4 20 22 34

Oxford Hills 8 19 26 47