BREWER – Senior guard Emily Heath said Bangor High coach Tom Tennett devoted a lot of practice time this week to creating offense against various zone defenses.

It paid off Thursday night.

Heath and junior guard Allie Clukey each hit a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter as the Rams used a 16-2 run to transform a two-point deficit into a 12-point lead en route to a regular-season finale 56-40 victory over the youthful Brewer Witches.

Clukey had nine third-quarter points and Heath had eight.

Bangor will take an 8-10 record into the preliminary round of the Eastern Maine Class A tournament while Brewer wound up 6-12 and will probably miss the tourney.

“We worked the ball around more and that’s what opened things up. Allie and I were able to get some open shots,” said Heath, who finished with a game-high 15 points including nine in the second half.

The Rams also used a 2-2-1 full-court press to force the Witches into several turnovers, and they parlayed those into points or Brewer fouls.

“We got into their faces and nobody likes having someone right under them. We pressured the ball and waited for them to make mistakes,” said junior guard Amy Hackett, who had 10 of her 14 points after the intermission. Hackett also had a team-high six rebounds.

Clukey wound up with 12 points, 11 in the second half.

When the Witches extended their 2-3 zone to try to take away the 3-pointers, Hackett penetrated the lane and drew fouls or hit short jumpers.

Hackett was closely guarded by a tenacious Leah Jackson in the diamond-and-one in the first half, but the Witches got into foul trouble in the second half and Brewer coach Andy Nickerson said, “We needed to go to a [2-3] zone to protect them.”

“Leah did a great job in the first half on Amy, but I think she may have gotten a little fatigued in the second half and Amy was able to get to the basket when we spread it out,” said Tennett, whose Rams trailed by as many as six in the first half.

Tennett also said, “We have a little more depth than Brewer, and I think it took its toll.”

“We didn’t execute as well as we needed to in the second half,” said Brewer senior forward Jordan McLain, whose team led by two at the half.

Elizabeth Cote had 13 points to pace the Witches. Meghan McLain and Jackson had nine apiece. Jackson grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

Brewer led 27-25 when Bangor began its decisive run with a Clukey free throw and layup.

Hackett’s free throw put Bangor up 29-27 before Cote tied it with a running lefthanded bank shot with 3:45 left. They were the last points Brewer scored in the quarter.

Caitlyn Smith fed Heath for a 3-pointer and, following a Brewer turnover, Clukey nailed a 3. Clukey passed to Heath for another 3, Hackett hit a foul shot, and Brooke Hackett closed out the quarter with a high, arcing reverse layup.

The resilient Witches closed to within nine on two occasions in the fourth quarter, but Bangor responded with runs of five and eight points.

“Our girls played hard. We struggled offensively and we struggled with pressure at times this season,” said Nickerson. “Bangor’s a good basketball team. I wouldn’t want to play them in a prelim game.”

RAMS 56, WITCHES 40

Bangor (8-10) Brewer (6-12)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Dana 1 2 0 0 3 Cote 5 11 2 13

Heath 5 15 1 2 15 Jackson 3 6 9

A. Hackett 4 6 6 8 14 M.McLain 3 9

Smith 1 5 2 4 4 J.McLain 1 3

Godinez 1 4 0 0 2 Kenney 1 3 2

Clukey 3 6 4 6 12 Adams 1 4 2

B. Hackett 1 4 0 0 2 Valley 1 7 2

Wadleigh 1 1 0 0 2 Seymour 0 0 0

Hartley 0 0 0 0 0 Albert 0 0 0

Doucette 0 0 1 2 1 Clifford 0 0

Roberts 0 0 1 2 1 Alekscz 0 0 0

Sivik 0 2 0 0 0 Burgess 0 0 0

Comstock 0 0 0 0 0

Anselmino 0 0 0 0 0

Curtis 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 17 45 15 24 56 Totals 15 42 12 40

Bangor 8 20 41 56

Brewer 10 22 29 40

3-pt. goals – Bangor (7-19): Heath 4-11, Clukey 2-4, Dana 1-1, B. Hackett 0-2, Roberts 0-1; Brewer (4-15): M. McLain 3-7, Cote 1-4, Adams 0-3, Jackson 0-1

JV: Bangor 43-31

Attendance: 500 (est.)