November 07, 2024
CLASS B GIRLS

John Bapst, MDI claim OT victories Falt, Cousins give Trojans potent frontcourt tandem

BANGOR – Mingled in with the excitement of winning an Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinal and the anticipation of a semifinal matchup, Mount Desert Island senior Susan Falt was feeling a lot of relief.

A 6-foot forward for the No. 6 Trojans, Falt had struggled from the free-throw line in Friday’s matchup against No. 3 Camden Hills. But she made two huge foul shots to send the game into overtime and finished with 24 points as MDI knocked off the Windjammers 65-60.

“We didn’t come in here with people expecting us to win, so that took a load off our shoulders,” Falt said. “I think we’re better than what our seed is, and we proved that.”

The Trojans, 16-4, advance to play No. 2 John Bapst of Bangor, which rallied to tip No. 7 Presque Isle 40-38 in overtime in Friday’s second quarterfinal.

The Windjammers, who also were upset in the quarterfinals last year, wrapped up their season with a 15-4 record.

There were four ties in the third quarter, but the Trojans eventually took a 52-49 lead midway through the fourth. Camden Hills then rallied to take a 53-52 lead after Kristen Tedford converted an MDI turnover.

Allie Parent (23 points, six steals, five assists) put the Windjammers up 54-52 when she hit a free throw with 45.4 seconds remaining.

Nine seconds later, Falt stepped to the free-throw line with a 1-and-1 opportunity. She missed the first one but the Windjammers were called for a lane violation, giving Falt redemption and another chance to tie it.

The second time she made both to tie the game at 54.

“I was really relieved,” Falt said. “My foul shots were horrible. I made them both, which was uncommon for this game.”

Camden Hills senior Kayla Gushee (13 points) had an open shot to win after an MDI defender fell down with about five seconds left, but Gushee’s 16-footer bounced off the back of the rim.

“Granted, even though [Falt] ties the game up, we still have a chance to win it,” Camden Hills coach Jay Carlsen said. “Unfortunately it didn’t go in. … We had three opportunities to take care of that game and unfortunately it just didn’t work out for us.”

MDI forward Kelsey Stratton drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key 15 seconds into overtime. The Trojans never trailed after that, although the Windjammers cut the lead to 63-60 after an Erika Johnson basket off a pass from Parent with four seconds remaining.

Amethyst Cousins (18 points) sealed it when she caught a long inbounds pass and hit an open layup.

Falt led MDI with 14 rebounds in a 39-18 edge on the boards. The Trojans also shot a stellar 28-for-45 (62.2 percent) from the floor.

“We’re taller and we have a height advantage,” Falt said. “Amethyst had another whopping 18 points and everyone contributed. People passed excellent passes to me and so I was able to get a good look at the basket.”

TROJANS 65, WINDJAMMERS 60 (OT)

MDI (16-4) Camden Hills (15-4)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Stratton 1 5 0 1 3 Tedford 5 7 12

Young 0 1 0 0 0 Carleton 1 2

Banks 1 3 0 2 2 Parent 10 16 23

Lewis 4 5 0 0 8 Fettermn 2 5

Orman 3 5 0 0 8 Johnson 2 3 5

Cousins 8 14 2 4 18 Gushee 5 19 13

Falt 10 11 4 7 24 LaBree 0 0 0 0

Vaux 1 1 0 0 2

Totals 28 45 6 14 65 Totals 25 55 12 60

MDI 15 33 44 54 65

Camden Hills 17 34 44 54 60

3-pt. goals – MDI (3-5): Orman 2-2, Stratton 1-3; Camden Hills (4-17): Tedford 2-3, Parent 1-2, Gushee 1-7, Carleton 0-5


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