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AUGUSTA – In the end, the Cony High girls basketball team returned to what had served it so well early in Friday afternoon’s Eastern Maine Class A championship game against top-ranked Messalonskee of Oakland.
And that was the Rams’ inside game, with a trio of 6-footers providing the strength No. 2 Cony of Augusta needed in overtime to outlast the Eagles 63-60 and claim its fourth consecutive regional championship.
“We just didn’t have an answer for the height,” said Brenda Beckwith, Messalonskee’s fourth coach in the last four seasons. “They just went over us, and we tried to put as much pressure on the ball out front as we could, hoping they wouldn’t get good looks.”
Cony (19-2) plays the winner of the Western A final between defending state champion Sanford and McAuley of Portland for the state title here next Saturday.
Messalonskee forced overtime when senior guard Chelsea Barker capped off a 14-point fourth quarter with a 3-point goal over two defenders with one second left in regulation.
But Cony, which had led by as many as 10 points in the fourth quarter, struck early in the extra period, as 6-1 Cassie Cooper and 5-11 Kristi Violette each scored off a lob feed from Shelby Pelkey.
Messalonskee stayed close, as Ashley Busque and Barker each scored on a drive to the basket, but eventually the Eagles were forced to foul, and Rachael Mack made two free throws and Pelkey went 3-for-4 to offset a Barker 3-pointer and leave Cony with a 3-point lead entering the overtime’s final half-minute.
Messalonskee had a couple of good chances late, even as Cony blanketed Barker defensively. Jessica Bridges had an open look from the left wing, but her 3-pointer just missed, and a subsequent drive by Busque was blocked by Mack and Cooper.
“When you’re able to hit that first hoop of overtime it gives you momentum … but they don’t give up,” said Cony coach Paul Vachon.
Violette had a monster game for Cony, finishing with 26 points and 18 rebounds in helping the Rams forge a 35-21 advantage off the glass.
“She gets after it,” said Vachon. “She’s the best rebounder I’ve had, there isn’t any doubt about that. She goes after the boards hard, and she goes after every single one.”
Mack finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, while Cooper had 13 points and seven rebounds.
Barker, a 5-8 senior guard who was held scoreless in the first half, erupted for a game-high 28 points after intermission. It was a performance that provided Vachon a flashback to a Cony nemesis of the past – Cindy Blodgett.
“Unstoppable isn’t the word,” said Vachon. She was just phenomenal. I was just telling Bruce [Cooper, Cassie’s father and Blodgett’s high school coach at Lawrence of Fairfield] that Barker reminded me of someone a long time ago, and I didn’t want to relive that one. That was one of the gutsiest performances I’ve seen in a long time in tournament play.”
Cony put its height to good use early, scoring 10 points coming directly off offensive rebounds in building a 31-14 halftime lead.
But that rebounding strength came with a price, as Cooper and Violette both got into foul trouble, and Cony’s size advantage began to erode.
RAMS 63, EAGLES 60 (OT)
Cony (19-2) Messalonskee (19-2)
Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP
Pelkey 0 3 2 4 2 C. Barker 11 26 2 4 28
Belanger 0 0 1 2 1 Busque 3 11 8
Cooper 5 7 2 4 13 A. Barker 5 15 0 0 10
Arbour 2 4 0 1 5 M. Oliver 2 6
Mack 6 13 4 5 16 Bridges 1 6 0 2
H. Pratt 0 3 0 0 0 H. Oliver 3 6
Violette 9 17 8 13 26 Haiss 0 0 0
Totals 22 47 17 29 63 Totals 25 67 60
Cony 14 31 38 53 63
Messalonskee 8 14 29 53 60
3-pt. goals – Cony (2-7): Arbour 1-2, Cooper 1-3, Pelkey 0-1, H. Pratt 0-1; Messalonskee (4-16): C. Barker 4-7, Busque 0-2, Bridges 0-2, A. Barker 0-5
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