Seniors lift Rams by rival Witches for third victory

loading...

BANGOR – It wasn’t Senior Night – the Bangor High girls basketball team has a few more months before that day comes – but it sure felt like it, especially as the Rams faced down Brewer in the second half of Tuesday night’s Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A matchup.

Senior Allie Clukey poured in 19 points and had a string of big assists, while senior Amy Hackett chipped in with 14 as Bangor rallied for a 64-56 win at Red Barry Gymnasium.

Amy Wadleigh, a senior backup forward, drained one of Clukey’s passes for a 3-pointer to put the Rams ahead for good.

Brooke Hackett had four of her six points in the second half, nailing a third-quarter jumper to stretch the Rams’ lead. And classmate Tanna Jellison scored Bangor’s final basket of the second quarter.

“The seniors all played very well,” Bangor coach Tom Tennett said. “Tanna gave us some big minutes. … Brooke had a great practice last night and I thought that intensity carried over. It set a tempo for everything.”

It was Clukey who had the biggest impact as the Rams (3-1) quickly worked their way back from a 26-22 halftime deficit. The guard put back an offensive rebound 24 seconds into the third quarter, then assisted on three straight baskets, including Wadleigh’s 3-pointer with 6:01 left in the period.

Sophomore Stephanie Comstock made two baskets in the third, one of which came off a Clukey pass.

“It was just the team momentum that got going, so you just go with it,” Clukey said. “Coach kept telling me they were shutting off the baseline so I had to penetrate to the middle. I was kind of hesitant at first but I started to do it and it worked.”

Clukey either assisted on or recorded free throws or a field goal in seven of the 11 possessions in which Bangor scored in the third, after which the Rams led 43-38.

Bangor also picked it up at the free-throw line, hitting 13 of 18 attempts, all in the final 10 minutes of the game. Clukey went 7-for-8 from the line and Wadleigh was 4-for-6 en route to nine points.

It was a good shooting night all around for the Rams, who went 25-for-50 (50 percent) from the floor.

“Tonight felt awesome,” Amy Hackett said. “We came out and played as a team and everyone that came off the bench contributed.”

Bangor’s quick comeback didn’t surprise Brewer coach Andy Nickerson.

“Every time we play [Tennett’s] teams, they always come out for the second half with a lot more energy than they end the first half,” he said. “We talk about trying to bring more energy than them. We just didn’t, I guess. We handled their pressure, but we didn’t make some good decisions in our offensive set.”

Bangor and Brewer were tied at 14-14 at the end of the first quarter. Junior Leah Jackson and sophomore Amy Adams both scored late in the second, and junior Sheri Valley made a basket in the final minute to give the Witches a four-point lead going into halftime.

Senior Katie Kenney paced the 1-3 Witches with 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Valley and Jackson each added 12 points, while sophomore Meghan McLain had 11.

Jessica Bloch may be reached at jbloch@bangordailynews.net or 990-8193.

RAMS 64, WITCHES 56

Brewer (1-3) Bangor (3-1)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Hutchins 0 0 0 0 0 B.Hackett 3 6

Adams 2 4 0 0 4 Roberts 0 1 0

Valley 5 11 2 6 12 Tocci 2 3 4

Alekswcz 0 0 0 0 0 A.Hackett 6 15 2 4 14

Jackson 5 9 2 2 12 Jellison 1 2

McLain 3 10 4 6 11 Doucette 3 6

Kenney 6 12 5 7 17 Wadleigh 2 9

Sivik 0 1 0 0

Clukey 6 13 7 19

Comstock 2 5 4

Totals 21 46 13 21 56 Totals 25 50 13 18 64

Brewer 14 26 38 56

Bangor 14 22 43 64

3-pt. goals – Brewer (1-6): McLain 1-5, Valley 0-1; Bangor (1-3): Wadleigh 1-1, Clukey 0-1, A. Hackett 0-1

JV: Bangor 61-47

Attendance: 200 (est.)