The Madison girls basketball team marched through the regular season and eventually had a 17-game winning streak going into the final game before the playoffs.

And that was the end of that run. The Bulldogs fell to Monmouth 50-38 on Feb. 7, one game before the quarterfinals.

In the end, however, it was Madison that earned the No. 1 seed for the Western Maine tournament and edged the Mustangs 37-34 when they met again for the regional championship.

The loss proved to be a difference-maker for Madison, head coach Al Veneziano believed.

“The season’s long and you need certain things to spark you, and that seemed to do it,” said Veneziano, who has been coaching the Bulldogs since 1988. “They were very determined that they were going to play better in the next two or three games in the tournament, and they did do that.”

The Bulldogs played well enough against Monmouth for their first Western Maine title since 1994. They will now face Eastern Maine champion Lee Academy for the state crown Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center. The game tips off at 7 p.m.

Madison is looking for its first state title. Lee was last year’s Class D state champion and moved up to Class C this year. The Pandas already have an EM Class C title in soccer.

The matchup of Madison and Lee will put a combined 10 senior starters on the Civic Center court and another three will come off the bench.

Five-foot-10 center Margo Russell has led the Bulldogs with 16.6 points per game this season and was named the MVP of the Western Maine Class C tournament. Russell is also averaging 8 rebounds per game.

The Pandas, however, are used to taller players on the other side of the court – they beat Houlton and 6-2 center Rachel Foster for the Eastern Maine title and beat Woodland and 6-1 Courtney Cochran twice in the regular season.

The rest of Madison’s senior-laden and offensively balanced lineup is made up of point guard Danielle Hebert, forward Briann Emery, guard Lacey Ashbrook and Brittany Rich.

Emery averages 10 ppg and 5 rpg, while Ashbrook is at 8.7 ppg and three assists per game. Hebert has averaged 7.9 ppg in her return from a knee injury last year.

Mykayla Stoutamyer, Jessica Hayden and sophomore Ali Russell, Margo Russell’s sister, come off the bench.

The Bulldogs’ attempt to outscore the Pandas is a feat that will be difficult, especially because Lee has the potential to place four players in double figures. Four of Lee’s five starters averaged more than 10 ppg in the tourney and the fifth starter averaged 9 ppg.

Lee’s quickness, outside shooting and penetration are Madison’s main concerns. The Bulldogs play primarily man-to-man, full-court pressure defense.

“I think we have to get out on their 3-point shooters. We also have to make sure we help defensively,” Veneziano said. “Everybody needs to be in help position, making sure that we’re not giving them easy baskets in the paint on their drives, because they do drive a lot.”

“We play a lot of man-to-man, full court,” Veneziano said. “It’s gonna be a tough challenge against a team like Lee because they have some runners there.”

Madison can, however, put up big numbers. The ‘Dogs beat Boothbay 70-30 on Dec. 17 and whipped Winthrop 81-29 on Jan. 9. They rolled over No. 12 St. Dominic of Lewiston 69-24 in the WM semis.

That’s just what Veneziano is looking for against the Pandas.

“They’ve got some good experience,” he said of his squad. “They’re very excited about playing and very determined, also.”

jbloch@bangordailynews.net

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