BUCKSPORT – The Houlton girls basketball team has had to face this winter without its best post player, Sam Berry, who went down with a season-ending knee injury in the Shiretowners’ first game of the year.

But with Sarah Beasley and Hannah Socoby picking up the slack inside and the rest of the Shires chipping in with strong performances, the prospect of playing a taller Bucksport squad Wednesday afternoon was easier to take.

Indeed, Beasley and Socoby both played strong offensive and defensive games, shooting well from the floor and controlling the post as Houlton rolled over the Golden Bucks 62-43 at Ralph J. Jewett Gymnasium.

“We’ve had a lot a people stepping up,” Beasley said. “Everyone has been getting into position. I think Hannah and I did a good job.”

Thanks to a 17-for-27 field-goal shooting effort, the Shires cruised out to a 45-14 halftime lead. Socoby, who scored 14 of her game-high 20 points in the first half, made her first five field-goal attempts and only missed one shot in the half. The 5-foot-5 guard is equally comfortable playing inside as she is playing outside.

“We knew [Bucksport] had height, but we knew we could get a body on them,” Socoby said.

The Shires used two big first-half runs to put the game out of reach early.

A Beasley 18-footer keyed the first surge to give Houlton a 10-6 lead with three minutes left in the first quarter. Socoby hit two straight baskets, then fed Beasley for two more (the second of which came just into the second quarter), and made two free throws. Kasey Cleary earned a trip to the free-throw line, making the first of two shots but missing the second, which Socoby grabbed and put back. The Shires went up 25-6.

“We came out flat, with no intensity,” said first-year Bucks coach Brandan Harvey. “They came out ready to play, and they shot extremely well in the first half. The game just got to the point where we couldn’t recover.”

Bucksport’s Alice Andrews made a jump shot to end the drought.

After Andrews scored, Houlton went on an 18-2 run that gave the Shiretowners a 43-10 lead with 1:49 left before halftime.

Beasley finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Neither Beasley nor Socoby played in the fourth.

Bucksport started in a man-to-man defense and switched in the second quarter to a 2-3 zone to close up the inside.

But Cleary hit three straight 3-pointers, forcing the Bucks to go back to man. Cleary scored 12 points.

Bucksport was without two starters, senior forward Carolyn Pollard and sophomore guard Jessie Taylor, both of whom are injured. But more than the absent players, Houlton’s triangle-and-2 defense stopped guards Elissa Gordon and Heather Pelletier while closing off the inside to 6-foot center Emily Woodward.

“The kids played really good defense today,” Houlton coach Jerry Tweedie said. “We ran well, the traps worked. We worked as a unit.”

Woodward led the Bucks with 14 points, but she never got into a rhythm under the basket.

Andrews contributed 10 points for Bucksport.

Shiretowners 62, Bucks 43

Houlton (4-2) Bucksport (1-5)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG F AF TP

Guy 0 0 1 2 1 Richards 0 4 0 0 0

Beasley 5 13 2 5 12 Gordon 4 13 0 1 8

Cleary 4 6 1 2 12 Pelletier 0 6 0 0 0

Goodrich 1 3 0 1 2 Damon 2 7 3 4 7

Brown 1 5 0 0 2 Goode 0 1 0 0 0

Cole 1 1 0 0 2 Woodward 6 7 2 3 14

Henderson 1 3 0 0 2 Carter 2 2 0 0 4

Miller 2 9 0 0 4 Andrews 4 12 0 0 10

Socoby 7 9 6 8 20

Botting 2 6 1 2 5

Totals 24 55 11 20 62 Totals 18 52 5 8 43

Houlton 22 45 53 62

Home 6 14 24 43

3-pt. goals: Houlton (3-6): Cleary 3-5, Beasley 0-1; Bucksport (2-7): Andrews 2-6, Gordon 0-1

Attendance: 150 (est.)

Preliminary: Houlton JVs 45-29