MARS HILL, Maine – Eleven steals in the fourth quarter by the Southern Aroostook girls’ varsity basketball team kept, Central Aroostook’s shooting opportunities to a minimum and helped the Lady Warriors cap a furious fourth-quarter comeback as the team posted a 40-36 win Monday night.
Featuring perhaps the tallest girls’ team in the area, Central Aroostook looked to utilize their height advantage, forcing the ball inside, but Southern Aroostook’s Shana Martin and Erin Caswell doubled up on Sarah Long and got picks on balls placed just within their reach. Meanwhile, Liz Goodall did her part to disrupt play up top.
Goodall got the comeback started with a steal at the top of the key with 6:45 remaining in regulation. She took it all the way for the finish to pull the Lady Warriors within three.
Goodall stole a second pass, but was fouled and missed the first half of a one-and-one. Central Aroostook came up with the loose ball and Amber Bradley drove the Lady Panthers down the court. She started to penetrate but kicked it out to Alex Dame, whose shot fell short. Martin grabbed the rebound and sent the teams to the other end.
The teams traded baskets until the half-way mark when Martin got a shot to go and Goodall stole a ball at the top of the key and got the finish at the other end for the Lady Warriors’ first lead of the night at 33-32 with 4:37 remaining.
The teams would trade leads four times before Southern Aroostook got the break they were looking for.
Kaylea Collier launched a long two to give the Lady Warriors a 37-36 lead with 56.7 seconds remaining and a full-court trap gave the team the ball back on a player control foul down the right sideline. Southern Aroostook turned the ball over but got it back on a steal in the paint by Brittany Charette.
The Lady Warriors looked to slow things down and force Central Aroostook to foul. Martin hit the backside of a technical foul to put the team up two with 22 seconds remaining.
Long tipped away the inbounds pass, but it went to Southern Aroostook’s Amanda Charette, whose shot fell short. Long pulled down the rebound but Caswell picked off a pass on the other end and got the fastbreak layup at the buzzer for the final margin.
The teams traded turnovers throughout the first three quarters, keeping scoring to a minimum. Central Aroostook started out hot behind Long and Dame inside with forced passes and shots going their way and the team opened a 23-18 lead at the half.
Several players got into foul trouble in the third and Martin came alive for the Lady Warriors, leading to the comeback.
Southern Aroostook spread the scoring around to seven different players with Goodall leading the way with 10 followed by Martin with nine. Though the team shot only 24 percent from the floor, the Lady Warriors benefited from 24 steals, including six each from Goodall and Martin.
Central Aroostook was led by Long with 17 points and Bradley with 11. Dame netted eight. Kayla Day helped out inside with five blocked shots.
The Lady Panthers fall to 9-4 on the season and into fourth-place in Eastern Maine Class D girls’ basketball. Next up for the team is a home game Wednesday against Katahdin beginning at 6:30 p.m.
