Staff Writer
The No. 5 Greater Houlton Christian Academy Lady Eagles had their Class D quarterfinal win within reach, but it slipped through their grasp, 76-71 in double overtime on Monday in Bangor.
Photograph courtesy Northwood Studio/Todd Douglass
PATIENCE – GHCA’s Chelsie Lord patiently holds the ball above her head waiting to find an open teammate during Monday’s Class D quarterfinal game against Ashland.
Instead, the Ashland Lady Hornets have a date with the Katahdin Lady Cougars in Thursday’s 8:35 p.m. semifinal matchup at the Bangor Auditorium.
“It was one of those games when you hate to see anyone lose,” said GHCA coach Terry Cummings. “There were some great plays. This was one of the greatest games I’ve ever been a part of with the effort shown by both teams.”
The Lady Eagles had built a seven-point lead, 51-44, with 3:28 left in regulation, but a swarming Ashland full-court press erased the lead. The Lady Hornets ran off seven unanswered points to tie the game behind Suzie Poulin’s 3-point jumpstart, followed by back-to-back steals by Whitney Flint, who connected with Mindy Chasse on the second one to tie the game at 51-all.
“That was a key in the game,” said Cummings. “They can score points in a hurry and we had trouble getting the ball in. We knew that this has been one of our weaknesses all year long … taking care of the ball under pressure.”
Flint and Chasse both have the capacity to score points, as Flint had 43 in these teams’ second meeting in Ashland, and she again proved to be the sparkplug.
The Lady Eagles bounced back to extend their lead to three points, 54-51, with a minute to play behind free throws by Sarah Riopel, Kari Brewer and Kasi Parker. But, Ashland cousins, Flint and Chasse weren’t to be denied in their senior year. The ball was in their hands, and Flint hit a free throw and Chasse the tying basket with 50 seconds in regulation.
With 43 seconds left, the Lady Eagles’ Riopel once again held the game in her hands, as she went to the free throw line. With composure and confidence she swished both shots to push GHCA to a 56-54 advantage.
As time was winding down, Macie Pelkey lined up for an uncontested 3-pointer that fell short, but it was Jade Tilley’s only shot of the game, an offensive putback with one second left that sent the game into overtime.
Heading into the overtime, GHCA was without the services of Brewer, who had fouled out with 34 seconds left in the game. As the period opened, Parker was hit with her fourth personal and point guard Chelsie Lord was saddled with three.
The Lady Eagles’ Parker scored from the post and then Lord made a home at the foul line going 7-for-10 to give GHCA a 65-62 lead. However, Flint playing with three fouls of her own didn’t slow her pace. She scored eight of her team’s nine points in the overtime, including a huge 3-pointer to with five seconds left in OT to knot the game and keep her team’s hopes alive.
“With 7.2 seconds, I thought we pretty much had the game,” said Cummings. “We just didn’t want Flint to get a 3. She was about 8 feet behind the arc and hit that. It was not what we wanted.”
In the second overtime, the Lady Eagles’ Parker again opened up the period with an inside basket and the anticipation grew with each play. With over two minutes to play in double OT, Lord was whistled with her fifth foul with the game tied at 67-all. Ashland’s Flint went to work from the free throw stripe hitting two shots for a 69-67 lead with 2:17 to play.
Parker stepped up for GHCA scoring twice to keep her team within a point, 72-71 with 25 seconds left. But, Flint would go on to make four straight free throws (6-for-8 in the second overtime) to lift her team to the victory.
“The game was over at least three times,” said Ashland head coach Bill Nemer. “As much as we worked on our press we needed more of a sense of urgency, and if it wasn’t for Whitney’s shots in overtime and Suzie’s in regulation time, we wouldn’t be here.”
In the opening period, the Lady Eagles fell behind 10-2, as Flint keyed Ashland with seven first-quarter points, but made their way back into contention behind two Riopel 3-pointers to trail 16-12. The Lady Eagles took their first lead of the ballgame since the opening basket behind Riopel, who connected for a 3-pointer, layup and feed to Lord for a 21-20 advantage.
Then a Chasse basket helped Ashland regain the lead, 25-23, and the score would flip-flop to intermission with GHCA’s Brewer giving her team the 26-25 halftime lead.
The Lady Eagles executed their defense to near perfection.
“They were having trouble finding out if we were playing a man or playing that match-up zone,” Cummings said. “But, in the second half, Flint got a little more going to the basket and that kind of hurt us.”
Brewer and Parker took Chasse out of the game with their smothering defense in the interior.
“Kari had her sealed off,” said Parker. “And offensively, I didn’t have much of a height advantage over her, but if I keep the ball up and shoot, she couldn’t get it.”
Parker led GHCA (14-6) with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Riopel scored 23 points. Lord added 15 and Brewer finished with seven points and eight boards.
For Ashland, Flint had 36 points, with 16 coming in overtime, while grabbing nine rebounds. Sophomore Taylor Baker had a solid floor performance, coming away with 10 points and seven rebounds.
“Ashland is a good team, but I will give our girls credit, they never gave up, start to finish,” Cummings said.
The Lady Eagles had advanced to the quarterfinal after defeating Shead, 41-24 in a preliminary contest at the University of Maine at Presque Isle last Tuesday.
Riopel led GHCA’s scoring with 13 points, while Brewer tossed in 10 and Parker pulled down 12 rebounds.
The loss was a tough one for seniors Riopel and Lord, but the Lady Eagles have a core of returning players for next year, including Parker, Brewer and Deidre Socoby.
“It’s not as bad knowing we went out and gave it our all and had fun,” she said. “We just have to look forward to next year. Hopefully, we can make it to the tournament and bring our game next year.”
The two seniors have a lifetime of memories from the Bangor Auditorium.
“They did a great job,” Cummings said. “They both had great careers. It is a testament to the girls and how hard they work.”
After the buzzer and a deep breath, work begins for a new season.
“Next year starts right now,” Cummings said after the game. “Kari and Kasi are among the better ballplayers in Class D upfront, and Deidre stepped it up. Who knows who will run the point or off guard positions, both are open.”
Photograph courtesy Northwood Studio/Todd DouglassSURROUNDED – GHCA senior Sarah Riopel draws attention from Ashland’s Whitney Flint and Macie Pelkey during Monday night’s Class D quarterfinal game at the Bangor Auditorium.
Houlton Pioneer Times photograph/Gloria Austin
DRIVES – GHCA’s Kari Brewer looks to drive around Ashland’s Crystal Cook during Monday’s Class D quarterfinal game at the Bangor Auditorium. GHCA lost in double overtime, 76-71.
