Staff Writer
BANGOR – “It was like lightning had struck,” was how Washburn assistant coach Joshua Blackstone explained the Class D quarterfinal finale against the Katahdin Cougars at the Bangor Auditorium on Monday night.
Contributed photo/jeremiahsjoberg.com Rachel Palmer looks to the basket, and attempts to ignore her Katahdin defenders in Monday night’s Class D quarterfinal. Katahdin upset number-one Washburn.
In overtime, Katahdin’s Melissa Duffy knotted the game at 34-all before a series of jump balls and turnovers struck both teams.
A jump ball call with 1:04 left in overtime turned the possession to Katahdin.
Kali Rush dribbled the ball to the deep right corner and all she could see were the outstretched arms of Washburn’s 6-2 Rachel Palmer.
She desperately heaved a shot, that lead to the upset defeat of the number-one Beavers, 36-34.
With 3:11 left in regulation, the top-seeded Beavers held a 32-26 lead after Erica McDougall broke free for a layup and hit a free throw, but a Washburn turnover with just over a minute to play was costly.
“We had a seven point lead, and some teams would concede a little,” said Blackstone. “But they never went away.” On the ensuing play, Katahdin’s Olivia McNally rang home a 3-pointer.
Throughout the game, the Beavers’ guards McDougall and McLaughlin were swarmed by the pesky Cougars tandem of Melissa Duffy and JaLisa Moore, who would trap the ball handler at midcourt, looking for a turnover.
Going into the game, the Beavers wanted to utilize their height advantage in the post.
But, the scrappy Katahdin team was up for the David and Goliath challenge.
“We were trying to take advantage of our height and feed the ball to Rachel,” said Blackstone. “If that got clogged up we would use our outside game with McDougall and McLaughlin.”
However, the Cougar pressure disrupted Washburn’s plans.
Both teams went at a slow pace to open the game, with the Cougars taking a 6-2 lead.
The second quarter was played much like the first, with neither team gaining much of an advantage, as Washburn went 1-for-9 from the free throw line and still was able to squeak out a 13-11 halftime lead behind McDougall’s put back and jumper from the elbow and Palmer’s four points from the post.
The third period set up a decisive final period, as the teams swapped baskets through the quarter.
Katahdin’s McNally hit a baseline shot and a 3-pointer and Duffy had a fast break layup, while Washburn’s McLaughlin and freshman Rebecca Campbell kept their team in the lead, 23-22.
Washburn’s Palmer was the game’s top scorer with 13 points, followed by McLaughlin with 10 more.
They shot 13-of-34 from the field and 8-for-17 from the stripe.
