Beavers pull away for victory
By Joseph Cyr
Sports Editor
BANGOR — The No. 3 Washburn boys (17-2 overall) outlasted No. 6 Katahdin 66-51 Monday morning in an Eastern Class D quarterfinal. With the victory, Washburn advances to the semifinals 7:05 p.m. Thursday against No. 2 Jonesport-Beals (17-1 overall).
Staff Photo/Joseph Cyr
GUARDED — Washburn’s Jordan McLaughlin looks for an open defender.
Beavers 66
Cougars 51
Washburn and Jonesport-Beals did not face each other during the regular season. The Royals earned a spot in the semifinals with a hard-fought 72-70 victory over No. 7 Fort Fairfield. Katahdin finishes 12-7 on the season.
“We finally picked up the tempo in the second half,” Beaver coach Randy Norsworthy said. “We have a number of 3-point shooters, so we are not afraid to launch the three. This was just a total team effort today.”
Washburn’s Mitch Worcester put on a masterful shooting performance from the foul line, as he was a perfect 7 of 7 from the free throw line, drained five 3-pointers and finished with 26 points. Jordan McLaughlin added 13 for the Beavers, while Mason Turner added 11; Nick Bragg and Chase Chandler, each had five; Connor Fitzpatrick, four; and Kyle Huston, two.
For Kathadin, Kolby Gallagher led the team with 14 points, while Brandon Robinson added 12; Colton Bivinghouse, 11; Steven Whitney, four; William Livezy and Kohle Birmingham, each had three; and Jesse McNally and Brady McNally, each had two.
The Beavers were 14-of-22 (64 percent) from the foul line, while the Cougars were 9-of-16 (56 percent) from the line.
Coming into the game, coach Norsworthy was hoping to push the score into the 70s, while controlling the tempo of the game. The Beavers did just that, getting back-to-back 3-pointers from Worcester and Turner on their first two possessions.
Both teams traded baskets for much of the opening stanza, with Washburn taking an 18-13 lead. Katahdin then tightened up defensively, limiting Washburn to just seven points in the second quarter, while cutting into the Beavers’ lead. Washburn led 25-23 at the half.
In the third period, Gallagher gave the Cougars a 26-23 edge with a 3-pointer to open the second half, but Washburn quickly regained the lead on the next possession when Chandler converted a traditional three-point play with a layup and subsequent free throw, giving the Beavers a 28-26 lead. Katahdin would never lead again.
Washburn drained 10 3-pointers in the contest. Eight of those treys came in the second half, which helped the Beavers control the tempo of the game.
Coach Norsworthy added he was pleased to see scoring from a number of different players in Monday’s quarterfinal.
“One of the rubs that this team has been taking is that it’s all Mitch Worcester,” he said. “Mitch did have a great game with 26 points, but we had balanced scoring from a bunch of different guys today. That is key for us.”
COUGARS 13 10 8 20— 51
BEAVERS 18 7 17 24 — 66
