Koch’s energy leads Washburn past FF
BANGOR — Washburn’s lead was a mere two points over Fort Fairfield Thursday when freshman Carsyn Koch was inserted into the lineup by coach Mike Carlos with 5:14 to play in the second quarter.
It didn’t take long for the quick and scrappy Koch to make an impact. She finished with eight points, five rebounds and three steals and was a disruptive force defensively while staying on the floor until the game was well in hand late in the fourth quarter.
The Beavers went on for a 49-37 win in the Eastern Maine Class D semifinal. It was the third victory by Washburn this season over the defending state champion Tigers. Although there were many solid contributions by individuals for Washburn, Koch made her mark on both ends of the floor. She got her hands on numerous loose balls, played gritty defense, snared some key rebounds and even did something she’s not accustomed to doing – chipped in with a few points.
“My role is definitely not scoring,” Koch said. “My initial role is coach finding a player on the other team and he tells me ‘you’re the peanut butter and she’s the jelly … let’s do it.’
“My job is to prevent her from getting the ball and I felt good out there today.”
Koch entered with her team leading 12-10, and the Beavers ended up going into halftime up 22-17. Koch scored on a 14-footer and also hit on a transition layup following a FF turnover to close out the second-quarter scoring.
Koch, along with teammates Carmen Bragg, Rayah Saucier and Meghan Saucier, keyed the defensive effort along the perimeter. The group helped force 25 Fort Fairfield turnovers thoughout the contest and neutralized the inside play of Tigers’ Amanda Hotham and Brooke Beaulieu, who combined to go just five of 15 from the floor. Hotham, who injured her left ankle with 1:06 to play in the first half, came back to play in the second half but was held to 14 points, which was below her season scoring average. Beaulieu managed just three points on 1-for-7 shooting from the field.
“We had trouble taking care of the ball. There were turnovers and fumbles and a lot of those were created by ourselves and at other times by their pressure,” said Fort Fairfield coach Larry Gardner. Washburn committed 18 turnovers themselves, but survived the miscues with their ferocious play on the defensive end. While foul trouble has been a trouble spot at times for the Beavers during the season, including the close regular season win at Fort Fairfield Feb. 2, that did not end up being a factor Thursday in the pressure-packed tourney game.
“We kept our composure out there while fighting hard for the ball,” said Washburn senior center Sarah Sjoberg.
Sydney Churchill and Danielle Tracy hit three-pointers to stake Fort to the early 6-0 lead, but Washburn fought back behind freshman Nicole Olson, who nailed a three-pointer and scored on consecutive drives to the basket as Washburn closed to within one (10-9) after the first quarter.
Senior forward Rebecca Campbell scored from inside with 7:03 left in the second to give Washburn its first lead, but three foul shots by Tracy and two more by Hotham put Fort Fairfield up 17-16 with 2:38 remaining before intermission. A runner by Bragg and the two Koch hoops put the Beavers back in charge, and the momentum continued after the break as Washburn took an 11-point lead in the third and the Tigers never got to within six the rest of the contest.
Campbell scored 17 points and hauled in 10 rebounds for Washburn, while Olson finished with 11 and was also credited by Carlos for her solid defense on Hotham throughout the game.
