Campbell, team defense key win
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
BANGOR – One aspect that was a constant for the Washburn Beavers during its tournament run was their relentless defense.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
Showing off the gold ball following Saturday’s victory are Washburn girls basketball players, from left, Meghan Saucier, Carsyn Koch, Nicole Olson, Rebecca Campbell, Sarah Sjoberg and Rayah Saucier.
That continued in the Class D state championship game on Saturday, and combined with a brilliant offensive showing by senior forward Rebecca Campbell led to the 43-30 victory over the Richmond Bobcats.
Following a 22-year drought, Washburn can now put another gold ball in the school’s trophy case.
“It’s just incredible,” explained freshman guard Carmen Bragg. “I feel lucky for the chance to just come here and play because many teams don’t get to come at all. It’s just an awesome start to a career.”
Bragg played a huge part in the victory. She helped spearhead a defense that included backcourt mates Rayah Saucier and Meghan Saucier out front along with the formidable front line of Campbell, Sarah Sjoberg, Nicole Olson and Carsyn Koch that kept the Western Maine champions flustered throughout the contest.
“Their pressure was really good and their defense was really strong and it made it difficult for us,” said Richmond senior Brooke Lancaster. “We haven’t seen anyone execute it as well as they did. They are very quick and they have the size … they are just a good team and it’s hard to beat someone that good.”
Washburn was able to set the tone early, but due to struggles taking care of the basketball themselves (six turnovers) only led 9-8 after the first quarter. Campbell had five of her team’s points, including a layup off an offensive rebound with 32 seconds left in the quarter that put her team on top to stay.
Campbell scored six more points in the second quarter, and her team’s defense forced 11 Richmond turnovers – many which were converted to points at the other end of the floor. The Bobcats had just eight field goal attempts in the period and they were unable to make any of their four free throws, so Washburn went into intermission with a 21-14 advantage.
Tara Hurley’s three-pointer 15 seconds into the third cut Washburn’s lead to four, but Bragg answered with a 15-footer and Richmond was unable to get closer than six points for the remainder of the game.
Olson’s buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the third put Washburn up by 11, and Campbell’s six points, including a three-pointer while being fouled, and a 4-for-4 effort from the foul line by Bragg was enough offense in the fourth quarter to give Washburn its first state championship in girls’ basketball since 1989.
Washburn ended up forcing a total of 28 turnovers in the game, which was the result of the game plan by coach Mike Carlos.
“It’s all about defensive pressure and if [the opponent] can’t handle it, we’re going to get the result that we want and that’s what happened today,” Carlos said. Campbell added that “with Carmen, Carsyn and all our hands in there, an offensive team has to be almost perfect against us because if you throw a lob pass, we are going to get it eventually.”
Campbell, who had fouled out midway through the third quarter in Washburn’s victory over Deer Isle-Stonington in the Eastern Maine final a week earlier, said she made it a point to stay on the court against the Bobcats.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
Nicole Olson of the Beavers takes the ball strong to the basket during Saturday’s 53-40 win over Richmond in the state championship game.
“I knew going in that I had to keep a level head. I needed to keep my feet set defensively and needed to be patient offensively,” Campbell said, “but I think I had the mindset that we had to still play hard – not just myself but the whole team and that if we didn’t do that, it was going to be a struggle out there.”
“Our main thing was to keep up the pressure and the intensity with our defense, using our speed to our advantage,” Bragg said. “We wanted to try to shake them up a little bit.”
She added that teamwork was another variable in the Beavers’ favor, not just in the state game but also throughout the season.
“We really look for each other on the court,” she said. “When we get down, we pick each other up and that’s what really helps us out there.”
Campbell finished the game with 22 points on 9-for-17 shooting from the floor. She also had eight rebounds and three assists while chipping in on defense with two steals and drawing a pair of player-control fouls.
“I made her play inside, but by getting her there and making her do post things, they didn’t stop her,” Carlos said, “and that’s what made the difference. We attacked them inside early on and got them in foul trouble.”
Bragg ended up with nine points and Koch came off the bench to net six, while also grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds.
Richmond’s Plummer, the team’s leading scorer throughout the year, did finish with 14 points, but eight of those came in the fourth quarter when the outcome was already decided.
“Last year I thought we were close, but this year we came back with more defense,” Carlos said. “We were tough on both ends, so we knew we had a great shot.”
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
Washburn players, from left, Nicole Olson, Carsyn Koch and Sarah Sjoberg start celebrating as the final seconds tick down during Saturday’s Class D state final against Richmond. The Beavers won the championship for the first time since 1989.
Staff photo/Joseph Cyr
Rebecca Campbell eyes the basket to score two of her 22 points in Washburn’s victory over Richmond Saturday.
