By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
BANGOR, Maine — That collective sigh of relief heard coming from the Cross Insurance Center Monday morning was that of Fort Fairfield fans as the Tigers managed to avoid a huge upset by Penobscot Valley. No. 3 Fort Fairfield (15-5 overall) needed overtime, but came away with a thrilling, 59-54, victory over the Howlers in an Eastern Class D girls quarterfinal game. No. 6 Penobscot Valley finishes its season with a 14-6 record.
The Tigers advance to Thursday’s 7:05 p.m. semifinal matchup with No. 2 Van Buren, who beat Limestone-MSSM, 70-46, in the day’s other girls Class D quarterfinal. Fort Fairfield beat Van Buren, 67-47, Jan. 2 at Van Buren and 59-50 at home Feb. 5.
Taylor Churchill (5-foot, 6-inch sophomore guard) led the Tigers with 18 points, including an impressive 7-of-10 shooting from the foul line. Meg Jellison (5-8 junior forward) chipped in 12.
Sami Ireland led Penobscot Valley with 20 points, while Molly McGinn added 17.
“We didn’t play defense the way we were capable of for much of the game,” Fort Fairfield coach Larry Gardner said. “The kids never gave up and made some key shots when they needed to.”
Trailing 36-29 after three periods, the Tigers turned up the defensive intensity in the fourth quarter, which resulted in several turnovers. Jellison heated up from behind the 3-point arc, draining a pair of baskets, and added a short-range jumper to produce eight of her team’s 21 points in the period. Churchill was exceptional in that period as well, converting 5-of-8 foul shots.
PVHS took a 50-46 lead with 28.6 seconds to play in regulation, but the Tigers remained unfazed. Churchill alertly grabbed a rebound on a missed Howler free throw and was fouled. She calmly sank both free throws to pull her team to within one possession; 50-48.
On the ensuing play, Fort Fairfield stole the ball and coach Gardner quickly called a timeout. Out of the huddle, the Tigers went for the win with a 3-point shot, but it was off the mark. Giberson alertly grabbed the rebound and put it back in to tie the game at 50-all. PVHS was unable to get a quality shot off, sending the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, Jellison drilled a 3-pointer, while Logan Bubar chipped in a field goal and two of four foul shots and McNamee added a field goal as the Tigers were able to come away with the victory.
“You can be a blind man and still see the tempo of the game changed when my sophomore point guard (Amy Hallett) fouled out,” Penobscot Valley coach Joe Cyr said. “That was the dagger in the heart for us.”
“We go a little deeper than them (Penobscot Valley),” coach Gardner said. “It’s a good thing we do, because we had three girls foul out.”
