HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton and Caribou girls basketball teams played a close game throughout their March 3 meeting, as the two teams met in a Class B/C division quarterfinal for the Aroostook League.
But in the end the No. 2 Shires pulled away to advance in the playoff bracket, with a final score of 51-34.
Houlton (8-5 overall) was led in its scoring efforts by Drew Warman, who scored 17 points, including three 3-pointers. Other prominent scorers were Mia Henderson with 11 points, and Emma Swallow with six.
The game was initially close, with Houlton only leading by two (14-12) after the first quarter and by six at halftime (25-19). But Houlton scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to make it a decisive victory.
“I thought Caribou did a nice job with their defense, they manned three and they put two in the paint, that caused some problems for us for a while,” said Houlton head coach Shawn Graham. “When that happens, you have to have some other girls come off your bench and step up to make a few shots.”
For No.7 Caribou (1-12), the scoring was led by Ashlyn Bouchard, who scored 13 points, along with Mia Theriault and Emily Collins, who scored seven and six points, respectively.
“When it comes down to it, Houlton took a lot better care of the ball then we did,” said Caribou head coach Kayla Brown. “They’re a tough team, and a really good team, they’ve got a lot of scorers and were able to get multiple people scoring tonight.
With the win, Houlton advances to the semifinals Friday, when the Shires face No. 3 Central Aroostook, at a time to be determined, to be played at Houlton Middle/High School. Central Aroostook advanced to the semifinals with a 53-31 win over No. 6 Fort Kent.
Houlton’s Olivia Henderson shoots a layup shot, with Caribou’s Gabrielle Sutherland defending her during a playoff game. (Alexander MacDougall | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Caribou’s Gabrielle Sutherland dribbles the ball, while being guarded by Houlton’s Drew Warman during a playoff game. (Alexander MacDougall | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Caribou’s Emily Collins shoots a layup while being guarded by Houlton’s Breanne Barton during a playoff game. (Alexander MacDougall | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Carbiou’s Sage Dubay dribbles the ball past Houlton’s Mia Henderson during a playoff game. (Alexander MacDougall | Houlton Pioneer Times)
