HOULTON, Maine — The Presque Isle girls basketball team managed to preserve its perfect record Tuesday evening with a 57-41 victory over Houlton, thanks to an incredible second-half effort from behind the 3-point arc.
Playing against a determined Houlton squad, the Wildcats (10-0) had to overcome a first-half deficit that saw the team trailing by as many as six points on two different occasions before the break.
Faith Sjoberg paced Presque Isle with 13 points, while Juliana Morningstar added 11; Meg Casavant had 10; Anna Jandreau added nine and Rhylee Kinney had seven.
For Houlton (7-4), Mia Henderson led all players with 17 points, while Olivia Henderson had nine and Drew Warman and Bre Barton both had six.
Trailing 23-20 at the end of the half, the Wildcats turned to what they do best — shooting 3-pointers — to get back into the game. Presque Isle sank an incredible six 3-pointers in the third quarter alone, and finished the game with 10.
“That is the way we play,” Presque Isle coach Jeff Hudson said of the 3-pointers. “We knew this was going to be a really tough game. Houlton is a very tough team. Fortunately, we made some big shots in the third quarter.”
Not to be outdone, Houlton also connected on a couple of deep balls, especially in the third quarter, to keep the Shires within striking distance. In fact, 24 of the 29 combined points scored by both teams in the third quarter came from behind the 3-point arc.
“Presque Isle got hot (in the third quarter) hitting a number of threes and we missed some assignments defensively,” Houlton coach Shawn Graham said. “You are not going to outshoot Presque Isle when it comes to 3-pointers.”
It was Houlton who started quickly, jumping to a 10-4 lead with 4:24 to play in the first quarter, thanks to a pair of free throws and 3-pointer by Mia Henderson, a layup from Olivia Henderson and an offensive putback and subsequent free throw by Ardell.
That scoring outburst prompted a quick timeout from coach Hudson to settle his team. His strategy paid off as the Wildcats came out of that break scoring seven straight points to take an 11-10 lead.
Houlton managed to regain control and went up by three (16-13) at the end of the first quarter thanks to an aggressive pressing defense that forced a number of Presque Isle turnovers. That strategy continued in the second quarter, but aggressiveness also translated into a number of Houlton fouls.
Unfortunately for the Shires, two starters — Emma Ardell and Mia Henderson — collected three personal fouls in the first half and were on the bench for the start of the second half.
“We got into a little bit of foul trouble and did our best to hang on to the lead heading into the half,” Graham said. “We were super aggressive, played hard and limited their 3-point shots (in the first half.)”
Coach Hudson said while he was pleased with the victory, he felt his team still had much to improve upon.
“Every game is different,” he said. “We can be really great one game, then really bad the next. It’s important for other players to step up, and they did tonight.”
Coach Graham said he could not fault the effort by his young squad, which has just two seniors.
“Overall I loved the effort from my girls tonight,” Graham said. “We have faced Presque Isle three times this year and been competitive in all three. And I think we will see them again (in the playoffs).”
Anna Jandreau (right) of Presque Isle puts up a one-handed shot over Houlton’s Olivia Henderson during a Feb. 23 game in Houlton. Presque Isle beat Houlton 57-41. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Morgan Graham (center) of Houlton tries to put up a shot between Presque Isle defenders Meg Casavant (left) and Faith Sjoberg during a Feb. 23 game. Presque Isle beat Houlton 57-41. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Mia Henderson (left) of Houlton looks to dribble around Presque Isle’s Juliana Morningstar during a Feb. 23 game. Presque Isle beat Houlton 57-41. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Eying the basket as she puts up a shot during a Feb. 23 game is Houlton’s Bre Barton while guarded by Wildcat Rhylee Kinney. To the right is PI’s Julianna Morningstar. Presque Isle beat Houlton 57-41. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Trying to split between Wildcat defenders Faith Sjoberg (left) and Sadie Lapointe (right) is Houlton’s Drew Warman during a Feb. 23 game. Presque Isle beat Houlton 57-41. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Going up for a layup is Wildcat Faith Sjoberg (right) as Houlton’s Morgan Graham defends during a Feb. 23 game. Presque Isle beat Houlton 57-41. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Launching a shot during a Feb. 23 game is Presque Isle’s Meg Casavant. Presque Isle beat Houlton 57-41. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
Presque Isle’s Rhylee Kinney (40) grabs a rebound over the outstretched arms of Houlton’s Emma Swallow during a Feb. 23 game in Houlton. Presque Isle beat Houlton 57-41. (Joseph Cyr | Houlton Pioneer Times)
