Lady Warriors advance to semifinal game against Fort Fairfield

By Gloria Austin  
Staff Writer
    The Southern Aroostook Lady Warriors wasted no time confirming why they are a top contender in girls Class D basketball.
Pioneer Times photograph/Joe Cyr
GOING UP STRONG – Southern Aroostook’s Shelby Hartin takes the ball up strong against a Deer Isle-Stonington defender in Monday’s Class D quarterfinal game at the Bangor Auditorium.
    The No. 3 Lady Warriors (16-2) steamrolled No. 6 Deer Isle-Stonington (12-8), 67-39 in Monday’s quarterfinal round. Southern Aroostook faces No. 2 Fort Fairfield (18-1) in Thursday’s semifinal at 7:05 p.m. at the Bangor Auditorium. Fort Fairfield defeated Shead  49-30 also in the quarterfinals Monday.
    Southern Aroostook did not face Fort Fairfield during the regular season, but did face a number of common opponents.
    With all of their players back, the Lady Warriors are playing to their full potential, as they showed Monday putting four players in double figures — Liz Goodall (15); Lauren McGary (14); Jasmine Rockwell (13) and Evangeline Goodall (11) — while McGary and Shelby Hartin (6 points) controlled the boards leading to a 41-31 rebounding edge.
    For Deer Isle-Stonington, Chelsea Brown led the way with 16 points, while Britnie Jones added 10; Heidi Brewer, six; Ericka Hutchins, five; and Janelle Cioemi, two.
Pioneer Times photograph/Joe Cyr
ON THE MOVE – SACS’ Evangeline Goodall dribbles by a Mariner defender during Monday’s Class D quarterfinal game.
    The Lady Warriors have traditionally been known for their pressure, and Monday was no exception as the SACS’ half-court trapping defense forced numerous Mariner turnovers in the game.
    “It took a little while to get going,” SACS coach Cliff Urquhart said. “Once we got going, and things settled in, the butterflies went away. I think our half-court trap bothered them.”
    Rockwell (who made all eight of her free throws) handled most of the scoring in the first quarter, netting seven points, including a 3-pointer and two free throws. McGary finished the quarter with an offensive put back for an 11-6 lead.
    SACS held a significant size advantage over the Mariners.
    “Anytime you have size and can utilize that size, good things happen,” Urquhart said. “That was the key to this game.”
    In the second period, Liz Goodall shouldered the scoring, as she rattled off the Lady Warriors first eight points for a 19-8 advantage to break the game open.
    The Lady Warriors built a comfortable 28-12 halftime cushion, with Rockwell and Liz Goodall having 20 of the Lady Warriors’ first-half points.
Pioneer Times photograph/Joe Cyr
IN YOUR FACE – Southern Aroostook’s Lauren McGary has a hand, literally, in her face when taking a shot against Deer Isle-Stonington in Monday’s Class D quarterfinal game at the Bangor Auditorium.  The Lady Warriors advance with a 67-39 win.
    In second half action, the Lady Warriors worked the boards, offensively and defensively, as Deer Isle had no answer. McGary and Hartin kept the middle closed on the Lady Warriors’ zone, as McGary grabbed 1 rebound and Hartin hauled down 15 boards. Hartin also had several blocks in the game, as she challenged most interior shots by the Mariners. McGary picked up her scoring, tossing in 12 points, including four put backs, as she was effective with her offensive rebounding.
Liz Goodall  drives for a shot.