AUGUSTA – It seemed that every time Christine Whittier got back into the game Friday night, back to the bench she’d go.

While her Gray-New Gloucester teammates struggled to overcome an early deficit against upset-minded Fryeburg, the best Whittier could do was nurse her foul trouble on the bench.

“It was really, really frustrating,” said the senior forward. “I got down on myself, but our principal gave us a speech before we left and he said how we were representing more than just ourselves. That kind of helped.”

When Whittier finally got a chance to make an impact, she pulled down a couple of key rebounds and made critical baskets down the stretch, helping lift the No. 2 Patriots to a 45-40 win over the No. 7 Raiders in a Western Class B girls’ basketball quarterfinal.

“I knew I just had to play smart,” said Whittier. “I knew we need to get back on defense, and I had to get rebounds. I just wanted to post up. The coach just kept telling me to get on the block.”

Whittier had six of her nine points in the final quarter as the Patriots outlasted a young Fryeburg (11-9) team. After closing the gap to two points early in the fourth, the second-ranked Patriots (17-2) rode their experience and defensive play to squelch the Raiders’ upset bid.

“They’ve been here every year,” said G-NG coach Ken Butler, whose team has been to the regional final three straight years and won twice. “We knew not to panic. I was panicking for them a little. They pulled it together and showed some guts and character.”

Dawn Ross led the Patriots with 15 points while Josalee Danieli added 14. Fryeburg got fine games from Linsey McFarlin with 18 points and Meredith Wheeler with 13.

“I can’t be more proud of my kids,” said Fryeburg coach Billie L’Heureux, whose club lost to G-NG by 20 in the regular season. “We went from 4-14 to 11-9. They just played their butts off.”

McFarlin’s 14 points in the first half helped spark the Raiders to an early lead. Fryeburg was up by seven in the first quarter and up by as many as 10 in the second.

Wheeler hit some nice shots in the third quarter to keep G-NG at bay. When McFarlin scored off a fast break with 3:45 left in the third, Fryeburg was up 29-19 and time was running out for the Patriots.

G-NG turned the deficit around in about 1:20. A three-point play by Danieli and baskets by Katie Skilling and Ross moved the Patriots to within three.

“Once they got into the flow of scoring, the knew they could do it,” said Butler.

That spurt set the stage for the final quarter. Fryeburg missed its first four shots of the quarter and struggled to answer the Patriots rally as G-NG toughened up its defense.Olivia Ryan came in for Whittier and helped provide a spark with three defensive rebounds.

“We just couldn’t answer,” said L’Heureux. “I think they forgot how much time was left and they thought they had to do it all at once.”

After a Wheeler pull-up jumper, Whittier fed Danieli for a score with 3:45 to put G-NG within two. Ross hit a free throw and Whittier followed with a pair to put the Patriots in the lead for good with 2:11 left. Whittier then hit a turn-around shot in the paint for a three-point lead.

From there, Fryeburg was playing catch-up. The Raiders got a drive from Kathleen Graves, but Ross free throws in the final minute sealed it.

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