Two-time defending champs face Dexter in battle of unbeatens
By Kevin Mills
Staff Writer

Now there’s a switch.

When the Dirigo girls’ basketball team arrives at Augusta tonight for the Class C state title game, they won’t be favored to win.

It has been a while since that last happened.

The Cougars meet Dexter in tonight’s 7 p.m. battle of unbeatens, but it is Dexter holding most of the expectations.

“It takes a lot of pressure off us, because people didn’t expect us to go this far after losing eight players,” said junior guard Brooke Weston. “So I feel we have less pressure on us with people saying Dexter is going to blow us out.”

Last year, the Cougars were expected not only to be in the state game but win handily. They were loaded. They had dominated opponents all season and looked more like a Class A club than a Class C team. They were said to be untouchable and invincible.

A year later, it is Dexter earning such lofty praise. The Tigers lost to Dirigo in overtime last year. They returned in force with four starters and actually are taller with the addition of 6-foot-6 freshman Mallory Ames.

“It’s the other way around,” said junior guard Alexa Kaubris. “There’s really no pressure going into this game. We’re the underdogs really for the first time. So we can just go out and play and not really worry about it. Dexter is a good team, but if we get out there and play hard, anything can happen.”

Dexter boasts the tandem of 6-foot-4 junior center Ashley Ames and her younger sister. Keriann Patterson, Sabrina Cote and Brittany Veazie are all back from last year and have helped make Dexter a force. The Tigers went 21-0 during the regular season, beating foes by an average of 48 points. They averaged over 70 points per game and gave up around 25.

Of course, the Cougars aren’t conceding anything. Dirigo has won 34 straight at Augusta and 66 consecutive games overall. They’ve played Dexter in the summer and in the preseason and been very competitive. Dexter got a scare from Central in the regional game, facing a tie game late in regulation before pulling away. If Dirigo takes advantage of its familiarity with Dexter, the Augusta Civic Center and its knack for playing composed when it matters most, the Cougars could give the Tigers a challenge.

“We knew we had to keep our composure,” Weston said of some tight tournament games last week. “If we don’t, we’re going to let down and we’re not going to have a good game. In those close games, I think we got out everything. We realize that if we just relax, good things will come.”

Playing a sizable Hall-Dale team in the regional final may prove a benefit. The Cougars faced a zone defense and went up against some tall players inside, holding Bulldogs forward Chelsey Dionne to just four points.

“Hall-Dale was definitely a good prep for the Dexter game,” said Kaubris. “Dionne is really big in there. Her style is similar to Ashley and Mallory Ames. So we’ll be able to take somethings that Coach had prepared last week and use them. We’re pretty much just building on everything we did last week and adding some more things and fine tuning some things.”

A pair of fathers helped out at practice this week. Karl Knight and Matt Kaubris, both former high school standouts, gave the Cougars some tall obstacles to execute against in preparation for the Ames sisters. The Cougars know if they can execute against the tall lineup and neutralize Dexter’s size advantage, anything can happen.

“We know what we need to do,” said Alexa Kaubris. “Coach has a good plan.”

kmills@sunjournal.com

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