AUBURN – With two starters on the bench with ankle injuries, it was a bit of a challenge for the Edward Little girls to put their best foot forward Friday night.
Still, the Red Eddies weren’t looking to make excuses against a potent Morse basketball team.
“Our team likes challenges a lot,” said junior center Kelsey Nicolas. “When we have two starters down, we’re not going to mope on the bench. We’re going to support each other and fight 10 times harder.”
The Red Eddies gave a gallant effort against the Shipbuilders and were within eight points at the half, but EL’s inexperience couldn’t keep pace with a talented Morse team. The Shipbuilders (8-2) pulled away in a 63-42 victory.
“We basically had nothing to lose,” said junior guard Allie Forgues. “We weren’t going to come into the game intimidated. We were just going to give it our all and hope for the best.”
EL was playing without starting guards Kate Dargie and Ashley Gaylord. Though the Red Eddies struggled Tuesday in a loss to Lewiston, EL played with more intensity and continuity against the Shipbuilders.
“Honestly, I thought it was the best thing in the world because we could prove to everyone, who cares if we face any obstacles,” said junior guard Brittney French.
EL stayed within six points through the first quarter and fell behind by as many as 14 in the second but cut the lead to 28-20 at the half. In the third quarter, Morse sped away, outscoring EL 23-8.
“Morse did an excellent job with the pressure,” said EL coach Craig Jipson, whose team lost to Morse 74-62 earlier in the year. “We did a poor job dealing with the press.”
EL (2-8) had 10 turnovers in the third quarter and had four consecutive giveaways that sparked 13 straight points during a 17-2 run. Kate Ross and Jill Henrikson combined for 18 of Morse’s 23 points. EL was also hampered by foul trouble. French fouled out, and Forgues played with four fouls for much of the game.
“The rest of the game, it was three freshmen out there together,” said Jipson. “Some kids stepped up. Once again we missed Kate and Ashley, but we played a lot better without them than we did against Lewiston.”
French led EL with 14 points while Forgues added 11. Nicolas chipped in eight. Morse got 18 each from Henrikson and Ross.
“Forgues, Nicolas and French really showed some leadership,” said Jipson, who also praised the play of freshman guard Karen Leary in a starting role. “Some of the young kids played as well as they can play. They just have to get better every game.”
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