AUGUSTA – After graduating four starters from last year’s squad, it seemed like an uphill climb for the Rangeley girls’ basketball team to reach the Western D championship game.
After falling behind by as many as 11 points Thursday, that challenge got even steeper. Though the semifinal has been a stumbling block for the Lakers two of the last three years, Rangeley still managed to rally against Kents Hill for a 48-45 victory.
“I knew we were going to come back,” said senior forward Ashley Morton. “We’ve been talking about this all year. We’re not the team everyone thought we were going to be this year. I knew we were going to make it further than the semifinals this time.”
The second-ranked Lakers (16-5) play top-seed Valley in Saturday’s regional championship. It was the Cavaliers that bounced the Lakers in the semifinals last year.
The Lakers got 13 points from Nicole Crupi while Ashley Quimby and Ashley Morton each chipped in 11. The Huskies got 15 from Aleigh Mills and 14 from Alessandra Rohde.
Kents Hill’s foul trouble in the third quarter opened the door for the Rangeley rally. The Huskies (13-3) had two starters, Lili Pettengill and Mills, nursing four fouls.
“We knew some of their better players were in foul trouble,” said Morton. “So we wanted to take advantage and go at them in the second half.”
Rangeley, which beat the Huskies 49-41 in January, cranked up its defense and forced 11 Kents Hill turnovers in the final quarter, including six in the final two minutes.
After a Jackie Gershman-Mannochi basket gave Kents Hill the lead with 3:32 left, a Quimby rebound put the Lakers ahead for good. Though Quimby missed six free throws in the final minutes, including five straight, she helped boost the lead with three in the final 26 seconds.
“I just knew I had to put the past free throws that I missed behind me,” said Quimby. “I had to just go for the next ones. I knew the team was going to support me the whole way. That’s why we pulled through.”
Kents Hill’s quickness and Rangeley turnovers plagued the Lakers in the first half. The Lakers had 11 turnovers in the first quarter and seven in the second. Rangeley hit just 8-of-27 from the field while the Huskies built a 16-6 lead in the first quarter and maintained it in the second, shooting 13-for-20 in the first half.
“We knew if we relaxed, that’s when we play best,” said Morton.
When Mills and Pettengill went to the bench with foul trouble in the third quarter, the Lakers made their move. Down 33-22 after baskets by Mills and Jane Pavalkis, the Lakers got to within 37-34 late in the third. After a Hayley White free throw, Crupi scored on a steal and off an inbounds pass.
A Crupi pass for Morton early in the fourth got Rangeley within 40-38 and a Quimby leaner tied it with 5:58 left. Morton put Rangeley ahead with a free throw with 5:03 left, but Gershman-Mannochi’s jumper gave the Huskies the 42-41 lead with 3:32 remaining. The Huskies would produce just one field goal the rest of the way.
“When we came out in the third quarter, we knew we had to pump ourselves up,” said Quimby. “We knew we were going to take it from there. We just pumped ourselves up and came to play.”
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