C South girls basketball: Old Orchard Beach eases past Winthrop and into semifinals

AUGUSTA — The last time there was a basketball tournament proper in the Augusta Civic Center, the Winthrop Ramblers claimed a pair of regional championships.

This time around, neither the boys or girls squads made it out of the quarterfinals.

Led by a double-double from junior guard Elise MacNair, No. 5 Old Orchard Beach stunned No. 4 Winthrop 44-35 in one of four Class C South girls quarterfinal matchups Tuesday.

“It was a rock fight,” Old Orchard coach Dean Plante said.

The Seagulls (15-3) will meet No. 1 Hall-Dale in Thursday’s semifinals.

“Anything’s possible here,” said MacNair, who finished with a game-high 14 points and 13 rebounds. “These four teams that are going to advance, they all have talent. It could be anyone’s game at this point. I don’t think the numbers and the rankings mean anything now.

“At the end of the day, it’s who shows up and wants it more.”

Old Orchard led four times by seven or more points, including three times in the second half, but had difficulty putting Winthrop (13-4) away.

Leading by four, 39-35, with 38.9 seconds remaining, MacNair hit a pair of key free throws to help the Gulls punch their ticket to the next round.

“I think we were more composed,” Plante said. “We could have gotten rattled in the first half, but we didn’t. Winthrop’s scrappy and they make you play for four quarters. We knew that was going to come in.”

By contrast, the Ramblers struggled at the free throw line throughout. It proved detrimental, particularly with Old Orchard in foul trouble early on.

Winthrop made 19 of 31 free throw attempts — but it missed a pair of would-be freebies in the second half that would have turned into 3-point plays and chopped its deficit to just three on the scoreboard.

“We had a couple of chances, but we just didn’t get there,” Winthrop coach Jon Baehr said. “It comes down to we have to make our foul shots. We missed some wide-open layups anticipating contact, too. Add those up, and it’s probably going to be a little bit closer and we might have had a chance at the end.”

MacNair influenced the game at both ends of the floor, scoring points and leading the Gulls out into transition. Freshman Tessa Ferguson added 12 points — including six in the second half that finished off quick transition plays started by MacNair.

MacNair scored four of the Gulls’ final six points. Her left-handed scoop shot in the paint with 1:50 to play made it 39-32.

“We wanted to play fast,” MacNair said. “I think the biggest difference in the two halves was that in the first half we played in a hurry. Playing in a hurry and playing fast-paced are completely different. I think we came out in that second half and really brought it.”

Lydia Rice led Winthrop with nine points, while Maddie Perkins added eight.