BANGOR– The Southern Aroostook Warriors girls basketball team defeated Woodland 55-41 in the Maine Principals’ Association class D Northern Maine girls basketball championship game played Saturday morning at the Cross Insurance Center. It is the first regional championship for the Southern Aroostook girls basketball program since 1997.
Southern Aroostook sophomore guard Makaelyn Porter said, “this has been our childhood dreams for as long as we can remember and to finally get that feels great.”
Southern Aroostook coach Cliff Urquhart added, “I am proud of the kids. It is a great feeling.”
The smothering Warriors defense forced 28 turnovers, including 17 in the first half. Coach Urquhart knew they had to play strong defensive against the Dragons talented post players.
“We knew we had to play good interior defense. Not just on (Emily) Curtis but on (Katie) Erskine as well,”Urquhart said. “I saw them (Woodland) several times during the year and they just dominated underneath.”
Kacy Daggett was a key for the Warriors interior defense. The freshman put in 13 points and had 12 rebounds. Daggett also had three steals and two key blocks.
“We really wanted to have good defensive pressure,”Daggett said. “We brought that and I think we made them turn the ball over.”
Daggett gave the Warriors a lead (6-5) they wouldn’t give back midway through the first quarter. Southern Aroostook went on an 8-0 run early in the second quarter to take a 20-11 lead. The Dragons responded with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 20-18. Southern Aroostook held a 26-22 halftime lead.
Porter drained a three pointer to give the Warriors a 31-24 lead early in the third quarter. Woodland would not closer than seven the rest of the way.
Kassidy Mathers is one of the junior leaders for the young Southern Aroostook team. Mathers contributed in a big way without putting up a lot of points. Mathers finished with 10 rebounds, 10 steals, and five assists to go along with her six points.
“We have kids that can do many things, not just score. If you’re not scoring, do things that can help the team,”Urquhart said. “She (Mathers) just picked it up and kids around her scored enough points that we got it done.”
Emily Curtis had a big tournament to help the Dragons reach the regional final. The freshman scored a team high 17 points. She also recorded 16 rebounds and two blocks. Jennie Cox added 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Sadie Smith put in eight points. Katie Erskine chipped in with four points and seven rebounds, while Shawna Monk had two points and four rebounds. Woodland finishes the season with a 17-4 record.
Porter scored 11 of her game high 19 points in the first half for the Warriors. Sydney Brewer added nine points, Katelyn Slavenwhite added six points, while Kylie Vining recorded two points, five assists, and five steals. Southern Aroostook (19-2) will play Vinalhaven or Rangeley in the class D state final at the Augusta Civic Center on March 3rd at 1:05 PM.
