Houlton halts Dexter girls’ title quest

By Pete Warner
Bangor Daily News

    BANGOR — It took only 3-1/2 minutes for the Houlton Shiretowners to generate the momentum they needed to win on Saturday night.
    Houlton’s player-to-player defense helped create turnovers on Dexter’s first five possessions of the second half and the Shiretowners turned them into a 12-1 burst that carried them to the Eastern Maine Class C girls basketball championship with a 46-38 victory at the Cross Insurance Center.

BDN photo/Linda Coan O’Kresik

    FINGER TIP — Mattanawcook Academy’s Courtney McIntyre takes a shot as Dexter’s Megan Peach, right, defends in second half action of the girls class C semifinal game on Friday. Dexter won the game 43-37 and advanced to the Eastern Maine Championship game, where they lost to Houlton, 46-38.

    “Our intensity was crazy. In the third quarter, our defense was ridiculous,” said Darling’s/BDN Most Valuable Player Kolleen Bouchard, who scored a game-high 20 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked five shots.
    Second-seeded Houlton (19-2) extended its lead to as many as 14 points, then held off a determined charge to overcome a senior-laden Dexter squad (18-3) that was the No. 4 seed.
    Coach Shawn Graham’s Shiretowners advance to take on Western Maine champion Maranacook of Readfield (18-3) in next Saturday’s 7:05 p.m. state title game in Bangor.
    It was Houlton’s first girls regional title since it won in Class B in 1993.
    “We’ve been teaching all year that if we keep it tight, we try to win the third quarter and that sets you up in the fourth quarter to play our game,” Graham said. “I think we’re in pretty good condition, so we try to wear teams down in the second half.”
    Sophomore guard Rylee Warman scored nine points and junior guard Chelsea Gentle posted seven points for the Shiretowners, who overcame foul trouble to junior forward Katie Condon, who posted six rebounds.
    Michaela White paced Dexter with 15 points and five rebounds, while Megan Peach chipped in with seven points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.
    Tasha Pratt sent Dexter into the locker room with a boost after making a 3-pointer before the halftime horn. The Tigers could not follow up on the shot.
    They turned the ball over five straight times to open the second half and the Shires scored six unanswered points.
    Ultimately, Dexter committed eight turnovers during the period and was limited to one free throw after 0-for-5 shooting.
    “It’s unfortunate, we just didn’t really get settled in that third quarter,” said Dexter coach Jody Grant, who pointed out his team struggled in the third quarter throughout the tournament.
    Freshman Aspen Flewelling got Houlton’s run started with a rebound basket after a turnover, then a five-second call against Dexter led to Bouchard’s driving hoop. Natalie Hill followed with a runner in the lane before Peach sank a foul shot for Dexter.
    But Gentle’s 18-footer helped Houlton close out the quarter on a 6-0 run that made it 34-24 after three.
    “We always talk about offensive habits and we had some chances to make some reads, better decisions and we didn’t, unfortunately,” Grant said.
    The Shires extended the lead to 40-26 before the Tigers rallied with a 12-2 flurry. Christine May hit back-to-back baskets, including a 3-pointer that trimmed the deficit to 42-38 with 1:20 remaining.
    But Warman made a six-footer from the baseline on Houlton’s ensuing possession to keep Houlton on top.
    Houlton had put Dexter on its heels early, jumping out of a quick 6-0 lead. White and Peach then spearheaded a 13-5 run that set up a seesaw second period that featured six lead changes and two ties.
    “We went four minutes without scoring the first period. We were able to overcome that,” Grant said. “You’re lucky to do that maybe once in a game.”

DEXTER (18-3) 38
HOULTON (19-2) 46

Dexter 7 23 24 38
Houlton 8 22 34 46