Greenville upsets top-seeded Rangeley girls for D South title

AUGUSTA — In a battle of the Lakers, No. 3 Greenville pulled an upset win over top-seeded Rangeley to come out on top 41-20 for the girls’ D South regional crown at the Augusta Civic Center on Saturday, Feb. 23. The regional title is the first for Greenville since earning top honors in Class D West in 2010.

Greenville took an early lead in the game, going up 6-0, before Rangeley came roaring back with an 8-point run to close out the first quarter. The teams kept the game tight until halftime, with Greenville edging out Rangeley slightly for a 14-11 lead.

But the third quarter proved to be the decision maker for Greenville, as the team took a commanding 31-11 lead after holding Rangeley scoreless for the entire quarter.

Halle Pelletier scored a game-high 17 points for the Lakers. Morgan Noyes added nine and Bianca Breton scored eight.

Greenville (15-6) will now make a run for the state championship. They will face North top seed Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook (19-2), who claimed the D North crown Saturday morning, in the state finals on Saturday, March 2 at the Cross Insurance Center, in Bangor. Game time will be approximately 1:30 p.m., but has not been determined officially because the University of Maine men’s team plays an 11 a.m. game on the same date.

The Lakers of Greenville upset No. 2 Temple in the semifinals 50-29 to advance to the regional title game. Greenville defeated Pine Tree Academy 37-16 in the quarterfinals.

Greenville reached the semifinals last season, where it was eliminated by Vinalhaven.

The Lakers of Rangeley (who end at 19-2) cruised to the regional finals after easy wins over No. 4 Valley in the semifinals, 51-29, and No. 8 Seacoast Christian, 56-23 in the quarterfinals.

Rangeley’s season ends at 19-2. They won the state championship in 2016.

Feb. 20: The Greenville girls made a statement in the team’s D South semifinal game, upsetting No. 2 Temple Academy 50-29 to earn a spot in the regional finals. The Lakers took a commanding lead early in the game, ending the first quarter with a 12-5 advantage. Greenville widened the gap by halftime, with a score of 26-11. Jessica Pomerleau scored a game-high 15 points, and Halle Pelletier had 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Lakers’ record improves to 14-6 on the season. Temple’s season ends at 15-5. Greenville reached the semifinals last season, where it was eliminated by Vinalhaven.

The Greenville boys quest to repeat as Class D champions (and three-peat as regional title winners) came to an end as the fifth-seeded Lakers fell to a dominant top-seeded Forest Hills 72-37 in a D South semifinal. Camden Harmon scored a team-high 10 points and Noah Bilodeau had seven. Greenville finishes at 9-11 and Forest Hills moves on at 20-0.

Feb. 18: Greenville girls won vs. No. 6 Pine Tree Academy of Freeport 37-16 in a Class D South quarterfinal. Halle Pelletier scored a game-high 13 points and Morgan Noyes had 10.