AUGUSTA — Her teammates call her their secret weapon off the bench.

Morgan Crocker, the sophomore guard from Boothbay, is not a secret anymore.

Crocker came into Tuesday’s game in the second quarter and scored 17 points to help the top-seeded Seahawks eke out a 43-37 win against eighth-seeded St. Dominic in a Western Class C girls’ basketball quarterfinal Monday night at the Augusta Civic Center.

“Morgan played fantastic,” said Boothbay Coach Tanner Grover.

The Seahawks, who rolled to a 51-36 win over the Saints Jan. 29 in Auburn, got off to an extremely slow start. They committed 10 turnovers and made only two of their 15 shots in the first quarter.

“We weren’t making shots,” Grover said. “We were getting the ball inside and getting decent looks, but we weren’t finishing. The ball just wouldn’t stay down.”

“In the beginning, we didn’t really talk too much,” Crocker said. “We didn’t communicate on the court. In the third and fourth quarters, we talked more and communicated more.”

Still, the Seahawks managed to stay close to the Saints, who took an 11-7 lead with 30 seconds left in the first quarter.

“Once we settled in, things started to roll for us and we started to finish inside a little bit better,” Grover said.

Boothbay Region’s shooting improved slightly during the second quarter.

The score was tied 18-18 at the half.

“I just told them in the locker room (at halftime) we’re going to hit shots sooner or later,” Grover said. “Don’t hesitate. Just keep getting to the rim and making things happen.”

The Seahawks, who will play No. 4 Waynflete in a regional semifinal at 4 p.m. Thursday, used a 6-0 run over a 1-minute segment late in the third quarter to move into a 28-23 lead with 2:55 left in the period.

“Boothbay executed well in the third quarter when we didn’t execute well and we turned the ball over a little bit,” St. Dom’s Coach Jon Berry said. “That little spurt there allowed them to get a little bit of breathing room, a little bit of confidence that we didn’t allow them to have in the first half.”

The Seahawks opened the fourth quarter with an 8-2 run to open up a 41-30 lead, but Kelly Pomerleau, who led the Saints with 15 points, converted on a three-point play and a steal into a fast-break basket to close the gap.

Boothbay Region ran a four-cornered offense during the final four minutes of the game .

“We survived. I think that’s the key word,” Grover said. “The way the state tournaments have gone so far, there have been quite a few upsets, and we’re just happy not to be added to that list.”

 

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:

pbetit@pressherald.com

Twitter: PaulBetitPPH

 

Copy the Story Link