BANGOR – This season, many Richmond opponents focused on containing center Jamie Plummer.
Washburn didn’t try. The Beavers are so strong defensively, they didn’t need it.
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Plummer led Richmond on two second-half runs, but Washburn forced 42 turnovers and won its third straight Gold Ball with a 75-55 victory in the Class D girls’ basketball state final Saturday at the Bangor Auditorium.
“Richmond really gave us a run for our money,” Washburn Coach Diana Trams said. “They played us tougher than probably anybody all year.”
It was the third consecutive year Washburn beat the Bobcats in the state final. Plummer, a senior, finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Ciarra Lancaster and freshman Kelsea Anair each added 10 points for the Bobcats. Sophomore Mackenzie Worcester led Washburn with 20 points, including the 1,000th of her career. Carmen Bragg scored 16 points and Nicole Olson had 14.
Richmond committed 12 turnovers in the first quarter and trailed 15-2 at one point. After not using a press on Richmond’s first two possessions, the Beavers switched to a 1-3-1 halfcourt trap for most of the rest of the game.
The Bobcats rushed their passes in the first quarter, and the athletic Washburn players were there to deflect the ball to a teammate. Richmond shot 43 percent but was minus-25 in turnovers.
“I think our girls work best when they can trap the ball,” Trams said. “Sometimes man-to-man isn’t as successful for us — we tried that a little bit and I thought they beat us to the basket a couple times. Our 1-3-1 half-court trap has been our go-to throughout the season, and that’s what they do well.”
The Bobcats ran off seven straight points, but Washburn still led 20-9 after one quarter. That was pretty much how the rest of the game went: Richmond would make a run, and then the Beavers would re-establish control.
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