While the Cony girls shot 8 of 14 from behind the 3-point arc Friday in an Eastern Class A girls’ basketball quarterfinal, Brunswick was just 2 of 15 – including a 3-pointer from Gillian Doehring after Cony’s 57-35 victory was assured.

Brunswick Coach Sam Farrell said he didn’t think it was the bright lights or big court that affected his team, though only senior Lyse Henshaw had played in a playoff game.

“We have those nights when we’re on or off,” Farrell said. “We averaged 60 points for the first eight or nine games.

“I don’t know whether that was just hard for us to keep up that pace or other teams adjusted to us.”

Brunswick edged Cony 56-53 in the season opener before Cony won at home in the rematch, 61-53.

Rioux said his team did adjust, making sure to get back on defense.

“They like to release two on any rebound and they got a lot of fast-break layups in the first game,” Cony Coach Ted Rioux said.

Brunswick lost seven of its final 10 games after starting the season 7-2. 

RIOUX IS in his first year as Cony’s coach, but he’s no stranger to girls’ basketball or the Augusta Civic Center.

Rioux coached Waterville for five years, including the Morgan Frame and Jen Nale-led squads that won 70 straight games and three straight Class B state titles (2007-09).

The past two seasons, he coached the women’s team at Thomas College.

“I missed this,” said Rioux, a teacher at Waterville High. “I would come down here recruiting and wish I was still coaching here.”

Rioux said it was also a family decision that less travel would be beneficial.

Rioux got his start in coaching, working with middle school players in the Cony program.

He said that coaching legend Paul Vachon, now the school’s athletic director, wasn’t going to hire him until he learned that both Rioux’s father and uncle were Augusta natives, just like Vachon.

“He wanted to keep it in the family,” Rioux laughed.

He said he’s been working at Vachon’s summer camp, held at the Augusta Civic Center, since 1993.

“I couldn’t have had a better mentor than Coach Vachon.” 

NO. 2 LAWRENCE lost to No. 7 Messalonskee in overtime during the afternoon session, 46-42, despite 23 points from sophomore Nia Irving, the two-time Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

In Friday’s finale, No. 8 Mt. Blue and Miranda Nicely nearly sent No. 1 Edward Little packing. Nicely scored 29 points but was victimized by Emily Jacques’ seventh block of the game with 27 seconds to play as the Red Eddies held on for a 47-45 win.

Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or:

scraig@pressherald.com

Twitter: SteveCCraig