Biddeford squanders a 16-point lead as Bonny Eagle rallies for

49-44 win

STANDISH – Collapse is a word that is most often associated with the failure of bridges, mines and buildings. In the sports universe, it loses none of its potency. Teams can buckle under injury, pressure or penalties, and the result just as ugly as anywhere else – it’s a disaster.

And while Bonny Eagle girls basketball team’s (1-1) determined comeback 49-44 home win over Biddeford (0-2) on Dec. 14 should be applauded in its own right as a triumph, it’s difficult not to use the word collapse when referring to the Tigers in this instance. Biddeford led by as much as 33-17 late in the second period before giving up four straight points to the Scots in the closing minute, which helped Bonny Eagle claw to a 12-point deficit at the break.

When the teams returned, Biddeford remained ice-cold, failing to knock down a shot for 5:34, by which time the Scots had drawn to within nine. Powerful in the first half, Biddeford continued struggle in their efforts to establish cohesion as a team, while key elements of their arsenal – senior Keila Grigware and junior Bryanna Michaud – got into foul trouble, and were forced to sit out much of the third and fourth.

All these factors weighed heavily around the Tigers’ collective necks, and when Bonny Eagle’s Jessica MacDonald got hot with less than three minutes remaining – hitting three consecutive long buckets – Biddeford had no answer. The Scots took a 44-43 lead on a pair of free-throws by junior center Alicia Hoyt after a technical was called on the Tigers’ bench, and maintained their advantage down the stretch thanks to two gutsy drives down the center by sophomore forward Shannon Sanborn. When it was all over, the scoreboard read 49-44 in favor of Bonny Eagle, and the Tigers stared dejectedly at the ceiling, perhaps wondering if their bad mojo would cause the roof to cave in on their heads.

“I can’t even describe it,” Sanborn said afterwards. “This is the first time that we have beaten Biddeford in the four years that our seniors have been on the team. So it’s just a big deal to all of us that they get to experience that, and we get to experience it alongside them.”

But the Scots would have to fight through the bad times to experience the good, even on a night that wound up belonging to them. Biddeford jumped out to a 6-0 lead to the start the first thanks to successful turnovers generated by their full court press, but couldn’t maintain their momentum and wound up giving up and 8-0 run to Bonny Eagle before scoring again. The Tigers then went on a 13-0 tear to end the period, and appeared to be cruising with a 19-8 lead at the start of the second.

“Our coach was saying all along that we just needed to fight and keep at them even if we’re down,” MacDonald said.” We probably made just as many mistakes as they did, but we made them in the beginning, and they made them in the end, so it kind of flip-flopped. And we just happened to capitalize more on their mistakes than they did on ours’.”

The Tigers gradually extended their lead throughout the second, and jumped over the 30-point barrier with 2:49 left when Grigware put in both shots on a 1-and-1. Immediately afterwards, however, Michaud picked up her third foul, sending her to the bench, and the Tigers let a couple of late baskets slip in right before the half, getting the crowd and – more importantly – the Scots back into the game.

“I think we finally calmed down and played the way we should,” said Bonny Eagle Head Coach Suzanne Rondeau. “We were just fighting because we wanted to win so bad, and I think we were just pressing and pressing instead of calming down and knowing that if we did the right things, then it would all fall into place. But we have got to start winning to feel that.”

When the teams returned to the court, Biddeford couldn’t find their way out of the fog that had enshrouded their offense before the half. While the Tigers struggled, the Scots got just enough offense – thanks to shots by Nicole Taylor and MacDonald – to slowly close the gap. Meanwhile, with a little over 3:30 remaining, Grigware picked up her third foul on a charge, then immediately landed a fourth on a reach-in call, forcing her quick substitution. She would not return until late in the fourth. Grigware’s loss, coupled with the absence of Michaud, crippled the Tigers’ press – the defense that had generated the turnovers necessary to drive them into the lead in the first place.

“We’re a young team, and poise got to be a problem late in the game without (Grigware) on the floor,” said Biddeford Head Coach Brian Heal. “We needed somebody to step up and calm things down mentally, and that’s usually her role – that’s what she does. Her not being on the floor during that stretch at the end – that hurt us.”

By the time MacDonald hit another at the end of the period, cutting the lead to 36-28, the Tigers looked emotionally spent.

Asked if she thought that Biddeford’s offense would evaporate so quickly after the break, Rondeau responded: “No, I really didn’t. But their cold shooting kind of helped our confidence.”

The Tigers maintained a buffer of about 10 points throughout the fourth, but with 3:40 left and the score 41-33, MacDonald hit first one basket, then a second off a steal and – although Biddeford replied with a bucket of their own – a third at 3:09, and the gap started to close, down to just six at 43-37.

“(Jessica) just went unconscious,” Rondeau said. “She’s a junior, she’s been a starter for three years, and she’s been pressing, too, and tonight I think she finally showed people what she can do. Let’s just hope that she keeps doing that every night.”

After the Tigers turned it over yet again, Hoyt drove to the hole and was fouled, completing the three-point play to close the margin to three. Biddeford again missed on a shot, and Taylor hit a jumper to make it 43-42 with just over two minutes left. When the Tigers gave the ball back, Heal was cited for a technical, and Hoyt hit both buckets to take the lead.

Biddeford was able to tie the game at 44 apiece on a foul shot by senior Amethyst Hersom, but the Scots would not be denied. Twice during the final two minutes Sanborn drove to the basket, getting the foul and the roll. Although she missed on both attempts to turn these into three-point plays, the Tigers couldn’t answer.

“It was just this rush of energy,” Sanborn said, “because you have the bench on one side and the audience on the other and you’re just saying go, go, go, and sometimes you just come on too strong. I missed it a couple of times, but that energy kept me going.”

Caught in the act of making the reach-in foul that would remove her from the game, Biddeford senior forward Keila Grigware (13) is seen here struggling to restrain Bonny Eagle junior guard Danielle Day (43) on Tuesday.
Staff photo by Emory Rounds

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