BANGOR — The story line would have been perfect: Back-to-back-to-back state titles for Richmond. First softball, then soccer, then basketball.
Unfortunately for the Bobcats, it wasn’t to be Saturday afternoon at the Bangor Auditorium. Behind senior Rebecca Campbell’s 22 points and nine rebounds, Washburn eased to a 43-30 victory in the Class D state final.
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“I still don’t think we’ve had our great game where all of these kids jell together,” Richmond Coach Molly Bishop said. “We’ve had moments, but we haven’t had a complete game where that’s happened. We were really hoping that was going to happen today. It didn’t.”
Richmond (20-2) made just 12 of its 53 field-goal attempts, a 23-percent rate.
“Shooting’s shooting,” Bishop said. “I’m not going to use the fact that we’re at the Bangor Auditorium as any different than anything else.”
Washburn (20-2) used a trapping defense once Richmond crossed half court. The Bobcats committed 28 turnovers, and while Washburn committed 27, it seemed Richmond’s mistakes were more damaging and kept the Bobcats from putting together a comeback.
“We thought they’d have problems with the press,” Washburn Coach Mike Carlos said. “We thought that if we applied the pressure that we thought that we could apply, that we’d come out like we did.”
“I honestly think we were really just flat-out nervous,” Bishop said. “I don’t think that the press made us any more or any less nervous. It’s just, that’s what happened.”
Although Washburn was playing a high-pressure defense, it was the Bobcats who were called for most of the fouls in the first half. Danica Hurley, Tara Hurley, Payton Johnson and Alyssa Pearson each had at least two fouls in the first half, and Washburn took the first 16 free throws.
“When we weren’t fouling as much as the other team, I said, ‘You know what? We’re not getting in way over our heads. We’re staying calm. We’re staying level-headed. This is going to be a good game as long as we stay that way,’ ” said Campbell. “And it did.”
Washburn never trailed and opened up a 21-14 at halftime. Richmond opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer by Tara Hurley, but the Bobcats missed their next 13 shots.
Meanwhile, the Beavers were able to get close-range shots by Campbell and Carsyn Koch (six points, 11 rebounds).
“We usually play a perimeter game, believe it or not,” Carlos said. “Becca had to go inside once I saw that we could get inside.
“Usually, we’re more of a 3-point shooting team.”
Washburn did hit three 3-pointers, including a backbreaker at the end of the third quarter. With time winding down, freshman Nicole Olson looked around for a couple seconds, then chucked in a line-drive 3-pointer to beat the buzzer and give Washburn a 32-21 lead.
Richmond never got closer than eight points in the fourth, despite six points in the quarter from Jamie Plummer. A sophomore who has been troubled by sore knees all season, Plummer finished with 14 points and seven rebounds before fouling out in the final minute.
“She played a good game for someone who’s as injured as she is injured,” Bishop said. “I mean, she is sore.”
Tara Hurley and Brooke Lancaster are the only seniors on the roster for Richmond, which won its first regional title since 1996.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Bishop said. “We got to where we wanted to get. The kids have done a phenomenal job.”
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