After the Flyers’ 65-31 victory over the 10th-seeded Greyhounds, Wescott and her team saw first-hand just how good the senior is, not to mention her supporting cast.
“So many people compared her to (Hall-Dale’s) Carylanne (Wolfington), and she shoots a great three, hits the pull-up shots and is an all-around great basketball player and someone we had never seen,” said Wescott after watching Veroneau match her Greyhounds with 31 points, not to mention 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals. “She is a great team player and will be tough for anyone to match up with her. When she didn’t shoot, everyone else stepped up, and you just can’t stop everyone.”
LISBON GUARD Jennifer Smith (3, top photo) guards Waynflete’s Leigh Fernandez during firsthalf Western Maine Class C high school girls preliminary basketball action in Portland on Tuesday. In the bottom photo, Greyhound forward Denise Thomas (21) looks to get around Flyers’ forward Julianna Howard (10). No. 10 Lisbon fell to the seventh-seeded Flyers 65-31.
“I think a lot of people have seen enough of Martha during her career, but other kids played well today as well and took a little bit of pressure off,” said Waynflete coach Brandon Salway, whose seventh seeded squad improved to 12- 7 and takes on No. 2 Madison in the Western C quarterfinals at the Augusta Civic Center. “Anytime the others can contribute like they did tonight, it is big.”
Flying away
Waynflete pumped up the tempo right out of the gates. Veroneau twice found teammates open behind the Lisbon (7-12) defense for a quick 4-0 Flyers lead, with Wescott calling a timeout just 1:38 in.
The Waynflete senior warmed up from there, scoring nine first-quarter points as the Flyers closed the opening eight minutes on a 9-0 run for a 20-6 advantage.
Lisbon struggled with turnovers, and Veroneau continued to light it up. She nailed three consecutive 3- pointers, her last giving the Flyers a 31-13 lead.
“We were not on our game today at all,” said Wescott, whose Greyhounds trailed 39- 15 at the half, with Veroneau scoring 20 points and Fernandez 11. “On the bus, we were nervous, not having much playoff experience, and we didn’t know what to expect.”
Any thought of a big comeback faded away early in the second half. Veroneau drained her fifth and final trey on Waynflete’s first possession. She added nine points in the third quarter, and went to the Flyers’ bench with four minutes remaining in the fourth with her team leading 61-25.
“They just kept shooting, and the ball kept going in,” said Lisbon senior forward Briana Moore after playing her final game along with fellow classmates Jessica Campbell, Alexa Harmon, Haley Eck and Sarah Giraldo. “ I hope they do good from here, because it would be a shame to lose today and see them get knocked out quick.”
Harmon scored eight of her team- high 13 points in the fourth quarter, while Campbell chipped in eight points, five rebounds and five steals. Moore and Denise Thomas each pulled down seven caroms, while Bailey Madore had three steals.
“Regardless of win or lose, I am proud of this team for making it this far,” said Wescott. “The seniors are the ones I started off with as a jayvee coach, and they have been nothing but a great group to coach. They will be sorely, sorely missed.
“ This team is real hardworking, and we came into every game thinking we had nothing to lose and everything to gain. To make it this far is great.”
“We went through a lot of ups and downs, but still managed to go far this year. We had a lot of fun, had a great bond, and just can’t ask for anything more than that,” said Moore.
Lisbon shot 18 percent (12 of 64) from the field and made three of five free throws, while Waynflete nailed 26 of 65 shots (40 percent) and was five of eight at the charity stripe. Julianna Howard had seven rebounds, six points and four steals for the hosts.
No. 7 Waynflete 65, No. 10 Lisbon 31
Western Maine Class C preliminary
At Waynflete School in Portland
Lisbon — 6 9 8 8 — 31
Waynflete — 20 19 14 12 — 65
Lisbon — Jessica Campbell 4-0-8, Briana Moore 1-0-2, Denise Thomas 2-0-4, Bailey Madore 0-0-0, Alexa Harmon 4-2-13, Haley Eck 0-1-1, Courtney Martel 0-0-0, Mia Durgin 0-0-0, Jen Smith 1-0-3, Jordan Kates 0-0-0.
Totals — 12-3-31.
Waynflete — Julianna Howard 3-0-6, Leigh Fernandez 5-1-14, Helen Gray- Bauer 5-0-10, Rhiannan Jackson 2-0-4, Martha Veroneau 11-4-31, Hanae Miyake 0-0-0, Louise Lyall 0-0-0, Rowan Price 0- 0-0.
Totals — 26-5-65. 3-pointers — (L) Harmon 3, Smith; (W) Fernandez 3, Veroneau 5.
Records — Waynflete 12-7, Lisbon 7-12.
Next — The seventh-seeded Flyers take on No. 2 Madison at the Augusta Civic Center in the Western C quarterfinals; Lisbon’s season is completed.
sports@timesrecord.com
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
