PORTLAND — There would be no second-half comeback for the York High girls’ basketball team on this day. No celebrating a big Western Class B tournament win over Greely, either.

Instead the second-ranked Wildcats now know how the third-ranked Rangers felt the last three years.

Additional Photos

Ashley Storey, a freshman who scored 17 points for Greely, looks for her shot while defended by Marquis MacGlashing of York. Greely won, 44-28. John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Greely ended three years of playoff frustration at the hands of York, pounding the Wildcats 44-28 in a Western Class B semifinal at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

The Rangers’ defense took away York’s inside game, the Wildcats couldn’t hit from the outside, and Greely slowly pulled away. Freshman Ashley Storey led the Rangers with 17 points — eight in the first quarter to boost Greely to an 11-6 lead — and senior guard Caroline Hamilton had 10 points, including two huge 3-pointers in the third quarter to blunt any York momentum.

“It feels so good,” said Hamilton. “Three straight years … this is what we’ve worked for. And we’re not done yet.”

Greely (17-3) will play top-seeded Lake Region in the regional championship game at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Civic Center.

York (15-5) ended Greely’s season in the semifinals last year after beating the Rangers in the previous two regional finals.

But in this game, Greely wasn’t about to succumb to York’s pressure defense, which produced a comeback win over Gray-New Gloucester in the quarterfinals after a cold first half.

With the Storey sisters — Ashley and Jaclyn, a junior — establishing an inside presence at both ends of the court, Greely surged to the early lead. York, meanwhile, couldn’t hit anything.

After taking a 6-5 lead on a three-point play by Ruby Cribby with 4:49 left in the first quarter, the Wildcats wouldn’t score for the next 8:28. By then, Greely had a 14-6 lead and all the momentum.

“I honestly couldn’t tell you (what was wrong),” said York Coach Rick Clark. “I’m sitting here not sure exactly what went on. I mean, give Greely all the credit, they played a great game. But we couldn’t hit the side of a barn. If the hoop had been four feet across we couldn’t have hit. It was just one of those things.”

Greely’s defensive game plan was simple: play fundamentally sound.

“See the ball, see the girl, keep your hands in the passing lane,” said Greely Coach Kim Hilbrich. “And they went out and did it today. I’m so proud of them.”

Greely led 22-10 at the half, then turned the ball over on its first three possessions of the third quarter. But that led to only one York point — a foul shot by senior guard Andrea Mountford, who played a tremendous game with 11 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots.

“First three minutes of the second half, we did everything right,” said York’s Clark. “Steals, rebounds, defensive stops, open shots. And at the end of that whole thing, we gained only one point. And that was huge.”

Hamilton, who has been on Greely’s varsity since her freshman year, wasn’t about to let her season end at York’s hand again. With Greely up by 10, she hit back-to-back 3-pointers from the right wing, the second with 19.4 seconds left in the third to give the Rangers a 32-16 lead.

“The whole game I was a little concerned,” she said. “York had always come back. But at the end of the third I was like, ‘This is ours.’ We just had to keep playing defense.”

And maintain composure against York’s press. Hilbrich said that was the key in keeping the momentum.

“The kids can handle the basketball,” said Hilbrich. “As long as they don’t get riled, they can take care of business. And they did.”

Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:
mlowe@pressherald.com
Twitter: MikeLowePPH

Related Stories