AUGUSTA — For once in a magical, unforgettable two-year run, the Hall-Dale girls’ basketball team didn’t make the biggest play of the game.

Max McHugh made two free throws with 11.4 seconds left, and Central High earned its first Class C state championship with a 40-39 victory over the defending champion Bulldogs on Saturday night at the Augusta Civic Center.

The Red Devils trailed 25-12 with 5:24 to play in the third quarter but outscored Hall-Dale 28-14 from that point.

Central grabbed its first lead since the first quarter when 6-foot freshman Brianna Skolfield followed up McHugh’s miss to make it 38-37 with 38 seconds left in the game.

Twelve seconds later, Hall-Dale’s Allison Crockett (six points, nine rebounds) finished off a beautiful drive-and-dish by Wendy Goldman, and her layup put Hall-Dale back in front.

Central called a timeout with 18.8 seconds to go. When play resumed, McHugh drove to the basket from the left side and drew the fifth foul on Hall-Dale star Carylanne Wolfington. McHugh swished both free throws, putting Central ahead 40-39 with 11.4 seconds left.

“The plan that we had was for me to drive to the basket, because we knew that (Skolfield) was doubled,” McHugh said. “I either wanted a foul or the shot to go in.

“I got the foul, and on that line, I must say I was the most nervous I’ve ever been in my entire life. The pressure was unbelievable, but thank God the adrenaline pulled me through on that one.”

The Bulldogs had to go the length of the court after the timeout, and the ball ended up in the hands of Goldman on the right wing. She had to force a 17-footer at the buzzer, and the shot was off line.

“I thought about calling time out after we crossed the half-court line to draw up a play,” Hall-Dale Coach Brandon Terrill said. “But my philosophy has always been, ‘Let ’em play, and let ’em create something.’ We didn’t get as good a look as we probably would have liked.”

Hall-Dale led 15-12 at halftime after a second quarter in which the teams combined to score four points, shoot 2 for 23 from the field and commit 15 turnovers.

But all that was quickly forgotten at the start of the third quarter. Goldman and Kristina Buck each scored five points, and Hall-Dale led 25-12. Goldman, who also hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, finished with 17 points and tied the Class C state final record with four 3-pointers.

Central Coach Diane Rollins called a timeout at that point, and the Red Devils immediately changed their offensive game plan. With Skolfield (17 points, eight rebounds) and 5-foot-11 Sam Brownell, Central usually likes to be patient and go inside. But the Devils spent the early part of the third quarter settling for quick 3-pointers that skittered off the mark.

“I said to attack the basket and look for the big girls as we were attacking, instead of looking for something that we didn’t want,” Rollins said. “We’ve played that way all year. We’d do things that weren’t quite right, and then they’d come out of it, like they did tonight.”

Central did not take a 3-pointer the rest of the way, and rarely took an outside shot. Skolfield scored 11 of her 17 points in the second half and also stayed on the floor until the end, despite picking up her fourth foul with 4:39 remaining.

While that was going on, Central was also doing an amazing defensive job on Wolfington, who came in averaging 21.5 points per game. Wolfington was still very much a factor with her defense, floor sense and 10 rebounds, but finished with just six points.

“Max was the key on Wolfington,” Rollins said. “At the beginning, we were just going man-to-man. I knew she was aggressive. I was hoping she would pick up a couple quick fouls, and she did. Then I went to a zone defense, with Max kind of knowing where she was, and it worked. We got lucky, and it worked.”

“Carylanne Wolfington is one of the best girls’ basketball players to ever play at Hall-Dale High School,” Terrill said. “She’s one of the top 10 finalists for Miss Maine basketball, and rightfully so. We never would have been here in this position without her.”

Terrill thought Central’s zone defense played a big part in the outcome. After the initial second-half surge, Hall-Dale made only six field goals in the final 13-plus minutes.

“I never had an answer to give the girls to get us some looks against their half-court zone, so I came up short in that regard,” Terrill said.

When it was over, his players in tears on the bench watching another team celebrate, Terrill had to talk to his players, knowing nothing he could say would change how they felt at that moment.

“I tried to communicate to them how fond I am of them, how fond this community is of them, how easy it is to root for them,” Terrill said. “I tried to let these seniors know that I think they’ve had the best two-year run in the history of Hall-Dale girls’ basketball, and that anybody that was a part of it will never forget them. It can be a cruel game sometimes, and I’m not sure there’s much else to say.”

DIRIGO 74, LEE ACADEMY 67: Cody St. Germain scored 26 points, and the Cougars (21-1) pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn their first state championship since 1983.

Dirigo lost in the state final the previous three years, including last year to Lee.

Boubacar Diallo had 19 points for Lee (19-3).

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