THE UNDEFEATED Woolwich Central School girls basketball team.
Woolwich girls
The Woolwich girls played Vinalhaven in the championship game on Saturday and won, 48-28.
Madaline Suhr scored 26 points and played every position on defense and offense.
Brooke McElman chipped in with 16 points, strong rebounding and controlled the ball against the pressure defense.
“Gabrielle Morin played a standout defensive game and Lilah Pashley had a tough time with fouls, but her effort on the court, when she was in, was outstanding,” said head coach Julie Elwell. “KK Fifield was consistent on the offensive and defensive end for us. She has been a key player for us this year.”
For Vinalhaven, Bailey Wadleigh had 12 points and Gilleyanne Oakes 11.
Woolwich posted quarterly leads of 14-11, 30-19 and 44-22.
“I kept making adjustments on the offensive and defensive end throughout the game which Vinalhaven had a difficult time with,” added Elwell. “Having multiple defenses was a big factor in our success.
Woolwich boys
The boys game featured No. 2 Woolwich and No. 1 Vinalhaven. The teams met during the regular season with Vinalhaven prevailing, 61-55. This time, Vinalhaven pinned a 63-59 defeat on 12-2 Woolwich.
In the first quarter, both teams went back-and-forth with several ties and lead changes, to end the quarter at 16-16.
The second period was won by Woolwich, which held Vinalhaven to eight points en route to a 29-24 halftime advantage.
In the opening minutes of the third period, Woolwich came out strong, outscoring Vinalhaven 8-2 to take a 37-26 ball game before committing nine fouls to Vinalhaven’s zero.
Momentum shifted when Tucker Banger and Evan Parsons fouled out.
“Those two players, who started every game and have been top contributors all season, were having outstanding performances which put Woolwich in a tough situation,” said head coach Shawn Elwell.
The quarter ended with Vinalhaven outscoring Woolwich 12-4 and closing the deficit to 41-38.
In the fourth period, Vinalhaven took advantage of its double bonus situation, managing to get to the charity stripe 17 times.
Woolwich maintained the lead until Vinalhaven sunk two free throws with 18 seconds to go up 60-59. Woolwich turned the ball over on the next two possessions and Vinalhaven sealed the game by hitting three of four foul shots en route to a 63-59 victory.
Dakota Freeman scored 16 of Woolwich’s 18 fourth-quarter points, while being double teamed.
“Also Sullivan Boyd defended Cody Hamilton, Vinalhaven’s go-to player, and his effort and toughness was nothing short of spectacular. Both Freeman and Boyd played with four fouls in the fourth,” added Shawn Elwell.
Freeman finished with 36 points to lead all scorers, while grabbing 13 rebounds. Parsons added eight points and 13 boards. Banger added six points and led the team with six steals. Jeremy Thiboutot chipped in with four points and nine rebounds, while Max Reed and Lucas Brown had strong all-around performances.
For Vinalhaven, Hamilton scored 22 points, Keon Avey 16, and Max Stanley with 13. Hamilton and Avey combined for 5-of-6 from the foul line in the final seconds.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
