This year, things have been far different for the Phoenix after concluding the regular season with a 39-29 Senior Day victory over Class C Sacopee Valley on Monday.
Hyde heads into the Western Maine Class D tournament at the Augusta Civic Center as the likely No. 3 seed after a 16-win campaign (16-1).
“This group of girls has great chemistry,” said Hyde coach Richard Polgar. “In 18 years of coaching, I have never seen a team come together like this one has. They haven’t forgotten the lessons of the past. We don’t look too much behind us, but we don’t forget it as we move forward. Our senior leadership has been superb. Combining Kara and Katie with the youth has really come together. They want to pass on a legacy here and have done that this season.”
Hyde’s defense was solid in the win over the Hawks (8-9). The Phoenix forced 35 turnovers, led by Comeaux with 13 steals and Fischer with nine.
“We know that no matter what it begins for us on the defensive end,” said Polgar. “Today’s win wasn’t pretty, but it was gritty. Defense wins games and that is who we are. We are going to trap you, press you and use our athleticism.”
“We kept it together and tight, and our communication was very good,” said Comeaux, who added eight rebounds and eight points. “For us, we need to keep our communication going and keep our intensity up. We have really connected as a team, and that has been the key to our success.”
The early going was sloppy as neither team found much on the offensive end through the first six minutes, with the game tied 2-2. Hyde received a jolt when Comeaux entered the game. She forced seven first-quarter turnovers and the Phoenix closed the frame on an 8-1 run for a 10-3 lead.
Sacopee Valley’s Morgan Sanborn found her stroke in the second quarter, finishing with seven first-half points, but the Hawks made just five of 24 (20 percent) from the floor and two of 10 at the foul line to trail 20-12 at the break.
Diamond Brown scored half of Hyde’s first-half points as the Phoenix made eight of 28 attempts (28 percent).
Extending the lead
Hyde put together a solid run to close the third quarter, scoring the final eight points to claim a 30-15 lead. Five players scored two points each, and Fischer led the defense with six steals and dished out three assists in the offensive end. The Phoenix extended their advantage to a game-high 19 points, 36-17, with 4:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, with Polgar going to his bench.
The move nearly backfired as Sacopee Valley put together a 10-2 spurt to close to 38-27 with 1:13 remaining. The starters returned and forced three big turnovers down the stretch to complete the 39-29 victory.
The Phoenix now must prepare for the upcoming Western D quarterfinals. A win likely sends the Phoenix up against seasoned Richmond or Rangeley in the semifinals. But, Polgar has his team focused on the task in front of it.
“For us, it is one game at a time, and the girls right now are celebrating turning around from no wins to 16, and we will get back to work tomorrow and not look past a team like Valley or Greater Portland Christian,” said Polgar.
Hyde shot 32 percent (16 of 49) and seven of 11 from the foul line. Brown led the way with 14 points and eight rebounds, with Jailene Martinez blocking four shots.
Sanborn had a game-high 16 points for Sacopee, which shot 26 percent (12 of 45) from the field and made just five of 16 at the charity stripe. Dakota Miner pulled down 10 rebounds.
Hyde 39,
Sacopee Valley 29
At Bath
Sacopee— 3 9 314—29
Hyde — 10 10 10 9 — 39
Sacopee — Kristen Lyle 1-0-2, Dakota Miner 1-2-4,
Taylor Howell 1-0-2, Morgan Sanborn 7-2-16, Emma
Glatzer 2-0-4, Molly Brennan 0-0-0, Bailey Marden 0-
1-1, Cassidy Carpenter 0-0-0, Abby Hughes 0-0-0.
Totals — 12-5-29.
Hyde — Allie Helfrich 0-2-2, Chloe Blaylock 2-0-4,
Jailene Martinez 1-0-2, Kara Fischer 2-1-5, Diamond
Brown 5-4-14, Katie Comeaux 4-0-8, Shannon Ward
1-0-2, Carolyn Moore 1-0-2, Cailin Darling 0-0-0,
Emma Leonard 0-0-0. Totals — 16-7-39.
Records — Hyde 16-1, Sacopee 8-9.
Next for the Phoenix — Western Maine Class D
quarterfinals at the Augusta Civic Center, TBA.
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