FREEPORT

Freeport standout Nina Davenport went to the bench with two fouls in the second quarter, her team holding a 16-8 lead over Maranacook in a Western Maine Class B preliminary girls high school basketball game on Wednesday.

Jim Seavey’s eighth-seeded Falcons might have folded with their star on the bench, allowing a big Black Bears’ run to close the half and face a second-half dogfight.

However, Freeport has certainly grown up in Seavey’s first season, as the Falcons instead closed the first half on a 9-4 run. And when Davenport headed to the bench with her third foul early in the second half, Freeport didn’t panic en route to a 48-37 victory over the ninth-seeded Black Bears in front of an exuberant home crowd.

Seavey next takes the Falcons to uncharted territory — Tuesday night at the Portland Expo against No. 1 Lake Region (16-2), with tip-off scheduled for 8:30 p.m. This will be Freeport’s first foray onto the court of the Expo, the home of the Maine Red Claws.

“It was a must-win situation for us to get to the Expo for the first time, and this team has now won seven in row to get there,” said Seavey, whose charges handed the Lakers one of their two losses this season, 48-32, on Jan. 15.

Freeport had to fight through a third-quarter slump and Maranacook’s push back from a 13-point halftime deficit (25-12) to cut the Falcons’ advantage to 37- 34 with 3:20 remaining. After a timeout, Freeport responded by closing the game on an 11-3 run, with Davenport draining four free throws and finishing with a team-high 12 points despite game-long foul trouble.

“They’re resilient. A lot of teams would have packed up the tent and went home after they cut the lead down from 13 points at the half to three. They responded with a couple of steals and easy baskets,” said Seavey. “They just proved to themselves that when Nina is in foul trouble that they can step up and get it done. This is a big confidence boost. I am just proud of the kids.”

Roles expanded

Contributions came from throughout the Freeport lineup. Guard Ashley Richardson hit a big 3-pointer to tie the game 6-6 after Maranacook had jumped on top 5-0 early. More importantly, Richardson’s shot brought the home fans to their feet and seemed to push the Falcons along.

Senior Jocelyn Davee had 10 tough inside points, pulled down six rebounds and had five steals, and Venessa Lee came off the bench, grabbing five boards, picking up six steals and scoring five points. Hanna Chase, another role player, made life difficult for the Black Bears when Freeport went to a full-court press, and Aubrey Pennell and Leigh Wyman combined for 11 assists.

“We have grown a lot, and coach always talks about how it has to be a team effort and the only way we are going to make it,” said Davee. “It is tough to play without Nina in there, but we had to come together as a team. I don’t think any of us played in an atmosphere like that, but we seemed to settle in.”

Tied 6-6 to begin the second quarter, the Falcons put everything together. Davenport, Pennell and Davee each scored four points in the frame as Freeport used a 21-2 run over the two frames to grab a 24-8 lead with 1:50 remaining until halftime.

Maranacook’s Christine Miller, who had a game-high 19 points, scored four points to close the half.

Lee’s putback gave the Falcons a 27-13 lead, but Miller got the Black Bears going with a putback of her own, and Elizabeth D’Angelo scored seven third-quarter points to get Maranacook within single digits, 31-22.

“We played not to lose in the third quarter, and we called a timeout and told them to calm down,” said Seavey.

A 12-4 run to open the fourth quarter made for a 37- 34 contest, but Seavey calmed his charges. Freeport, which was just four of 13 from the foul line after 24 minutes, made six of seven in final two to close things out.

Now, Freeport takes on a Lake Region team that has been there, done that, including coming in as the defending Western B champion, having lost to Presque Isle in the state title game last season, 49-47.

“We split with Lake Region during the season, and it is one against eight, and we have nothing to lose,” said Seavey. “Hey, it is David versus Goliath. We know that, but I have been the top seed in the past and it is tough in the quarterfinals against the number eight.”

Freeport shot 38 percent (18 of 47) from the floor and made 10 of 20 at the foul line. Richardson finished with nine points, while Pennell had seven. Davenport pulled down seven rebounds.

Maranacook, which finished 11-8, shot just 22 percent (13 of 57) from the field. D’Angelo had nine points off the bench.

No. 8 Freeport 48, No. 9 Maranacook 37

Western	B	preliminary
At	Freeport
Maranacook		— 6	6	10 15 — 37
Freeport	—	6	19	6 17 — 48

Maranacook — Catherine Sanborn 0-1-1, Christine Miller 6-5-19, Ashley Belanger 0-0-0, Jessica Smith 2-1-5, Mariah Vining 0-0-0, Sarah Clough 1-0-3, Sara Beckwith 0-0-0, Elizabeth D’Angelo 4-0-9, Kristen Hall 0-0-0, Sage Hyland 0-0-0. Totals — 13-7-37. Totals — 13-7-37. Freeport — Ashley Richardson 3-2-9, Nina Davenport 4-4-12, Jocelyn Davee 5- 0-10, Aubrey Pennell 3-1-7, Leigh Wyman 1-0-3, Hanna Chase 1-0-2, Venessa Lee 1-3-5, Kayla Belanger 0-0-0, Lauren Cormier 0-0-0, Livvy Dimick 0-0-0, Naomi Otis 0-0-0, Mackenzie Ackley 0-0-0, Jessica Wall 0-0-0. Totals — 18-10-48. 3-point field goals — (M) Miller 2, Clough, D’Angelo; (F) Richardson, Wyman. Records — Freeport 13-6, Maranacook 11-8. Next for the Falcons — Tuesday at the Portland Expo against top-seeded Lake Region, 8:30 p.m. in the Western B quarterfinals.