AUGUSTA — For a girls’ basketball team without a player taller than 5-foot-6, Forest Hills has come a long way this season.
Tuesday morning, the Tigers used their speed and passing ability to defeat Greater Portland Christian 48-34 in a Western Class D quarterfinal at the Augusta Civic Center.
Forest Hills (16-3), the No. 4 seed, will face No. 1 Rangeley in a semifinal Thursday morning.
The Tigers led throughout but didn’t put the game away until a 7-0 run late in the fourth quarter. They dominated the first half, forcing 21 turnovers, mostly off their zone press, and closed the second quarter with a 10-0 run to take a 27-13 lead.
Fifth-seeded Greater Portland Christian (12-6) climbed back into the game with a 9-0 run in the third quarter.
“It wasn’t pretty, but we took advantage of their foul trouble and just kept pressing,” Forest Hills Coach Mike LeBlanc said.
Jocelyn Hoyt led the Tigers with 19 points, while Anna Carrier added 11. Both juniors were the recipient of several passes for easy layups from point guard Dana McNally.
“We wanted to attack the basket as much as possible,” said McNally, who finished with seven points and six assists. “Getting my teammates (the ball) has opened a lot more (opportunities).”
The Lions closed to within 33-28 in the third quarter, as senior Elaine Beech assisted on five of their seven baskets. Beech finished with six points and 15 rebounds, and Clarissa Jones scored 12 points, but both players fouled out.
“Their speed just killed us,” GPCS Coach Keith Dawson said. “When they forced us to go man-to-man, we just couldn’t stay with them.”
RANGELEY 52, ISLESBORO 28: Taylor Esty and Seve Deery-DeRaps each scored 13 points for the top-seeded Lakers (18-1) in a quarterfinal win over the eighth-seeded Eagles (9-11).
WESTERN CLASS C GIRLS
MADISON 50, MT. ABRAM 42: Kirsten Wood scored eight of her 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the second-seeded Bulldogs (16-3) pull away from the seventh-seeded Roadrunners (10-10).
Cristie Vicniere led Madison with 17 points, including eight in the third quarter, but Mt. Abram trailed only 41-40 midway through the fourth.
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