AUGUSTA

It seemed like the win was in the bag.

Top-seeded Pine Tree Academy of Freeport held a 14-point lead through three quarters and didn’t seem in danger of letting its Western D girls quarterfinal game against ninth-seeded Vinalhaven slip away.

But, the Vikings had other ideas, riding a wave of emotion in the fourth quarter for a stunning 45-43 come-frombehind win at the Augusta Civic Center on Tuesday.

Vinalhaven (10-10) will meet fourth-seeded Richmond on Thursday in the semifinals at 11:30 a.m., while the Breakers saw their season end with a 17-2 mark.

The key to the fourth quarter run was the inside play of Vinalhaven’s Gilleyanne Davis-Oakes. With Breakers forward Kim Emerson playing with four fouls, Davis-Oakes went hard to the basket, with Emerson having to play cautious while trying to avoid her fifth infraction. Davis- Oakes scored nine of her team’s 11 points to get Vinalhaven to 40-36. On the next trip down the court, Emerson picked up her fifth foul with 4:06 remaining.

“We always have had issues with fatigue, and sometimes shots fall and other times they don’t, and calls go against you,” said Pine Tree Academy coach Josh Dayen. “Their gameplan was to go after Kim inside. She had three fouls, calls that we were not used to. She didn’t play most of the game because of fouls.”

Leading 40-37, Allison Verrill scored to give Pine Tree a 42-37 edge. But Davis- Oakes was not to be denied. She scored from the paint, and after teammate Paige Dennison hit a pair at the free-throw line, Davis-Oakes put her team up, 43-42.

“We just picked up the intensity, and I felt like no more and that we had to do it,” said Davis-Oakes.

Pine Tree’s Alex Goodman, who picked up 19 points, pulled down eight rebounds, had four steals and dished out three assists, made 1-of-2 at the line to tie the game with 1:05 left.

Davis-Oakes had one more drive in her and she was fouled on her way to the basket with 39.8-seconds remaining. She calmly sank both free throws for a 45-43, then watched as Goodman’s desperation shot at the buzzer hit the back iron and bounded away.

Late runs

Pine Tree Academy was at its best late in each of the first three quarters. Leading 10-9, Verrill made two quick steals in the final minute of the first quarter and converted to give the Breakers a 14-9 lead. The run continued into the second, as Emerson, Goodman and Verrill each scored for a 20-9 Breakers lead.

A 7-0 Vinalhaven run closed the gap. Leading 22- 18, Verrill, who had eight first-half steals, swiped a pair of passes in the final minute of the half and scored for a 26-18 edge. Dennison, who led Vinalhaven with nine first-half points, hit a shot to send the teams to intermission with Pine Tree Academy leading, 26-20.

Pine Tree Academy appeared to put the game away in the third quarter, outscoring the Vikings 14-6 for a 40-26 edge. Goodman had eight points in the quarter.

Despite the tough loss, Dayen discussed the positives of his team’s season.

“I told them that we can’t cap this season and put it aside as a negative,” said the coach. “We had a great season. This was the first time for our girls to be on top, to beat Forest Hills, and for most of these girls to be up here. We only have 60 students. Every year could be a rebuilding year for us.”

Pine Tree was 20-of-64 from the field (31 percent) and forced 32 Vinalhaven turnovers. Verrill finished with 14 points, while Stephie Kayumba came off the Breakers bench to add six points, seven rebounds and six steals.

Davis-Oakes, on the strength of her 15 fourthquarter points, had a gamehigh 24 points and pulled down 16 rebounds. Dennison chipped in 13 points and five steals.

Vinalhaven had a large edge at the free-throw line, making 16-of-22 compared to Pine Tree’s 3-of-6.

No. 9 Vinalhaven 45, No. 1 Pine Tree Academy 43

Western D Girls Quarterfinal At the Augusta Civic Center

	Vinalhaven		—	9	11	6	19	—	45
Pine	Tree		—	14	12	14	3	—	43

Vinalhaven — Skyler Sanborn 0-0-0, Gilleyanne Davis-Oakes 8-8-24, Paige Dennison 3-6-13, Ashley Davis-Oakes 0-0-0, Taylor Littlefield 1-2-4, Deja Doughty 2-0-4, Ashlyn Littlefield 0-0-0. Totals — 14-16-45. Pine Tree — Angel Hood 0-0-0, Kim Emerson 2-0-4, Adriana DePalma 0-0-0, Alex Goodman 8-3-19, Allison Verrill 7-0-14, Stephie Kayumba 3-0-6, Gracie Johnson 0- 0-0, Megan Hodson 0-0-0, Totals — 20-3-43. 3-point field goal — (V) Dennison. Records — Vinalhaven 10-10, Pine Tree Academy 17-2. Notes — Vinalhaven will meet No. 4 Richmond in Thursday’s Western D semifinals, while Pine Tree’s season is completed.

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