PORTLAND

It seemed over.

Down 31-17 early in the third quarter, the Brunswick High School girls basketball team seemed to be doing what many expected — fall to top-seeded Greely in the Class A South Regional final Saturday night at Cross Insurance Arena.

But, the Dragons made one shot, then two. Suddenly, a team that scored just two points in the second quarter refused to miss, or to be denied, rallying for a stunning 54-51 victory over the Rangers.

Brunswick (18-3) advances to its first state basketball championship and will face undefeated Messalonskee this upcoming Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center at 1 p.m.

“They are amazing kids,” said Brunswick coach Sam Farrell. “The defense picked it up and we made some big shots. Madeline (Suhr) was awesome. Brooke Barter had a heck of a fourth quarter. They just play so well together.”

“We came back on defense, and that turned into offensive points,” said Suhr, who was named the Class A South Regional MVP. “Our press break was a lot stronger, and that is a game-changer.”

“Brunswick made some shots,” said Greely coach Todd Flaherty after his Rangers finished 19-2. “We had them going a little bit faster than (Brunswick) wanted to go. They just kept making shots and we didn’t. We didn’t capitalize on things we were doing defensively.”

Brunswick’s rally from 14 points behind began innocently enough, with Sabrina Armstrong, after going 0-for- 8 from the field in the first half, hitting a 3-pointer with 4:19 remaining in the third quarter. The Dragons closed the quarter on a 15-4 run, moving to 36-32 heading to the fourth.

Fans on both sides were on the edges of their seats in the final frame, as the teams went back and forth. Each time Brunswick drew closer, Greely sophomore standout Anna DeWolfe had an answer, scoring 11 of her 16 points in the quarter.

Suhr, who nailed five 3- pointers, scored 22 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked five shots, scored five straight points to give Brunswick a 45-44 lead.

The Rangers and Dragons traded the lead three more times before Suhr made the play of the game. She stole a long Greely pass near midcourt, drove to the basket and scored while being fouled. She completed the three-point play for a 50-48 advantage with 1:12 remaining.

Armstrong, who finished with 10 points, and Barter, who had 14, made a pair of free throws each over the final 15 seconds, and DeWolfe’s half-court shot at the buzzer was off the mark, setting off a Brunswick celebration near where Suhr had made her big steal.

“It was hard work and they just played so well together,” said Farrell. “On paper, I don’t know if we have the best talent, but they just play so well together. That is what’s it’s all about.”

“You have to give Brunswick a lot of credit. We just didn’t put the ball into the basket the way that we are used to,” said Flaherty. “We forced 27 turnovers, but only scored 11 points off of those turnovers. We normally get 30.”

First half

Suhr was the story in the opening quarter, as she made all three of her shots, each coming from beyond the arc, as the Dragons claimed an 11-7 first-quarter lead.

Things went south for the No. 2 seed in the second frame as Greely took control.

The Rangers employed a stale with 2:41 left in the first half, Brunswick played along as the time ticked down. When Greely pressed the issue after nearly two minutes, Brooke Obar was fouled. She made two free throws for a 17-13 Greely edge.

Greely quickly forced a turnover, and as the clock ticked down, Isabel Porter launched a 30-foot shot while falling to the court. The ball swished through for a buzzer-beating trey and a 20- 13 halftime lead. Porter scored eight points in the second quarter.

“We just weren’t doing what we had practiced, so halftime we talked about playing Brunswick basketball,” Farrell said. “In the first quarter, we played the way that we should, but in the second quarter we got out of rhythm and made decisions we don’t normally make. Greely hit some big shots. We just needed to be ourselves.”

“The second quarter, we fell apart for a little bit, and them hitting that 3-pointer was a mood changer, and we came into the locker room with our heads down,” said Armstrong. “Coach said he didn’t ‘know why our heads were down, that we had played a good first half.’ We needed to get back to what we were doing in the first quarter.”

Making that first 3-pointer in the second half changed things for Armstrong.

“I have an issue with confidence in myself, so that was a confidence booster for me. I was probably trying to do too much for my team. I had to re-cooperate, and my teammates have enough confidence in me to keep giving the ball,” Armstrong said.

Greely kept the momentum going to begin the second half. Molly Chapin stole a Brunswick pass and scored, and Porter made a fall-away 3-pointer to up the Rangers’ advantage to double digits, 25-15. Moments later, Porter scored again and was fouled. Her free throw completed a threepoint play and moved the lead to 28-15, and Porter, who led Greely with 19 points, swished another trey for a 31-17 edge.

In the fourth quarter, Brunswick turned to Barter, who moved into the starting lineup during the season. She came through with eight fourth-quarter points. She also assisted on a pair of baskets by senior Aidan Sachs down the stretch.

“The first half I had one basket, so the second half, down 14, all of my points came from defense, getting steals and my teammates getting me the ball,” said Barter. “We started breaking the press, and our defense was strong. We shut them down.”

Brunswick shot 66.7 percent (18-of-24) in the second half, 48.8 percent for the game (20-of-41), while Greely was 16- of- 52 from the field (30.8 percent).

“We did accomplish a lot of what we wanted to do, but it just wasn’t our night,” said Flaherty.

Barter added six rebounds and four assists, with Armstrong dishing out three helpers. Brunswick out-rebounded Greely, 28-24.

DeWolfe was solid all-around for the Rangers, pulling in five rebounds while adding five assists and three steals.

No. 2 Brunswick 54,
No. 1 Greely 51

Class A South Regional Final
Saturday, at Cross Insurance Arena
in Portland
Brunswick — 11 2 19 22 — 54
Greely — 7 13 16 15 — 51
Brunswick — Charlotte MacMillan 2-
0-4, Aidan Sachs 2-0-4, Sabrina Armstrong 2-4-10, Brooke Barter 6-2-14,
Madeline Suhr 8-1-22, Rosalie White
0-0-0, Rian Sachs 0-0-0, Emily
Larochelle 0-0-0, Mackenzie Burrows
0-0-0. Totals — 20-7-54.
Greely — Isabel Porter 5-5-19, Moira
Train 0-0-0, Molly Chapin 2-0-4,
Brooke Obar 3-1-7, Anna DeWolfe 5-
6-16, Madison Scott 0-0-0, Katherine
Clancy 0-0-0, Emma Spoerri 0-0-0,
Katie Fitzpatrick 1-3-5. Totals — 16-
15-51.
3-point field goals — (B) Suhr 5,
Armstrong 2; (G) Porter 4.
Records — Brunswick 18-3; Greely
19-2.
Up next for the Dragons — State
Class A Championship, Saturday at
the Augusta Civic Center, 1 p.m.,
against North A champ Messalonskee
(21-0).

Copy the Story Link

Comments are not available on this story.