It happens every game, a coach inserts a player, then another, and another, and hopes that each will do something positive. Mt. Ararat High School girls basketball coach Andy Morris uses his bench, with 12-14 players seeing action on a given night.
Morris discussed his use of the bench.
“What we’re trying to do is save our legs for the second half. We still get tired and we have faith in our bench players. They know their jobs. We are getting a rebound here and a rebound there. We just ask them to do one thing to make a difference,” said Morris, whose Eagles host Camden Hills on Thursday at 7 p.m.
“We have a good flow going right now,” said Bryant, who finished with a team-high 14 points and picked up five steals. “We knew that we had to change what we were doing, and today it worked. Coming off the bench, you can’t come in slow. You have to come in and contribute. The wins are definitely getting the momentum going.”
The Shipbuilders fell to 1- 6, and all first-year coach Jan Veinot needed to do was look at her team’s free-throw shooting performance, a 6- of-21 showing, to explain this loss one game after her squad defeated Leavitt for its lone win.
It was a tough start for Morse, which saw Mt. Ararat grab a 15-6 first-quarter lead after the Shipbuilders committed 16 turnovers in the face of the Eagles’ press.
From there, Veinot watched senior forward Marissa Parks take over in the paint. Parks grabbed 20 rebounds, several coming off the offensive glass that led to easy put backs, resulting in a game-high 15 points.
“She really worked hard,” said Veinot of Parks, who discussed her team’s ability to get back into the contest after Morse trailed 29-22 at the half.
“Us coming off the court after the crappy first half, we wanted to work cohesively from there and we went back to basics,” Parks said.
Second-half run
Morse pushed Mt. Ararat in the third quarter, as Parks picked up four points. Emma Gould’s put back drew the Shipbuilders to 32-31, but Mt. Ararat answered as Kyla Greenleaf scored on a short jumper and Grace Liedman hit a pair of free throws for a 36-31 advantage.
The game slowed down, way down, from there, as the score remained 36-31 over the final two minutes of the third quarter.
“The game just stalled,” said the Morse coach.
The Shipbuilders began the fourth quarter quickly, tying the game as Julia Goddard hit a 3-pointer and Gould scored inside. Bryant and Goddard traded buckets before a long trey from Bryant gave the Eagles the lead for good, 41-38. Parks scored inside moments later, but Lauren Sturgess answered to restore the Mt. Ararat three-point lead.
Leading 43-41 with two minutes remaining, the Eagles went into a stall, passing around the perimeter. Morse committed three fouls, and Mt. Ararat obliged by making just 1-of-4 at the charity stripe for a 44-41 lead.
However, the Shipbuilders missed their final six shots as Mt. Ararat earned a second straight victory.
“We started off with some buzz saws, and from Biddeford on we felt that we had some games that we could compete in,” said Morris. “The girls have been unbelievable during practice time and they kept their composure tonight.”
“We had chances and it just didn’t go,” said Veinot, whose Shipbuilders visit Edward Little on Thursday at 7 p.m. “They have to have that confidence. I see that talent, I just have to get them to see it.”
“We have some upward momentum. Even though we lost today, we know that we can work hard together and be in these games,” Parks said.
Greenleaf chipped in nine points for Mt. Ararat along with dishing out four assists. Sturgess added seven points, while Bryant picked up five assists. Liedman pulled down seven rebounds.
Gould had nine points and blocked two shots for Morse, with Sierra Wallace and Goddard picked up five points apiece.
Mt. Ararat shot 30 percent (15-of-50) and made 10-of-18 from the charity stripe, while Morse finished 17-of-46 (36 percent) from the field.
Mt. Ararat 44, Morse 41
At Topsham
| Morse | — | 6 | 16 | 9 | 10 | — | 41 | |
| Mt. | Ararat | —15 | 14 | 7 | 8 | — | 44 |
Morse — Maddy Mitchell 1-0-2, Marija Medenica 2-0-4, Emma Gould 3-3-
9, Sierra Wallace 2-1-5, Marissa
Parks 7-1-15, Sydney Hollingsworth
0-1-1, Julia Goddard 2-0-5, Dory
Kulis 0-0-0. Totals — 17-6-41.
Mt. Ararat — Kyla Greenleaf 3-2-9,
Grace Liedman 0-2-2, Caitlyn Smith
1-0-2, Lauren Sturgess 3-0-7, Theresa Breed 0-1-1, Abby Sirois 0-0-0,
Ainsley Bryant 4-4-14, Alexa Eaton 1-
1-3, Erin Harty 0-0-0, Jaden Lohr 2-
0-4, Lauren Magno 1-0-2. Totals —
15-10-44.
3-point field goals — (Mo) Goddard;
(MtA) Bryant 2, Greenleaf, Sturgess.
Records — Mt. Ararat 2-7, Morse 1-
6.
Up next for the Shipbuilders —
Thursday at Edward Little, 7 p.m.
Up next for the Eagles — Thursday
at home vs. Camden Hills, 7 p.m.
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