FREEPORT — When Jessie Driscoll and her classmates were freshmen, the Freeport girls’ basketball team won two games.

Monday evening, in a jam-packed gymnasium on Senior Night, Driscoll and her classmates produced their 14th victory this winter, the most the Falcons have managed in 26 seasons.

And they’re far from finished.

Freeport was pushed by scrappy Wells, led by Franny Ramsdell, who consistently got to the rim for easy baskets. But the Falcons never buckled and pulled away in the second half to win, 60-41.

“We’ve come really far,” said Driscoll, who had 16 points and seven rebounds. “Our teamwork is awesome and Coach (Mike Hart) knows how to play to our strengths. We had to come out strong and pull away. We came out with a big win.”

The game was tied 10-10 after one quarter as Ramsdell’s eight points kept the Warriors in it. Wells got the first five points of the second quarter, before Freeport rattled off 13 straight, highlighted by 3-pointers by seniors Allie Goodman, Johanna Bogue Marlow and Megan Cormier.

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The Warriors were only down by four, 27-23, at halftime, but the Falcons’ pressure defense and the strong play of Goodman and Driscoll helped open up a 43-34 advantage heading to the fourth quarter.

“Allie is taking that mid-range jump shot in transition and that’s tough to stop,” Hart said. “She can be deadly. She’s a tough player. Huge game from her tonight and Jessie is a super-athletic kid. When she works hard to the rim, she’s very difficult to stop.”

In the fourth quarter, after starting with a Goodman basket, Freeport slammed the door, never allowing Wells to get closer than 10 points, closing on a 17-7 run to pull away for the victory.

“The girls did a great job,” Hart said. “All of them did. It’s fun to watch this group because five of them have been with me since the word ‘go.’ I’m very proud of them.”

Goodman, who transferred to Freeport for her senior year from Pine Tree Academy, led the Falcons with 24 points. She also had 10 rebounds, six assists and a pair of steals.

“We really wanted to keep pushing in transition and look for open shots,” Goodman said. “We executed on our cuts and made plays. It was an emotional night. A great night.”

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The Falcons (14-3) moved into the top spot in the Class B South Heal point standings and close at nemesis Gray-New Gloucester, which eliminated them from the tournament each of the past two years, with much at stake on Thursday night.

“It’s sad that (tonight was) the last time I’ll play in this gym, but now we can look forward to Gray on Thursday and hopefully we have a long life in the tournament,” Driscoll said.

Wells (9-8) got a game-high 27 points from Ramsdell.

The Warriors were hindered by 26 turnovers, and the Falcons committed 19, with only six coming after the half.

“(Freeport’s) defensive pressure ended up wearing us down a little bit,” said Wells Coach Don Abbott. “Their length and strength bothered us, particularly at the end of the third (quarter) and the start of the fourth. It snowballed from there.”

 

This story was updated at 3:49 p.m. on 2/6/18 to correct that Megan Cormier was one of the Freeport players who made a 3-pointer in the second quarter.

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