FREEPORT — Greely raced out to a 25-8 lead after one quarter and never looked back as Anna DeWolfe sank 30 points to lead the Rangers to a 79-41 win over Freeport in girls high school basketball action Thursday.

The defending State Class A champions improved to 10-0, while Freeport fell to 7-2.

To go along with her 30 points, DeWolfe had five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Sophomore Camille Clement added 22 points and Katie Fitzpatrick 13 for the visitor in the Western Maine Conference victory.

“They are a really good team, as good as you’ll see in the state,” Freeport coach Seth Farrington said. “They all can catch, shoot and put so much pressure on their opponents.”

The pressure the Rangers put on started early. Clement broke a 2-2 tie with the first of her four 3-point baskets, beginning an 18-2 run in the opening five-and-a-half minutes, forcing eight first-quarter turnovers by the Falcons.

“It starts with defense for us. We use the word disrupt a lot and blow people’s offenses up if we can, and I think we did a good job with that,” Greely coach Todd Flaherty said.

Once the dust settled, the visitors held a 25-8 advantage through eight minutes.

“They are so dynamic,” Farrington said. “We missed some offensive layups early, not saying that dictated the outcome of the game, but just getting the ball in the hoop sets us up offensively.”

An 11-3 run to open the second quarter, fueled by another Clement trey and four DeWolfe baskets, extended the Ranger lead to 36-11 late in the first half. After scoring 11 points in the frame, DeWolfe capped off the quarter with a precise pass through the lane to Abby Taylor for a layup as the Rangers took a 42-17 lead into the locker room.

The Falcons turned the ball over 18 times in the first half, while getting beat on the boards, 13-9.

“We put a lot of pressure on their guards,” DeWolfe said. “When she’s in, Julia Martel usually picks up their guard, but when she’s not in, we need others to step up and we were able to do that tonight.”

“They may not have the size, but they have such great athleticism, we need to be better,” Farrington added.

More defense

Greely continued its suffocating defensive pressure to open the second half, keeping the Falcons from creating any offensive rhythm and forcing five more turnovers. As a result, the Rangers increased their lead, scoring both in transition and the outside shot.

“We tried to get out in break and find a decent shot in our offense,” Flaherty said. “While that may not be our best feature, I think we did a good job with that tonight.”

“The defense really gets easy buckets for us in transition, and that’s what we’re known for,” DeWolfe added.

The senior guard continued showing her presence out on the court, nailing a 3-point basket, grabbing rebounds, dishing out a pair of assists, and defensively, making a steal in the third quarter alone.

“She’s incredible. She is one of the best players in the state, she can do so much out there,” Smith said of her AAU teammate during the summer.

The feelings were mutual as DeWolfe explained Smith was a focal point of their defense.

“I play with Caroline in AAU and we all know she’s a tough player,” DeWolfe said. “So our focus was to make sure we knew where she was at all times.”

While DeWolfe did her thing, Clement was posting nine points of her own in the third frame.

“She can shoot the ball. When she’s hot, we all know to get her the ball, that’s what we like to see,” DeWolfe said as the Rangers took a 63-28 lead into the final quarter.

DeWolfe scored two more baskets before leaving the game minutes into the fourth, but Clement, Fitzpatrick and Madison Storey continued the scoring as the Rangers sealed the 79-41 win.

“Hats off to them, they are a fantastic team with real incredible players,” Smith said. “One thing they do extremely well is pressure the ball and pressure the passing lanes and that’s not something we’re used to.”

Seeing that type of pressure from a talented team like Greely gives the Falcons something to learn from.

“We’re going to watch the film and break it down. We need to take steps from this, I think we competed until the end,” Farrington said. “We needed a lot of things to go perfect for us, but we also need to do a better a job at the things we can control.”

“I like the way they attack in the offensive end, their high-low look,” Flaherty said about the Falcons squad. “If we had allowed them to run that more, I think it would have been more effective. I like their team, they’re young and well-coached.”

And Farrington understands his group, who still sits right in the middle of the Class B South Heal Points, battles all game, every game. But he also knows they need to improve on those “things they control.”

“We can control the rebound margin and the turnovers,” the Freeport coach said. “All credit to them, their half-court man was really good as they jump switch really well, but we need to do a better job at handling that pressure.”

Smith finished with 20 points, five boards, three assists and a pair of steals, followed by Rachel Wall’s nine points and Catriona Gould’s six for the Falcons.

Freeport travels to Topsham on Saturday to take on Mt. Ararat (5:30 p.m.) before traveling to Cape Elizabeth to face the Capers on Tuesday (6:30 p.m.).

 

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