Morse’s Maddy Werner shoots a free throw during a basketball game on Thursday against Brunswick in Bath Eli Canfield/The Times Record
BATH — It didn’t take long for the Brunswick girls basketball team to assert its dominance Thursday night. Behind some tough defense, crisp passing and good shot selection, the Dragons jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first two minutes and never looked back, cruising to a 49-22 win over Morse.
It was a bittersweet feeling for Hannah Fortier, the lone senior on the Brunswick squad.
“There’s a lot of emotions going through my head right now; this team has been like my family for the past four seasons,” said Fortier, who bowed out in her final game with six points. “From not knowing whether we will even have a season up until now, we just made the best out of every opportunity we had and I couldn’t have asked for anything else given the circumstances.”
It was the second game in three days between the two sides, with the first matchup ending in a 64-30 Brunswick victory.
“We wanted to come into this week and finish the season on a high note,” Fortier added. “There’s no better feeling than winning with your team, but this one definitely has a little more meaning.”
On the other side, the young Shipbuilders came into this season with two goals on their minds; to improve every day and gain priceless in-game experience — as well as to send their seniors out with a fun season. The goals were accomplished, especially when one considers that the Shipbuilders snapped a 46-game losing streak earlier this season.
“We made some big strides in a lot of different places in our game this season,” said Morse head coach Jeannine Paradis. “Our No. 1 nemsis remains taking care of the ball.”
Abby Sharpe of Brunswick, left, drives past Morse defender Abby Carpenter during a game Thursday in Bath. Eli Canfield/The Times Record
The scrappy and skilled Dragons were too much for Morse on Thursday.
After the quick 9-0 run out of the gate that forced Paradis to call for time, the Dragons continued to pour it on with their pressure defense.
As soon as it seemed the Shipbuilders had found a press breaker that worked, Dragons coach Sam Farrell switched into a different scheme, forcing more turnovers.
Logan Brown scored 22 points to pace Brunswick.
While the Dragons lead 39-10 at half, the Shipbuilders weren’t going to go quietly in the season finale.
“Our play in the second half was phenomenal, especially on defense, which is exactly the type of basketball we want to play,” Paradis said.
Morse outscored the Dragons by four in the third quarter, and two in the second half overall.
Freshman Dakota Shipley paced Morse with 10 points, while Mary LaRochelle and Julia Goddard each added four apiece.
“I don’t know what I am going to do on the weeknights now that the season is over,” Paradis said. “I’ll be counting the days until June, where hopefully we can have our summer league.”
Copy the Story LinkComments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
