CUMBERLAND—Last February, Falmouth’s girls’ basketball team was disheartened by a season-ending tournament loss to eventual Class A South champion Greely.
And for over 10 months, the Navigators hoped for an opportunity to earn some revenge.
That revenge came Tuesday night on the Rangers’ home floor, thanks to a smothering defensive effort and the game of senior standout Anna Turgeon’s young life.
A 15-2 first quarter run allowed Falmouth to go ahead, 17-6, after eight minutes, as Turgeon set the tone with 10 points.
In the second period, Greely scored just three points and by the half, the Navigators held a 28-9 advantage, as Turgeon had 21.
Not surprisingly, the proud Rangers rallied in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 37-27 on a late 3-point shot from junior Lauren Hester.
But Greely would get no closer, as Turgeon opened the fourth period with five quick points and Falmouth pulled away for an impressive 48-34 victory.
Turgeon scored a career-high 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for a double-double as the Navigators improved to 6-3, dropped the Rangers to 4-4 and in the process, snapped a 13-game, nine-year skid at the hands of their neighbor and nemesis.
“We’ve never beaten Greely since I’ve been here and they’re a rival for us,” said Turgeon. “We’ve been thinking about this game and really wanted to beat them. Ever since losing to them last year, we’ve been out for revenge.”
Chasing Brunswick
Both Falmouth and Greely have faced challenges this winter, but have shown signs of what they can become.
The Rangers opened with a 59-45 home win over Fryeburg Academy, then were dominated at Brunswick (70-43) and lost at home to reigning Class AA South champion Gorham (59-45). Greely bounced back to knock off visiting Gray-New Gloucester (58-48) and York (42-31), then won at home over Freeport in overtime (50-46) before dropping its last outing, a 53-43 home decision to Yarmouth Saturday.
The Navigators, meanwhile, have struggled for consistency with senior Sloane Ginevan sidelined by a knee injury she suffered last spring.
Falmouth won its first two outings, 74-16 over visiting Biddeford and 50-34, then lost at home to Marshwood (35-26), beat host South Portland on a late hoop (44-43), fell at home to Brunswick (61-36), handed host Mt. Ararat its first loss (49-37), lost at home to Gorham (52-32), then beat visiting Morse Saturday (72-28).
“I’ve played with Sloane since I was in the fourth grade, so it’s emotionally challenging not playing with her, but we’re adjusting,” Turgeon said. “(Junior) Emily Abbott has stepped up as point guard and has taken good care of the ball. We’re definitely putting things together.”
“It’s helpful having Sloane still on the bench,” said Falmouth coach Dawn Armandi. “I call her my ‘Hype Squad.’ She gets all the girls focused. She knows them inside and out. She’s been really helpful, another assistant coach. She gets them up when they’re feeling down.”
Last winter, Greely won the regular season meeting, 67-53, in Falmouth, then held off the Navigators in the Class A South semifinals, 52-47.
Tuesday, the Rangers looked for their 23rd win in the teams’ last 24 meetings, but instead, Falmouth finally solved Greely for the first time since Dec. 21, 2013 (53-45) and beat the Rangers in Cumberland for the first time since Feb. 6, 2007, before some current players were even born.
Prior to the game, Greely held Teacher’s Appreciation Night and Rangers coach Todd Flaherty kicked it off by honoring his one-time coach, Maine Basketball Hall of Famer Tom Maines, who was in attendance with his wife Rita.
Greely coach Todd Flaherty honors his one-time coach, Tom Maines, prior to tip-off. Hoffer photo.
Greely turned the ball over just eight seconds in and Abbott turned it into a layup for the Navigators.
After senior Cassidy Dean made a free throw to put the Rangers on the board, senior Sophia Ippolito sank two foul shots to give Greely its only lead of the night, 3-2.
The rest of the opening stanza belonged to the visitors.
With 6:34 left, Turgeon drove and made a layup for her first points, then the next time down the floor, she made a free throw.
After sophomore Cece Berthiuame got a point back at the line for the Rangers, the next 12 went to Falmouth, as Turgeon made two free throws, Turgeon drove and banked home a shot, Abbott set up Turgeon for a layup and after Abbott sank two foul shots, Turgeon blocked a shot at the defensive end, then drove for a layup while being fouled and added the and-one free throw to complete the old-fashioned three-point play for a 17-4 advantage.
“We came out with a ton of energy, got a big lead pretty quick and just kept going,” Turgeon said. “I got into a rhythm. My confidence was up. My teammates hyped me up. That was helping.”
As time wound down, Berthiaume set up Hester for a layup for Greely’s first field goal, ending a 5 minute, 45 second scoring drought, but the Navigators enjoyed an 11-point lead heading to the second period.
“That’s the third straight quarter we’ve given up 17 points,” Flaherty lamented. “We gave up 17 and 17 (in the third and fourth quarters) at Yarmouth the other night. You can’t win doing that. Sometimes, we have too many players trying to do too much on their own and not getting the ball movement that we need and loosening up the defense.”
Falmouth added to its lead in the second period.
Turgeon got things started with two free throws, then she got a left-handed leaner to drop before sinking two more foul shots.
Junior Zada Smith countered with a runner for Greely, but it would be the Rangers’ only field goal of the frame, as Turgeon sank a free throw, hit a long 3 and drained another foul shot before junior Kylie Crocker made a free throw for the hosts to make the score 29-8 at halftime.
In the first half, Turgeon had 21 points and seven rebounds.
Greely showed some life in the second half but couldn’t make a serious run.
Ippolito began the third quarter with a 3-pointer, but junior Maddy Christman countered with a putback.
After sophomore Grier Wright banked home a shot for the Rangers, Turgeon picked up her third foul and had to sit and the hosts took advantage, as Hester sank a free throw, then Wright got a 3-pointer to roll around the rim and in to cut the deficit to 30-18.
After re-entering the game, Turgeon momentarily restored order with a long 3, ending a 4:34 drought, but Ippolito set up junior Asja Kelman for consecutive layups to cut Falmouth’s lead to 33-22.
The Navigators then got a layup from Christman (set up by Turgeon) and after Smith knocked down a long jumper, Turgeon drove and scooped in a shot, but with time winding down, Hester’s 3 gave Greely hope and pulled it within 10 points, 37-27.
Falmouth refused to buckle, however, as Turgeon drove and scooped home a shot 24 seconds into the fourth period, then she drained a long 3 24 seconds later to push the lead to 15.
Christman then scored on a leaner, but the Rangers embarked on one final run.
First, Ippolito drove for a layup. Smith then hit a 3 and Smith made a layup with 1:46 to go and Greely was again within 10, 44-34.
That would be it for the Rangers’ offense, however, and even though Abbott, senior Katie Lozoraitis and junior Leah Cunningham all missed the front end of one-and-ones, Turgeon made four more free throws in the final minute to bring the curtain down on the Navigators’ 48-34 victory.
“It was tough to hold them off,” Turgeon said. “They have shooters. We had a timeout and talked about not letting them go on a run and keeping our energy going.”
“This means everything,” said Armandi. “I hope it sets the tone for the rest of the year. I’d never beaten Greely as a coach. The seniors wanted to come out and win this game because they hadn’t beaten them either. We came out with heart. Anytime you beat Greely, it’s a good day.
“Sophia is an amazing athlete and player and we knew we had to lock her down. We wanted to pressure them and speed them up and get them out of their routine. The second half, we wanted to take our time on offense and get good shots. They came back and hit some 3s, so we had to take a deep breath and re-set and the girls finished the game well. This was good for us. We’ve had games where we played hard for three quarters, then had one bad quarter, but I didn’t see that tonight. We finally played four really good quarters.”
Turgeon enjoyed the game of her career to date, 35 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots.
“Anna played unbelievable,” said Armandi. “If anybody watching the game tonight said she’s not one of the best players in our conference, they don’t know what they’re talking about. She’s a special player on both ends of the floor. It’s not just offense. She gives us double-doubles all the time. She’s tough and aggressive. It’s rare to be able to do that at both ends of the floor. We were prepared Anna might get face-guarded tonight because nobody has been able to stop her, but she wanted it more than anything tonight. Everything fell for her. She’s that good all the time.”
Christman added six points and 10 rebounds, Abbott had five points (three assists and three steals) and Means finished with two.
The Navigators enjoyed a 36-30 rebound advantage, overcame 30 turnovers and made 17-of-30 free throws.
Greely was paced by seven points apiece from Ippolito (three assists, three steals) and Smith (four rebounds, four steals). Hester and Kelman (six rebounds) had six points apiece, while Wright finished with five and Berthiaume, Crocker and Dean all had one.
The Rangers shot just 6-of-14 from the foul line and committed 20 turnovers (10 in the first quarter alone).
“We were just talking about (our rough starts),” Flaherty said. “I’m at a loss. I surveyed the girls. I asked them to come up with some ideas with what we need to do to get started better. The second half was fine. We were competitive and our offense was better. We just can’t dig holes like that.”
Busy stretch
Greely hopes to bounce back during a tough weekend slate. The Rangers go to York Friday, then visit Cape Elizabeth Saturday.
“We anticipated some ups and downs this year,” said Flaherty. “We’re just trying to get better and at the end, be the best team we can be. All our games are important. They’re dogfights.”
Falmouth looks to avenge a previous loss when it goes to Marshwood Friday. The Navigators then host dangerous Westbrook Monday.
“We’ve had some tough shooting games, but tonight helps give us confidence,” Turgeon said. “We lost to Marshwood earlier in the season. Hopefully we can some revenge on them.”
“It’s always tough to play at Marshwood,” Armandi said. “They’re a good team. They play really hard. If we struggle to score, it could be a difficult game, but I think these girls want payback.”
Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.
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