Cami Shields scored 28 points, and Southern Aroostook overcame a 14-point deficit as it won its third straight Class D girls’ basketball state championship with a 60-42 victory Saturday over previously undefeated Valley at the Augusta Civic Center.
Down 22-8 shortly after a 10-minute delay to replace an injured official midway through the second quarter, Southern Aroostook (21-1) took the lead with a 20-2 run that extended into the third quarter. Shields, a senior guard, scored nine points during the surge.
“Cami got it going,” Southern Aroostook Coach Cliff Urquhart said. “A little bit later than she usually does, but she hit some shots. It gave us a little bit of confidence.”
A 13-0 run that included a pair of 3-pointers from Kirsten Bigelow and five points from Madeline Hill gave Valley (21-1) a 16-4 lead late in the first quarter.
The Cavaliers were ahead by 14 midway through the second before Southern Aroostook scored 13 of the half’s last 15 points.
The Warriors then took the lead for good by opening the third quarter with seven straight points. Southern Aroostook outscored Valley 24-7 in the fourth to seal the win, as Shields was 8 for 9 from the free-throw line.
Hill led Valley with 13 points, followed by eighth-grader Liana Hartwell with 11.
DEXTER 48, HALL-DALE 41: Hannah Dean led Dexter with 18 points, and the Tigers (21-1) pulled away from the Bulldogs (20-2) with excellent free-throw shooting in the fourth quarter at the Augusta Civic Center to earn their first Class C state championship since 2006.
Cally Gudroe added 15 points and Mazie Peach had 13 for Dexter, which made eight straight free throws to build a 45-38 lead. The Tigers were making their second straight appearance in the state final, having lost to Old Orchard Beach last year.
Jade Graham paced Hall-Dale with 17 points.
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
BANGOR CHRISTIAN 44, VALLEY 31: Jalen Reed scored 44 points, Rajon Reed added 13, and the Patriots (19-3) earned the school’s first boys’ basketball state championship by shutting down Valley (17-5) in the Class D final in Augusta.
Bangor Christian broke open a one-point game with a 23-9 edge in the third quarter.
Valley, which was seeking its eighth state championship, got 15 points from Harry Louis and eight from Fisher Tewksbury.
MONMOUTH ACADEMY 52, MT. VIEW 50: Kyle Palleschi and Sammy Calder combined for 16 points in the third quarter, and Monmouth Academy (19-3) pulled ahead on the way to its first state championship, beating Mt. View (16-7) in the Class C final at the Augusta Civic Center.
Calder finished with 15 points and Palleschi added 13.
Mt. View, playing in its first state final since 1987, got 18 points from Wyatt Evensen, 16 from Noah Hurd and 12 from Wyatt Bennett.
BOYS’ HOCKEY
CAMDEN HILLS 9, OLD TOWN/ORONO 1: Billy Kurzius recorded a hat trick as the fifth-seeded Windjammers (14-6) advanced to the Class B North final by routing the No. 8 Black Bears (6-13-1) at Colby College.
Owen McManus added two goals and assist, and Flynn Lilly, Blake Christie, Alden Howard and Emmet Marshall also scored for Camden Hills, which will play either Hampden Academy or the Cony co-op team on Tuesday at Alfond Arena in Orono.
INDOOR TRACK
NEW ENGLANDS: Maddox Jordan of Noble won the boys’ mile and Teanne Ewings of Greater Houlton Christian Academy prevailed in the girls’ 2-mile at the New England high school championships in Boston.
Jordan, a senior, posted a time of 4 minutes, 15.45 seconds. Ewings, a junior, won by more than 5 seconds, finishing in 10:40.09.
Mainers also faired well in the girls’ mile, as York’s Cary Drake (third, 4:57.64) and Portland’s Samantha Moore (fourth, 4:58.61) went under the 5-minute mark.
Billy Albertson of Skowhegan and Arnaud Sioho placed second and third in the long jump. Both had a best jump of 22 feet, 4 3/4 inches, but Albertson’s second-best jump was better.
In the girls’ long jump, Lucy Veilleux of Old Town was third at 17-10 3/4.
Other top six individual finishes came from Kaleb Colson of Sumner in the boys’ 1,000 (fifth, 2:30.70), Andre Clark of Marshwood in the 55 dash (6.51), and Makenna Drouin of Lewiston in the girls’ 55 (7.21).
David Bailey of the Kennebec Journal contributed to this report.
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