Number three seed Medomak Valley girls’ basketball team upset number two ranked John Bapst on Feb. 24 to advance to the Eastern Maine Class B championship game against Nokomis. John Bapst stayed with the Panthers in first half action, before Medomak cranked up their defensive game in the second half to outscore John Bapst 29-15 and win 54-36.
“The key was our poise,” coach Randy Hooper said of his veteran team, led by seven seniors.
The Lady Panthers will play for the East B title on Sat., Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. at the Bangor Auditorium. The Medomak girls last played for a Regional title in 1978. The Lady Panthers have never won a Regional title.
Medomak Valley motto “We is Key” has been their driving mantra all season. With two out of their three top scorers, Ericka Christensen and Lindsay Ranquist, in foul trouble in the East Class B Regional semi-finals, the Lady Panthers stepped up to meet the challenge.
“Other kids came in and we switched up our defense. We talked about it all year. I’ve told them, when it’s your turn to play, you have to step up and be ready, and they did,” Hooper said.
John Bapst stalled their way to a 25-9 quarterfinal win over Hermon. “We knew the key was who was ahead with three minutes to go. If we were ahead we would be able to stay in a zone and spread them out,” Hooper said. Hooper never had to worry about the scenario, as his Lady Panthers took the lead for good with 4:05 to play in the first half.
Christensen scored the opening basket of the game on a feed from Alanna Vose in a whirlwind first quarter. Abby Pyne tied the score, before the Panthers went up by six on a hoop from Ranquist, two foul shots from Christensen and a basket from Mallory Conary. John Bapst pulled within two. Vose went inside on a Nicole Weaver feed to boost Medomak’s lead to four. Pyne scored back to back hoops for John Bapst, including a 3-pointer to give the Crusaders their only lead of the ball game. Vose had the final say of the quarter on a pass from Christensen to give the Panthers the lead for good, 12-11.
Medomak opened the second period with five straight points to boost their lead to six. Christensen crashed the glass for two, and Vose connected at the line for a three-point play. The Crusaders came roaring back to tie the score with 4:20 to play. Vose hit back-to-back shots, including a 3-pointer, and Conary hit a big three with 2:55 to go to put Medomak up by eight. John Bapst cut the lead to four by the half, 25-21.
Medomak outscored John Bapst 14-8 in the third period to pull away 39-29 at the end of three. Vose came up with a couple of big steals, Christensen had two blocks and the duo combined for 12 points in the frame.
The Panthers continued to dominate in the final period, out scoring the Crusaders 15-7. Vanessa Davis drew a charge at the beginning of the quarter to negate a Pyne basket and electrify her Panther teammates.
Scoring for Medomak were Vose 18 (2R,3A,3S), Christensen 14 (9R,3A,3B), Ranquist 9 (4R,2 charges), Conary 5, Kayleigh Beckwith 3, Nicole Weaver 2 (2A) and Roxanne Jelenfy 2. Scoring for John Bapst were A. Pyne 13, Taylor Edgecomb 10, Emily Tilton 7, Brittany Williams 4 and Riley Boyle 2.