The Lincoln Academy girls got off to a fast start against Medomak Valley but could not hold on as the Panthers surged to a 46-36 win on Tuesday, Dec. 17 in Waldoboro. After rallying to take the lead in the second half, the Panthers were able to secure the victory despite foul trouble that led to 26 foul shots by the Eagles in the second half.
Lincoln Academy played great defense out of the gate and led 12-3 after the first quarter while keeping Medomak’s top player, Kytana Williamson, scoreless. The Panthers adjusted to the Eagles’ fast pace and battled to tie the game 18-18 at halftime behind eight points by Williamson and strong team defense of their own that forced the Eagles to take low percentage shots.
Neither team established a scoring groove until Williamson found her stroke in the two middle quarters for Medomak Valley, during which she netted 16 of her game-high 19 points. The Panthers also took advantage of their height advantage in the second and third quarters by scoring points in the paint. Medomak’s Claudia Feeley and Chloe Fox controlled the area under the basket at both ends and tallied important baskets from down low to supplement the scoring by Williamson.
The Panthers maintained their momentum and put the game out of reach as they scored the first six points of the third quarter to go up 41-25. The Eagles offense struggled to get scoring opportunities, and missed their shots when they finally got a decent chance. The Eagles kept trying to drive to the basket against the Panthers bigger defensive players, and although they mostly got thwarted, they drew a lot of fouls that would accumulate and come back to haunt the Panthers later in the match.
Williamson took over the game in the third quarter as she buried eight points in a row, while the Panthers teamwork simultaneously shut down the Eagles offense and built a 35-25 lead heading into the final quarter.
Through tenacious defense that created steals and Panthers turnovers, the Eagles clawed their way back with a run of nine straight points at the start of the fourth quarter. Lincoln Academy trimmed the lead to just seven points, 41-34, after DeLisle hit a pair of foul shots due to a technical foul on the Panthers. The Eagles had the ball with 1:13 left and a chance to get closer, but the Panthers made some key shots and the Eagles comeback attempt stalled out.
Lincoln Academy failed to take advantage of their frequent trips to the charity stripe, going a meager 10 for 30 from the line during the match, and only 8 for 26 in the second half when the game was on the line. Medomak’s tall players, Chloe Fox, Claudia Feeley and Lilly Christ all fouled out in the fourth quarter which changed the dynamic of the match.
Mariam DeLisle led the Eagles offense with 13 points. Also scoring for the Lincoln were Lilly Labrie with eight points, Maggie Thompson five, Scarlett O’Brien four, Kennedie Anderson two, Chloe Anderson two, and Olivia Ball two. DeLisle also led the Eagles with 11 rebounds, nine steals, three assists and one block.
Williamson led the Panthers offense with 19 points, and Claudia Feeley scored nine. Also tallying points for Medomak Valley were Chloe Fox with six, Rachel Richardson and Rachel Barbour five apiece, and Alyssa Smith two.
Medomak Valley improved to 2-1 on the season, while Lincoln Academy suffered their first loss of the season and slipped to 3-1.
