TURNER — A strange thing happened prior to the start of Leavitt High School’s game against Erskine Academy.
Burnt popcorn at the concession stand caused the fire alarm to go off during the early moments of the JV game, delaying the varsity contest by approximately 40 minutes.
The small fire was contained and the Hornets extinguished their five-game losing streak as well with a 42-25 win over Erskine on Friday. Leavitt forced 35 turnovers and held the Eagles to just four points in the fourth quarter.
“We came into it with a whole different attitude,” Leavitt junior forward Chantel Eells said. “We’ve been really bonding with each other and working on our game. We knew this was going to be a tight game because our records were similar. We just wanted to go out and play our best like we can.”
In Leavitt’s three wins, it’s held its opponents to 26.7 points per game.
The Hornets (3-6) never trailed. They led 13-3 at the end of the first quarter as part of a 16-3 run to open the game. Liz Goulette knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Allie Belaire hit another during a 12-0 run in the first half. Goulette led all scorers with 12 points and was one steal shy of a double-double.
“It was feeling really good,” Goulette said of her shot. “After the first one I was just ready for the next one.”
The young Leavitt squad, which started a junior, sophomore and three freshmen, held the Eagles (1-7) to five field goals in the first half and 11 for the game. After the Hornets’ early run, Erskine never closed within six points.
“We played well in spurts and that’s always a good thing,” Leavitt coach Dave Gerrish said. “We tried to get the ball inside and out and we were effective at times doing that.”
A basket by Erskine’s Mallory Chamberlain whittled Leavitt’s lead down to 25-19 past the half way point of the third quarter, but the Hornets responded with five quick points to push the advantage to double figures. Eells hit a free throw and a basket and Goulette knocked down her final shot of the game during that stretch.
“It boosted our confidence a little bit because obviously after losing a couple games you get kind of down, but coming into it we were confident,” Eells said. “We knew we had a chance.”
Eells finished with eight points to go along with 12 rebounds, eight steals and three blocks.
The Eagles couldn’t buy a basket in the fourth quarter. They went the first 3:30 without a point before Megan Dunn hit a shot in the paint. But with Leavitt leading 33-23, Belaire sealed the Hornets’ victory with her second 3 of the game. Goulette and Eells hit free throws down the stretch to pad their lead.
Sophia Gilbert had as many field goals in the fourth quarter (2) as the entire Erskine team. Gilbert had seven points and eight rebounds.
The Eagles finished 11-for-40 from the field and 0-for-4 from behind the arc. The Hornets knocked down four of their 12 3-point attempts and were 15-for-46 from the field.
“Both teams were getting after it defensively,” Gerrish said. “It was a good old-fashioned Maine high school basketball game.”
The Hornets finished with a 34-27 edge on the glass.
Malorie Weaver led the Eagles with six points.
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