Something has to give. It’s a clash of styles.
Fill in the blank with your own favorite description of a championship clash that pits outstanding offense against dynamite defense.
Then slap an exponent next to it, because rarely are the metaphors more precise than in consideration of Friday night’s battle between Houlton and Gray-New Gloucester for the Class B girls’ basketball title.
Houlton topped Maranacook for the Class C crown in the same setting a year ago. Gray-New Gloucester makes its first appearance in the state game since consecutive losses to Mount Desert Island in 2001 and 2002.
“We knew that as a team we were very capable of doing good things together,” Gray-New Gloucester junior center Skye Conley said. “We hoped to go as far as we could and play our best at the end of the season, which I think we’ve been doing pretty well.”
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
Houlton (20-1), top seed in the North and attempting to win consecutive championships after moving up from Class C this season, averaged 60 points per game this winter. The Shiretowners sped to 86 points in a win over Caribou, 73 against Old Town, and 72 and 74 while twice clobbering Calais.
“They’re traditional (Aroostook) County,” Gray-New Gloucester coach Mike Andreasen said. “They shoot the ball well. They get up and down the court. They run. Their defense has been good, too.”
Few defenses outshine that of South survivor Gray-New Gloucester (17-4), which allowed 34.7 points per contest. Sacopee Valley scored a scant 17. Six other teams, five of which qualified for the tournament, failed to top 27.
Kolleen Bouchard, a sophomore point guard for Houlton, provides the star power. She is Houlton’s tallest player at 5-foot-10, probably the Shires’ quickest, and absolutely their most explosive and versatile.
The two-time North tournament MVP averaged 20.6 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocked shots per game during the season. Bouchard stepped up her scoring to 21.7 during the regional playoffs.
“I had a Northern Maine coach tell me if you stop Bouchard you’ll be alright, but they have other girls who can shoot from outside,” Andreasen said. “You pick your poison.”
Houlton also receives ample production from Natalie Hill, one of only two seniors on the Shires’ active roster. The 5-7 guard averages 11.7 points per contest.
Sophomore forward Aspen Flewelling (11.8) and junior guard Rylee Warman (10.0) also delivered double digits for Houlton. Defensive attention to Bouchard makes both of them dangerous from 3-point range.
The Shiretowners regrouped and reshaped their offensive identity after losing senior co-captain Katie Condon to a season-ending knee injury.
“Losing Condon, she puts them over the top,” Andreasen said. “As it is now, the Flewelling girl that replaced her had a fantastic year.”
Junior forward Skye Conley is the only Patriot listed among the Western Maine Conference leaders in scoring (10.8) and rebounding (7.3).
That isn’t a reflection of any offensive deficiency as much as Gray-New Gloucester’s remarkable ability to spread it around and take whatever opposing defenses permit.
Ashley Jordan (6.7 ppg), a 5-foot-10 senior, and Alanna Camerl (6.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg), a 6-foot senior, combine with the 5-9 Conley to give the Patriots a size advantage in the lane.
“Foxcroft was ahead of them in the fourth quarter in the quarterfinal. We’re hoping that’s maybe a chink in their armor, that they may struggle with size somewhat,” Andreasen said. “We hope so, because we have a good post game.”
Juniors Grace Kariotis (7.1 ppg) and Alicia Dumont (7.2 ppg) played starring roles during the South tournament, and classmate Izzy DeTroy (5.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.7 apg) has played a consistent, complementary role all season. Freshman Bri Jordan also has made an impact.
Gray-New Gloucester shouldn’t be intimidated by Houlton’s championship credentials or gaudy record. The Patriots were supremely battle tested against an expanded schedule that featured the best of both the WMC and KVAC.
Of the Patriots’ four losses, two were against Class A South finalists York and Greely. Gray-New Gloucester also lost to Fryeburg, the third-ranked Class A South team during the regular season, by three.
“You wonder about the effect of them being defending champs, even if it was in a different class,” Andreasen said. “My twist on it is that I hope there’s some hunger.”
The Patriots avenged their other loss, a one-point verdict to Lincoln, with a decisive 45-30 victory in the regional final. Gray-New Gloucester’s toughest game took place two days earlier, a 53-47 overtime win over Lake Region in the semis.
Houlton punctuated its current 16-game winning streak by taking out Foxcroft (61-52), Winslow (49-38) and Hermon (51-35) in the North bracket. The Shires have played nine games at Bangor’s CIC over the past 15 months.
“It’s not like playing Greely, who we’ve known and played against since sixth grade,” DeTroy said. “We are trying to remain calm and not over-think things.”
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