Maranacook Community High School’s Grace Despres, left, and Amanda Goucher attempt to block a pass by Winslow High School’s Weslee Littlefield during a game on in Readfield on Tuesday. (Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal)
READFIELD — Maranacook girls basketball coach Jeannine Paradis warned her team at halftime that it was coming. And even after a third quarter that ranks among the best the Black Bears have played this season, she still feared Winslow’s capability.
The Black Raiders didn’t disappoint the Maranacook coach.
Winslow survived first-half foul trouble and more than six minutes without a field goal to begin the third quarter, finding their inside game in the final period to pull away for a 58-44 win over the Black Bears in a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B game that was closer than the final score indicates.
“We talked at halftime about how the game wasn’t over and that Winslow is good at coming back, in terms of runs and continuing to play aggressive defense,” Paradis said. “They just do the little things so well.”
Sophomore guard Silver Clukey scored six of her team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter, and junior Paige Trask made a pair of buckets midway through the period to help Winslow (4-0) run away at the end.
“It starts from the bench. It’s where we get our intensity,” said Trask, who finished with 11 points. “Coach calmed us down (in the fourth quarter), and we played the way we know how to play.”
“They do have that drive to get it to the rim and look to score with those easy buckets,” Winslow coach Lindsey Withee said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t hit many shots from outside. We talked at halftime about getting it to the rim. The girls do a great job of getting it there, it’s just a matter of trusting ourselves and our teammates.”
Maranacook pulled to within three points with 6:20 remaining when Kaylee Jones hit a short jumper to make it 42-39. It was as close as the Black Bears (1-3) would get.
“We made sure that we all picked up our intensity, from the bench onto the court, and it all showed through,” Clukey said. “We had to adjust what decisions we were making going into the paint. A win is a win, always.”
Trask, who had been called for three offensive fouls while trying to penetrate the paint, hit a runner in the lane and followed it two possessions later with a foul-line jumper with 4:40 left.
It was a matter of changing the Black Raiders’ approach in a game that featured two teams insistent upon full-court pressure for the full 32 minutes, Trask said.
“We were really out of control early,” Trask said. “We just needed to come to a jump-stop more, for the most part.”
Maranacook held the Black Raiders to just eight third-quarter points, but the young Black Bears were hindered by a slow start and only seven points of their own over the final eight minutes. Freshman center Gabrielle Green scored a team-high 10 points and hauled down seven rebounds. It was the home team’s best remedy for a backcourt that committed 13 second-half turnovers.
“You can tell they’ve been in close games before and know how to pull it out,” Paradis said of Winslow. “We’re still adjusting to the pace of the varsity game… It’s just continuing to work on the little stuff. We’re going to make mistakes, but we’re going to continue to get better.”
“We have a bunch of leaders on this team that do the dirty work behind the scenes stuff,” Withee said. “Some are more vocal than others, but we survived that third quarter.
Early foul trouble encouraged Withee to go to her bench early, and it was a boost for the Black Bears. With Clukey, Trask and Maeghan Bernard (12 points, four rebounds) on the bench for long stretches, it allowed Maranacook to stay within striking distance. But by the time all five Winslow starters were back together in the fourth quarter — and junior point guard Weslee Littlefield was running the show with her full complement of a supporting cast — Winslow looked like Winslow again.
“When we got out of that foul trouble a little bit we were able to play our basketball, Winslow basketball, and that’s what it all came down to,” Withee said. “The girls kept their composure and finished.”
Maranacook Community High School’s Gabrielle Green shoots over Winslow High School defenders during a game in Readfield on Tuesday. (Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal)
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