AUGUSTA — Rangeley’s Western Class D girls’ basketball quarterfinal against Vinalhaven didn’t go exactly as planned, but during tournament time, any win is a good one.

The second-seeded Lakers struggled for the better part of three quarters against a team they twice beat handily during the regular season. But they eventually pulled away for a 52-37 win to reach Thursday’s semifinals.

“I told the girls when we drew Vinalhaven, the regular season is the regular season,” Rangeley Coach Heidi Deery said. “I knew they would make adjustments. They’re well coached and a hard-working team.”

The No. 7 Vikings (8-8) did adjust, switching from the zone defense they played during the regular season to an aggressive man-to-man. It limited some of the Lakers’ outside shooters, but it also opened up the interior for junior Chantal Carrier, who scored 27 points.

“We liked it when they played man because we knew we could dominate inside,” Carrier said. “A few times when we knew they had foul trouble, we wanted to isolate me inside.”

Carrier did most of the dominating, usually going to her left for drives through the lane. She scored nine points in the first quarter and 10 in the fourth to go with eight rebounds.

The Lakers led 11-6 at the end of one quarter and 21-14 at the half. They did that despite committing 18 first-half turnovers.

“I think there were a lot of nerves at first,” Carrier said. “Then we just settled down and realized we could just play.”

The Vikings were able to stay close behind Ashley Hamilton, who scored six of her 13 points in the third quarter. They drew to within 23-20 on a pair of free throws by Blake Reidy midway through the third quarter.

“Our effort today was fantastic,” Vinalhaven Coach Alan Lazaro said. “We’re a young team, but they held their own for three and a half quarters.

The Lakers closed the third quarter with an 8-0 run, starting with a pair of hoops from Carrier, followed by jump shots from Sierra Machacos and Emily Carrier. Carrier opened the fourth quarter with two layups, and the Vikings never got closer than nine points after that.

“Defensively, I thought things turned around for us,” said Deery, whose team forced 27 turnovers. “Like most teams, our offense is often sparked by our defense.”

Emily Carrier finished with 10 points and Alex Slivinsky scored nine for Vinalhaven.

The Lakers (15-3) play No. 3 Valley in the semifinals. The teams split two games during the regular season.

Gary Hawkins — 621-5638
ghawkins@centralmaine.com

Copy the Story Link