BIDDEFORD ”“ A close, competitive game in the first quarter between Sanford and Biddeford was anything but by the time the final horn sounded on Friday night. A one-point Tiger lead after the opening quarter was a distant memory at the end, as the Spartans won 55-31 in an SMAA girls basketball game at Tiger Gymnasium.
Shots were falling for both teams in the first quarter, as they traded baskets, never getting more than three points ahead or behind. And each team saw five different players score points in the opening frame.
“We moved the ball really well. We were taking the ball to the basket. I thought we caught them a little flat-footed at times, and we were really aggressive going to the basket,” Biddeford head coach Brian Heal said of his team’s first quarter. “And we knocked down shots.”
The Tigers (2-11) made seven field goals in the first quarter ”“ from five different players ”“ and led 16-15.
“Their speed was actually more impressive than I thought it would be,” Sanford head coach Kristy Parent said of Biddeford. “They were getting some open looks because we weren’t able to put a body on them.”
But an 8-2 run for Sanford (6-8) to start the second was the beginning of the end for Biddeford.
Five of those eight Spartan points came from senior forward Shelby Paiement, who scored 12 points in the first half.
The Tigers were able to claw back to 23-22 with a 4-0 run, but Sanford ended the first half on a 4-0 run of its own to lead 27-22 at halftime.
Things got worse for the Tigers in the second half, as the Tigers made just two field goals, both by Gelinas.
“I think we just changed and kind of played more of a zone-looking defense, and just made sure that we took care of the ball,” said Parent.
Gelinas, in fact, was the only Biddeford scorer in the second half, and except for four points from Bailey Cote in the second quarter, was the only Tiger to score over the final 24 minutes.
“That’s something that we work on,” Heal said of trying to find a secondary scorer. “Players have to step up into that role, and be aggressive, and go to the basket and make shots.
“We’re not a very good jump-shooting team.”
Paiement, on the other hand, was the secondary scorer the Spartans have been looking for, and was able to take some of the load off of Morgan Fogg.
“She played very well. I think we need somebody else stepping up, and at this point in the season, as a senior, you only have so many games left,” Parent said of Paiement. “I think she’s kind of realizing that she needs to help contribute on the offensive end of the floor. She’s always played great defense for us, so hopefully now this will kind of give her confidence offensively.”
Paiement finished with a game-high 20 points, and was able to sit the final 3:12 of the game as the Sanford reserves sealed the win.
Fogg took off after a slow start ”“ just two points in the first quarter ”“ and finished with 16 points.
Gelinas scored a team-high 13 points for Biddeford, while Brittany Roy pitched in with five, and Aliyah Hubbard and Cote added four apiece.
“We struggled defensively, we struggled offensively,” said Heal. “It was a frustrating nights, especially the second half.”
The win puts the Spartans on the cusp of a playoff spot with four games left in the regular season. Parent said wins, no matter who the opponent is, are vital from here on out.
“This is huge. This is big. I told the girls every win, everybody is worth one point potentially,” said Parent. “It’s going to come down to like one or two points when you’re trying to squeak into the playoffs.”
— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or sports@journaltribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.
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