Moral victories abound in Wells loss

WELLS — It’s hard to find positives in any loss, let alone a 20-point defeat to your rival.

But members of the Wells girls basketball team had reasons to still smile after losing 49-29 to York on Tuesday night.

Believe it or not, the Warriors gave the Wildcats its closest game of the season. That’s what happens when you play the defending Class B champions in York (12-0), who boast two of the top players in the Western Maine Conference in forward Nikki Taylor and guard Stephanie Gallagher.

“You never feel good about a 20-point loss, but you sort of do against these guys,” Wells head coach Don Abbott said. “Because if you go back and check the box scores, nobody has been within 20 of them all year. I’m pretty sure that’s the closest anybody has been to them all year. It’s a moral victory. What does mean? Well, nothing in the [Heal Points], but plenty in the locker room and plenty in here at practice tomorrow.”

Taylor leads the WMC in scoring with an average of 17 points per game, and was no slouch in this contest, scoring a game-high 20 points. Gallagher, the fourth-highest scorer in the conference, chipped in with 13 points.

Tuesday night also showcased the continued emergence of Wells forward Kelsey Bragdon, who led the team with 12 points, and grabbed 13 rebounds. Bragdon leads the Warriors with an average of 13 points per game this season. Teammate Mariyah Heath also helped with the boards, grabbbing nine rebounds.

The Warriors even outscored the Wildcats, scoring six points to York’s four points in the third quarter. The game was a vast improvement from the first encounter between both teams back on Dec. 21, when the Warriors lost 65-24.

“I’m proud as heck at the way our kids played tonight,” Abbott said. “That’s obviously a complete team, and they’re undefeated again this year for a reason. We went down there a month ago and got absolutely thumped. They beat us by 41 down there. So, for it to be an 11 point game going into the fourth quarter, and to come out of the locker room down 13 and outscore them 6-4 in the third quarter, I was happy. That little run in the fourth quarter gave them separation, but they don’t have a lot of holes in their games.”

Possibly knowing all these factors, the Warriors were still chipper on the bench in the fourth quarter, and cheered on guard Katie Sevigny’s free throws, the final points of the contest, like they were about to win the state title game.

“I’m glad you noticed that,” Abbott said. “Because that’s something that’s been a focus of ours; 32 minutes, no matter what. I think you’re right, I think I’m seeing more energy, more positive effort, and being supportive of each other. We came here to play a 32 minute game right to the end, and that’s what we did. Whether you’re the first starter or whether you’re a guy coming in at the end of the game, I felt everyone scratched and clawed and played as hard as they could.”

Wells (6-7) entered the game at 6-6, good for ninth in Western Class B, the final spot for the playoffs. The Warriors still have time to clinch a playoff berth, but the road is not easy. Within the next week, Wells must play, and beat, Falmouth (6-4), who jumped over Wells with a win over Yarmouth on Tuesday night, and Cape Elizabeth (7-5), who are currently seventh in the MPA Heal Point standings. Wins over both teams could propel the Warriors into the playoffs.

“Those are two teams that are right above us in the standings,” Abbott said. “This will be a building block for us. I think these kids will come into practice tomorrow feeling pretty good about where they’re at. It’s good we have three days off to prepare for Falmouth. Those two [games], they’re all huge now, but those are two teams that are right above us, and if we’re going to get to where they are, we’ve got to beat those teams.”

But the Warriors can enjoy one night of marked improvement and hard work, even though it came out of a loss.

“I thought our kids stuck to our game plan and they did what we wanted them to do,” Abbott said. “Moral victories don’t get you into the tournament, but I’m pretty happy with how we’re playing right now. Since we were 2-6, we won four games in a row coming into tonight, and if we play like we played tonight, I think things look pretty good for us coming down the stretch.”

Sign In: