AUGUSTA — There was some unspeakably ugly basketball going on, especially in the first half. But in the end, Hall-Dale won the same way it has won all season, with Taylor Massey, Carylanne Wolfington and a group of players who make the plays they need to.
Massey finished with 24 points, Wolfington added 11, and the top-ranked Bulldogs held No. 8 Georges Valley to nine points in the second half to take a 59-30 victory in a Western Class C girls’ basketball quarterfinal Tuesday night at the Augusta Civic Center.
Hall-Dale (18-1) advances to play No. 5 Traip in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Thursday. Georges Valley finished at 11-9.
The action was much like a football game – a few seconds of action, then a whistle. There were five lane violations, lots of tie-ups and enough traveling calls to make an officials’ video covering all the different ways players can travel.
Georges Valley committed 41 turnovers. Hall-Dale turned the ball over 23 times, but only six of those were in the second half.
After the first quarter, Hall-Dale was a step above. The Bulldogs forced so many mistakes that they had considerable margin for error, and they went early and often to Massey inside, where she had a three-inch height advantage over any Georges Valley player. Massey finished 11 of 21 from the field and had seven rebounds.
Hall-Dale’s 2-2-1 zone press is not suffocating, but the Bulldogs have quick hands and always take advantage of a lazy pass. Georges Valley made more than a few, and the Bucs committed a ghastly 15 turnovers in the first quarter and 27 by halftime.
When Georges Valley was able to run its offense, it was effective. The Bucs shot 39 percent in the first half, and sophomore Kennadi Grover finished with 13 points. But the Bucs had two fatal problems: They gave away too many possessions, and they couldn’t stop Massey inside.
Massey scored 12 points in the first half, and Kristina Buck added seven before the break. Buck hit two quick baskets late in the half to give the Bulldogs their largest lead to that point, 28-14. Hall-Dale led 29-21 at halftime despite committing 17 turnovers.
Georges Valley made just 4 of 20 shots in the second half, and Hall-Dale pulled away after Bucs forwards Colleen Haskell and Jessica Veilleux each got into foul trouble in the third quarter.
Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
mdifilippo@centralmaine.com
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