By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
BANGOR — A return to the Eastern Class D championship was not meant to be for the Hodgdon girls basketball team.
The No. 3 Hawks (16-5 overall) nearly pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind upset Thursday evening, but ultimately fell just short of its goal of returning the regional championship with a 54-52 loss to No 2 Schenck (17-4).
Pioneer Times photograph/Joseph Cyr
REBOUNDS — Hodgdon’s Haley Gardiner pulls down a rebound against Schenck in the Class D semifinals.
Hodgdon’s Mariah Wiley tied the game at 52-52 with 12 seconds to play, but Schenck’s Morgan Thompson scored what turned out to be the game-winning basket with an open layup with about eight seconds to go.
The Hawks had an opportunity to tie the game with Wiley on the free throw line, but her first shot rattled off the rim. She then appeared to miss the second basket intentionally, with the hope of Hodgdon coming down with the rebound and tying the game, but the Hawks were whistled for leaving the lane too early, giving Schenck possession of the ball with 3.3 seconds to go.
The Wolverines were able to run out the clock for the victory.
“They were pretty gutsy and gave it all they had,” Hodgdon coach Vaughn Farrar said. “What more can you ask for? We had our chance (at the end), but life goes on.”
Farrar said he would have called time out after Wiley hit her 3-pointer to tie the game, to allow his team to get set defensively, but he had used all of his timeouts prior to that moment. 
TAKES BASELINE — Hodgdon’s Lacey McQuarrie, left, beats a Schenck player to the baseline in the Class D semifinals.
Lacey McQuarrie paced the Hawks offensively, pouring in 19 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Mariah Wiley chipped in 17 points, including five 3-pointers, as she was fundamental in helping the Hawks erase a 25-15 halftime deficit. Fifteen of Wiley’s 17 points came in the second half. She also had five rebounds and two assists.
For Schenck, Morgan Thompson led the way with 20 points, seven rebounds, one block and an assist. Ashley Leavitt added 16 points in the winning effort.
The Hawks found themselves in a hole early as Schenck went on a 14-9 run to open the game. By halftime, Hodgdon trailed by 10 points, 25-15.
“If you were thinking I was comfortable with a 10-point lead at halftime … not even close,” said Schenck coach Derek Thompson. “I put a lot of faith in my kids down toward the end of the game, and they really showed me something tonight.”
Coach Thompson said he never contemplated calling a timeout after Wiley tied the game at 52-52 with 15 seconds remaining. Instead, he let the game play out, and as fate would have it, his daughter Morgan Thompson converted an open layup on a Hodgdon defensive breakdown that put the Wolverines on top 54-52.
“I felt it best to let things play out, and maybe their defense wouldn’t be set,” the coach said. “I just let it ride and she stuck a big shot.”
Free throw shooting, something that has proven to be a strength for the Hawks this season, was a struggle in Thursday night’s game. Hodgdon made just 12 of 21 foul shots (57 percent). Schenck was not much better, making just 11 of 24 free throws (46 percent).
Coach Farrar said he tried sticking with his zone defense for as long as he could, but ultimately had to make a switch to press defensively late in the game.
HODGDON (52)
Sherman 0 0-2 0, Harris, Howell 1 0-2 2, Palmer, Wiley 5 2-4 17, McQuarrie 5 8-8 19, Gardiner 1 1-2 3, Steamer 5 1-3 11. Totals: 17 12-21 52. 3-pointers — Wiley 5, McQuarrie.
SCHENCK (54)
M. Thompson 7 5-10 20, Lewis, Michaud 0 0-2 0, K. Thompson 4 3-8 11, McLaughlin 1 0-0 3, Bell 0 1-2 1, Stanley 1 0-0 3, Leavitt 7 2-2 16, Hoxie. Totals: 20 11-24 54. 3-pointers — M. Thompson, McLaughlin, Stanley.
Hawks 9 6 14 23 — 52
Wolverines 14 11 10 19 — 54
