By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
BANGOR, Maine — Showcasing all of the defensive prowess of past teams, the Washburn girls proved Monday evening that they are still a force to be reckoned with in Eastern Class D basketball. No. 4 Washburn (18-2 overall) scored early and often as the Beavers pounded No. 5 Machias, 80-42, at the Cross Insurance Center in one of the more lop-sided games of the tournament thus far. The Bulldogs end their season with a 17-2 record.
Washburn, the three-time defending Class D champs, now faces top-rated Schenck of East Millinocket 8:35 p.m. Thursday in the semifinals. The Wolverines had their hands full with No. 8 Stearns of Millinocket, but managed to come away with a 49-44 victory Monday.
Washburn did not play Schenck, formerly a Class C school until dropping down to D this year, during the regular season.
Showing incredible depth, all 13 eligible players for the Beavers played, with nine scoring, in Monday’s contest. MacKenzie Worcester, a 5-foot, 5-inch guard, led Washburn with 23 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 effort from the free throw line. Senior Carmen Bragg (5-4 guard), chipped in 16 points, while junior Joan Overman (5-8 forward) added 10.
Tate Dolley led Machias with 23 points, while Kate Whitney added seven.
“We were looking forward to getting out on this floor, but I thought we could have ran the floor a bit better than we did,” Washburn coach Diana Trams said. “I’m sure all coaches, after wins, look to see what they can improve upon.”
From the onset of Monday night’s game with Machias, the Beavers set the tone with their stifling, pressure defense. Machias appeared unready for such an onslaught and turned the ball over on its first two possessions.
Washburn also seemed a bit jittery in the early going as the Beavers missed their first three shots. Nearly two minutes ticked off the clock before either team scored. Machias struck first with a pair of baskets from inside the paint for a 4-0 lead.
Koch gave her team its first points of the contest with a layup and after that it was all Washburn as the Beavers rattled off nine unanswered points. Many of those points came from turnovers created by the Beavers’ pressing defense.
“We applied a lot of pressure, which created turnovers for us,” Trams said.
With that pressure came more fouls, however, and coach Trams had to look to her bench a little sooner than she normally would have.
“Natalie Doody and Emmy Churchill stepped up really big for us, both offensively and defensively,” she said. “Then later in the game, the girls that had been sitting out with foul trouble had fresh legs to keep pushing the ball.”
MACHIAS (42)
Whitney 3 1-2 7, Moore, Fitzsimmons, Preston, Prout 2 0-0 4, Antil 1 2-3 4, Norton 0 2-3 2, Dolley 8 7-7 23, Lyons 1 0-0 2, Johnson, Wood. Totals: 15 12-15 42.
WASHBURN (80)
T. Koch 0 2-4 2, Overman 5 0-0 10, C. Koch 4 0-0 8, Bragg 7 0-0 16, Worcester 8 6-6 23, Doody 3 0- 6, Heald, Landry, Howe, Churchill 3 0-0 6, Durette, Olson 3 1-3 8, Braley 0 1-2 1. Totals: 33 10-17 80. 3-pointers — C. Bragg 2, Worcester, Olson.
