Lady Hawks pull out close victory over Limestone/MSSM

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HODGDON — It is a common cliché to say that the team that makes its free throws often comes away victorious.
    But that is precisely what happened last Tuesday evening as the No. 7 Hodgdon girls held off No. 10 Limestone-MSSM, 63-60, in an Eastern Class D preliminary playoff.
    Hodgdon (11-8 overall) sank an impressive 19 of 27 free throws (70 percent), while Limestone-MSSM (9-10) made just 14 of 27 foul shots (52 percent). None of the free throws for Hodgdon were any bigger than the two that Hawk junior Jenna Steamer converted with 7.2 seconds to play, giving Hodgdon its decisive three-point lead.
HAPPY HAWKS — The Hodgdon Lady Hawks celebrate after their Class D playoff victory over Limestone/MSSM last Tuesday, as they earned a trip to the Bangor Auditorium, where they defeated Southern Aroostook. With the win, the Lady Hawks (13-7 overall) advance to Thursday’s semifinal round, where they will face No. 3 Central Aroostook (16-4) at 7:05 p.m. Hodgdon fell to CAHS, 48-38 and 50-45, during the regular season.
    Limestone-MSSM was unable to get off a 3-point shot before time expired.
    “Those free throws were huge,” Hodgdon coach Vaughn Farrar said. “If she were to miss those, who’s to say Limestone doesn’t come down and hit a three and it’s game over.”
    With the win, the Hawks advance to the quarterfinal round in Bangor for the first time in eight years. Hodgdon will face No. 15 Southern Aroostook (9-10) at 11:05 a.m. Monday. The Warriors advanced to the quarterfinals by virtue of a 66-65 overtime upset of No. 2 Fort Fairfield (14-5) also Tuesday.
    Hodgdon beat Southern Aroostook 42-26 and 52-45 during the regular season.
    In the preliminary against Limestone-MSSM, Mariah Wiley led Hodgdon with 18 points, while Steamer and Lacey McQuarrie each added 16. Haley Gardiner contributed six points; Kim Levesque, five; and Maya Gardiner, two.
    A close, thrilling contest is what many expected. After all, the two squads split during the regular season, setting the stage for the dramatic third contest. The Eagles were 42-39 winners at Hodgdon, while the Hawks were victorious 52-48 in overtime at Limestone.
    “I knew it was going to be a very close game and it was,” Farrar said. “We knew they were going to press us, but we still struggled with getting the ball in. We have some short guards and sometimes it’s hard to get the ball over the top.”
    Limestone-MSSM opened the game red-hot, scoring the first seven points of the contest, and forcing several Hodgdon turnovers with its full-court pressure. Leighton was nearly unstoppable driving to the paint as she scored six of her 11 points in the first period.
     The Hawks remained undaunted and came out of each huddle, with the chant “Never give up,” which became their mantra for the game. Hodgdon scrapped its way back into the game, ending the first quarter trailing 19-14.
    Hodgdon gave Limestone-MSSM a taste of its own medicine to start the second quarter, as the Hawks turned up the defensive pressure with some success. Hodgdon took its first lead (20-19) with 6:39 to play on a pair of McQuarrie free throws. McQuarrie was automatic from the foul line, sinking all 10 of her attempts.
    Hodgdon was able to build a 36-29 lead at the halftime break and was able to maintain that seven-point advantage through the third quarter.
    The final frame was another story, though, as the Eagles roared back to not only close the gap, but take the lead. In fact, the lead changed hands four times before Hodgdon went up 61-59 on a pair of McQuarrie free throws with 1:39 remaining. The Eagles pulled within a point when Hopkins made the first of two foul shots with 52.9 to play, but Hodgdon was able to work the ball around the perimeter, and in so doing milked 45 seconds off the clock before Limestone-MSSM finally fouled to stop the clock with 7.2 to play.
    “It was just one of those things that was going to come down to the end,” he said. “They (Hodgdon) made their free throws. We didn’t.”