Lady Wolverines stay focused despite losses

Wed, 01/03/2018 - 9:30am

Despite a stretch of nasty weather and a couple of losses against some tough competition, the Wiscasset Lady Wolverines girls basketball team continues to press on with a relentless attitude and a desire to improve as the season approaches its midpoint.

 Wiscasset (0-6) dropped a Wednesday matchup against a tough Oak Hill team, 56-23. The Raiders (4-2) are the eighth ranked team in Class B South and made their presence felt early, establishing a commanding 27-6 lead after one half of play, led by Desirae Dumais’s 11 points. Wiscasset played a better second half but still was outscored 29-17 the rest of the way. Grace Webber led Wiscasset with nine points, four rebounds, and two steals while Maeve Blodgett added five points, four rebounds, and two steals. Oak Hill went to the foul line 28 times to Wiscasset’s 12.  

Wiscasset Head Coach Ben Clark continues to see growth in his team. “I'm really pleased with the effort from our team.  We continue to play hard regardless of the score. It's something I really respect these girls for. They never give up.” 

One of Wiscasset’s vulnerabilities this season has been its lack of depth. But recently, this area has seen positive developments and is starting to provide motivation to a team with still over half its season to play.

“I think all of our younger girls are playing better,” said Clark. “Kateleen Trask, Jade Rego and Alice Yokabaskas are all really coming into themselves and giving quality minutes. Sydnie Thayer is also starting to play to her potential. She is rebounding very well and is starting to be more productive, offensively.  Defensively, they are playing hard and competing.”

On Saturday, Wiscasset hosted Winthrop (4-2), the seventh-ranked team in Class C South and fell 54-39. Wiscasset got behind big early and never got back into the contest. Winthrop’s Jillian Schmelzer, Madison Forgue, and Kate Perkins combined for 13 in the first quarter. 

Wiscasset had some nice moments in the second half, courtesy of Webber and Blodgett. With 3:41 left in the third quarter, Webber blocked two consecutive shots, led the fastbreak, and drew the foul and got to the line.  And in the fourth with Wiscasset trailing 43-20, Blodgett hit a three from the right elbow, drawing contact and the foul. After completing the four-point play, Blodgett struck for two more threes in the next minute and a half, but the lead was still 17 and insurmountable as Winthrop’s Kena Souza answered with two three’s to keep pace. For Wiscasset, Blodgett and Webber each finished with 13 points, while Thayer added seven points and 11 rebounds. Said Blodgett of her teammates: “I’m impressed with how much energy my teammates bring to games, whether they are in the game or sitting on the sideline.

 “Offensively, we finally made a few jump shots against Winthrop which was nice,” said Clark. “We need to be able to score from mid-range and three-point range to move defenses away from the basket. That was our best offensive output of the season.”

 This week, Wiscasset travels to face top-ranked Boothbay on Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. game. Friday night, Wiscasset hosts Class B Lisbon at 7  p.m. And on Saturday, Wiscasset travels to Spruce Mountain in Jay for a 2 p.m. makeup game.