BANGOR, Maine — It may not have been a pretty 63rd consecutive victory for Waterville, but it counts just the same as the previous 62.
Coach Ted Rioux’s undefeated and top-seeded Purple Panthers handled every complex defense No. 8 Mattanawcook Academy threw at it, and Morgan Frame posted a double-double as Waterville cruised into the semifinals with a 50-21 win over the Lynx of Lincoln at the Bangor Auditorium Satur-day afternoon.
Fifth-seeded Mount View of Thorndike awaits Waterville for Wednesday’s 3:35 p.m. semi-final as the Mustangs held off No. 4 Mount Desert Island 34-30 earlier in the day.
Waterville won both regular-season meetings.
In the early game, it appeared coach John Donato’s Mustangs were going to coast into the semifinals, parlaying 12 second-chance points into a 20-9 halftime lead.
Going in, senior Anna Joy was the only Trojan who had played in a tournament game, so MDI was understandably nervous.
“They were very nervous,” said Barker. “You could tell we were very tentative, we turned the ball over way too much.”
Mount View forced 12 MDI turnovers in the first half, but the Trojans settled down in the second, attacking the basket better and getting the Mustangs’ post players in foul trouble.
“I think they were [looking ahead to Waterville],” said Donato of his team. “We got out to an early lead and they figured at halftime we’re going to cruise.”
But a 6-0 MDI run over the final seconds of the third quarter and into the fourth, spurred by a Megan Phelps bucket off an inbound pass and a free throw by Jessica Swanson, willed the Trojans into the lead.
“I think our legs were kind of soft. We were turning the ball over mainly because we were tired,” said Donato.
With the role of hero yet to be cast, Dakota McAdam and company stepped into the spotlight, as the senior 6-footer’s foul-line jumper with 2:14 left gave Mount View (now 17-3) the lead for good.
Macy Montminy, Alexis Bennett and Hayleigh Kein came up with pivotal steals on MDI’s next three possessions to keep the Trojans at bay, mainly thanks to a triangle-and-two scheme.
“I think that was one of the turning points, [when] we changed defenses. They got a little confused and that helped us out,” Donato said.
McAdam was the lone Mus-tang in double figures with 12 points, while Bennett and Kein contributed six each.
Phelps paced the Trojans (15-5) with 10, while Swanson finished with seven.
In the afternoon game, Waterville assumed control in the second quarter, outscoring the Lynx 13-4 over the final 6:24 after Brooke Hanscom’s layup had brought MA to within one point earlier in the period.
Most of the Panthers’ points came by virtue of second-chance points by Frame, who at 6-1 stood head and shoulders above the MA defense.
“We told her that tonight they’re going to run junk defenses at you so what’s going to have to happen is you’re going to have to score off the rebound,” said Rioux.
Frame had plenty of points and rebounds to go around, as she dropped in 19 points — 12 of which came in the second half — and grabbed 20 rebounds.
“Tonight [I] knew that my points would come from rebounds and second-chance opportunities, so we did what we wanted to do, that’s how it worked out,” said Frame.
Jen Nale was the other Panther in double figures with 15 points.
Waterville (19-0) did a solid job of making extra passes in its offensive sets.
“[Mattanawcook] did a nice job of showing us something we hadn’t seen all year,” said Rioux. “What we showed was a lot of patience and execution, so I was extremely happy to see that.”
Mattanawcook, which graduates only two seniors, has nothing to hang its heads about.
“We were one of eight teams in Eastern Maine to make it down here, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” said Lynx coach Brian McDormand. “Waterville, [they’re] the real deal. I think it would take some kind of superhuman effort to knock them off.”
Hanscom’s eight points led MA (13-7), while Katelyn DeRaps and Renee Libbey scored five apiece.
