HOULTON, Maine — What a difference a week makes.
On Jan. 15, the Houlton girls basketball team narrowly escaped East Millinocket with an eight-point win over Schenck.
On Wednesday night, the Shires set the tone early in an up-tempo game, racing by the Wolverines 67-32.
“Down there we got off to a slow start,” Houlton coach Shawn Graham said of his team’s 53-45 victory last week. “Their 1-3-1 (zone) bothered us and it wasn’t until the third quarter when we got out in transition more — pushing the ball up the floor — that we got back to the way that we would like to play.”
That was not the case at home. The Houlton girls executed their fast-break offense from the tip-off when Natalie Hill received the ball and drove down the right side for a layup.
“We spent the last three days working against the 1-3-1 and I thought tonight we were much better,” Graham said. “We got good looks at the basket, they moved the ball well and the intensity was very good tonight.”
The Shires jumped to an 18-10 lead and outscored Schenck 19-8 in the second quarter to break the game open.
“My kids had no intensity,” said Schenck coach Paul Jamo. “They did not come to play tonight. Houlton is one of the best Class C teams around. We knew they were going to be a tough opponent. But I did expect to play with them a little better than we did.”
Freshman Kolleen Bouchard scored a game-high 23 points, 16 in the first half of action, while Hill and Katie Condon each posted 11 points. Condon scored six of her points in the second quarter.
The Houlton girls continued to display fast-breaking basketball, getting up and down the floor for easy hoops, while Schenck struggled to find its stride.
“Our offense was nonexistent,” Jamo said. “They were playing a good man-to-man, but that wasn’t anything we shouldn’t have been ready for. We were prepared before we got here. My group just wasn’t very good tonight. That is all I can say.”
Lexie Hoxie paced Schenck with 18 points.
“Our ball movement was extremely good,” Graham added. “At one point, they went to a box-and-one. But, we have lots of girls that I have confidence in who can knock down some shots.”