AUGUSTA, Maine — Senior guard Anna DeWolfe scored a game-high 28 points and also had seven steals and five assists as Greely High of Cumberland Center beat turnover-prone Hampden Academy 54-42 in the Class A schoolgirl basketball state championship game at the Augusta Civic Center Friday night.
Camille Clement had 14 points and two steals for the 22-0 winners, who defended their state title and have now won 38 straight games.
Greely beat Hampden Academy in last year’s final 53-38.
Six-foot-three center Bailey Donovan registered 18 points and 13 rebounds to cap a tremendous career for 17-5 Hampden Academy, which committed 27 turnovers against Greely’s aggressive full-court press.
“The girls really stepped up,” DeWolfe said. “They found me when I was open and I found them when they were open.”
“We played well defensively,” DeWolfe added. “Getting easy buckets is what’s best for us… good defense and transition baskets.”
DeWolfe, who had 67 points in winning the Class A South’s Most Valuable Player Award, hurt her ankle and had to leave the game with 6:38 left in the second quarter. But she returned 1:21 later.
“My teammates helped me a lot,” DeWolfe said. “When I went down, they told me to keep playing, to just play through the moment and enjoy it.”
“I was in a lot of pain and I still am but it was my last game so I enjoyed it, I had fun and I cherished the moment,” DeWolfe added.
She was impressed with Hampden.
“They played well. Their coach came up with a very good plan. We just executed what we wanted to do,” she said.
“Anna DeWolfe was the difference,” said Hampden senior center Bailey Donovan.
Hampden Academy coach Nick Winchester said the difference in the game was Greely’s second-chance points off offensive rebounds.
“They took the shots we were willing to give them but they were getting offensive rebounds,” Winchester said. “Against Skowhegan [in the 32-28 win in the A North final], it was one-and-done [because Hampden was rebounding]. And we had some unforced errors that hurt us.”
“We could have rebounded better,” Donovan said.
Brooke Obar added six points on a pair of 3-pointers, three assists and two steals for Greely. Katie Fitzpatrick scored four points.
Amelia McLaughlin and Megan Deans contributed seven points apiece for Hampden Academy. Deans also grabbed six rebounds and McLaughlin had three. Sydney Hodgdon contributed five points and four rebounds and Alydia Brillant had four points, three rebounds and two assists.
Hampden stayed within striking distance but DeWolfe’s 3-pointer and ensuing steal and layup turned a 40-33 lead into a 45-33 edge in the fourth quarter. She then fed Clement an inbounds pass for a 3-pointer with four minutes left to make it 50-39 and sew up the win.
Fordham University-bound DeWolfe scored 13 points in the first half, including the final four, to help the Rangers build a 28-17 lead.
Greely used an 8-0 run to take a 20-10 lead early in the second period on Clement’s 3-pointer, her 15-foot jumper from the left elbow and DeWolfe’s 3 from the top of the key.
Deans ended the run by converting a Donovan pass underneath and Donovan made three of four free throws to pull the Broncos within five.
After a DeWolfe 12-foot jump shot and two Deans free throws, the Rangers scored the final six points of the half as Mollie Obar drove the lane and banked in a seven-foot runner before DeWolfe sank two foul shots and hit a short baseline runner.
Clement had nine first-half points.
Donovan had nine first-half points for Hampden, which committed 14 first-half turnovers.
