HODGDON, Maine — It has been a long time coming, but the Hodgdon girls basketball team has finally earned the right to compete in a playoff game in Bangor.
No. 5 Hodgdon (15-3 overall) handily defeated No. 12 Woodland, 58-26 Tuesday evening in a Class C North preliminary playoff. The Dragons finish their season with a 6-11 overall record.
It marks the first time the Hawks have earned a spot to play on the floor of the Cross Insurance Center. The last time Hodgdon appeared in the Bangor tournament was in the old Bangor Auditorium in 2013, when the Hawks fell to Schenck 54-52 in the semifinals.
In fact, the Hodgdon squad has only set foot on the Cross Insurance Center floor one time — to accept a Sportsmanship banner in 2019.
Clockwise from top left: Hodgdon’s Monique Polchies bursts through a paper hoop at the start of Tuesday night’s Class C North preliminary playoff; Polchies comes down with a rebound; Hodgdon’s Kaelyn Lawlor (right) puts up a shot over Woodland defender Brooke Smith. [Credit: Joseph Cyr / Houlton Pioneer Times]
“I am so, so proud of these girls,” Hodgdon coach Wendell Harvey said. “They have worked so hard all year. They came out and showed some grit tonight and are really excited to be going to Bangor.”
With the victory, the Hawks advanced to the Class C North quarterfinals at the Cross Insurance Center for a 7 p.m. contest Tuesday, Feb. 22, against No. 4 Central (16-3 overall). The Red Devils of East Corinth defeated No. 13 Fort Fairfield 51-28 in a Tuesday prelim.
Hodgdon and Central did not face each other during the regular season.
In Tuesday night’s prelim in Hodgdon, Anna Oliver put on a scoring showcase in the first quarter against Woodland. The talented freshman scored all 14 of her team’s points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to stake the Hawks to a 14-2 lead.
Woodland never recovered.
The Hawks grew their lead to 33-11 at the halftime break and were on top 48-13 after three quarters. The large lead allowed Hodgdon to go to its bench often in the second half, with nearly every player getting into the scoring action.
Oliver finished with 21 points on the night to lead the Hawks. Sadie Thompson added 10 points, followed by Marissa Dow with seven; Vickie Porter, six; Aleyah Matheson, four; and Meghan Peters, Emma Folsom, Monique Polchies, Paige Fitzpatrick and Kaelyn Lawlor, each with two points.
Woodland’s Nicole Cox tallied eight points to lead the Dragons, while Kristen Curtis added five; Karleigh Smith chipped in four; Brooke Smith, three; and Hannah Lockenwitz, Amy Cox and Kaylin Hamilton each had two.
“I think we share the ball well, and get up and down the floor well,” coach Harvey said. “This team is really unselfish. Night after night we might have a different high scorer. We have had multiple games with three or four players in double digits. That is something I am proud of.”