By Pete Warner, Special to the BDN
Nothing came easy for the Bangor High girls basketball team on Friday night.
The youthful Rams struggled with turnovers, foul trouble and inconsistent shooting against a gritty Windham squad that was equally inexperienced and mistake-prone.
But with the game on the line, sophomore Avery Clark provided the tenacity and poise to help her team prevail. Clark hit a clutch 12-footer from the lane, then made four consecutive free throws to lift third-seeded Bangor to a 35-27 Class AA North girls quarterfinal victory over No. 6 Windham at Red Barry Gym in Bangor.
“I’m so proud of my team. Every game they just mature and they grow so much,” Bangor senior Mimi Quinn said of a lineup that features several underclassmen.
Coach Jay Kemble’s Rams (13-6) play No. 2 Oxford Hills of South Paris (14-5) in Wednesday’s 2 p.m. regional semifinal at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
The Eagles, coached by Brody Artes, end their season at 7-12.
Clark was the spark late, making a steal that led to her 12-footer from the lane to give Bangor a four-point lead. Barely a minute later, Clark rebounded a missed 3-pointer, then grabbed her own miss and was fouled.
That call also led to a technical foul against the Eagles. Clark calmly sank all four foul shots, providing the final margin of victory.
“We practice them a lot and we get ready for situations like that,” Clark said, admitting it was a stressful game.
Clark led all scorers with 14 points, while junior Emily Adams and sophomore Delaney Horr each contributed eight points and five rebounds. Quinn added five points, six rebounds and two blocked shots despite dealing with foul trouble.
Horr scored all of her points, including two 3-pointers, in the first half, while Adams hit three timely jumpers to help Bangor overcome second-half offensive struggles.
“We talked about it halftime how we had to shoot a little more on the outside, we just had to be confident with our shot, so I think my team helped me with that,” Adams said.
Stella Jarvais led a balanced Windham squad with eight points and seven rebounds, while Mackenzie Delewski (5 rebounds) and Marley Jarvais (2 blocks) added seven points each.
Windham committed nine of its 23 turnovers in the fourth quarter. Bangor had 17 turnovers, but made only three in the final period.
Stella Jarvais scored four points as the Eagles grabbed a 25-24 third-quarter lead. However, the Rams responded and Quinn’s jump hook with 6:41 left gave Bangor the lead for good, 29-27.