The No. 3 Wisdom girls basketball team outlasted No. 6 Bangor Christian 38-28 in the Class D North regional quarterfinals on Saturday at Bangor’s Cross Center.
Playing with just seven active players, the Pioneers from St. Agatha will play the winner of No. 2 Central Aroostook and No. 7 Katahdin in the regional semifinals at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 22.
Leading 14-6 after one quarter and 21-16 after two, the Pioneers finally relinquished their lead early in the fourth quarter, when Bangor Christian connected on two consecutive 3-point attempts to take control 26-25. But the Pioneers remained unfazed, bearing down on defense and relying on veteran point guard Lily Roy to close out the game for them.
Roy — a 1,000 point scorer for Wisdom — finished with 18 points, three assists, six steals and an offensive rebound on Saturday night, including seven points in the fourth quarter.
Together with sophomore guard Ava Lerman (nine points, two assists), Wisdom’s standout backcourt duo were able to outduel the hot hands of Bangor Christian sophomore Lyndsie Durost (10 points, two 3-pointers, two assists and one steal) and freshman forward Katherine Benjamin (eight points, two 3-pointers, two assists) on Saturday, punching Wisdom’s ticket to its third consecutive regional semifinal appearance.
Senior forward Abbie Cormier and freshman guard Madi Cyr also tacked on four points apiece for the Pioneers, who now stand at 14-5 this year. The Patriots finished their season at 9-10.
