The No. 3 Cony girls basketball team allowed just 12 second half points against No. 2 Hampden Academy on Wednesday, on the way to a 52-40 victory in the Class A North regional semifinals at the Augusta Civic Center.
The hometown Rams improved to 13-7 on the year, with three total wins over the Broncos this season. Cony will play the winner of No. 1 Lawrence and No. 4 Camden Hills at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23. Hampden finished its season at 14-6.
Up against Cony’s aggressive 3-2 zone, Hampden was able to outscore the Rams 28-23 in the first half with some solid ball movement, offensive rebounding and outside shooting, but the long two-pointers and friendly bounces stopped falling in the second half, as Hampden managed only three field goals.
On offense, Cony commanded a well-balanced attack, with junior guard Abby Morrill (15 points, two offensive rebounds, two steals), junior forward Morgan Fichthorn (12 points, two offensive rebounds) and senior guard Morgan Cunningham (11 points, one assist) each pouring in double-digit points for the Rams.
Senior guard Maci Freeman and junior guard Cassie Lacroix each added two field goals and two free throws for the Rams on Wednesday afternoon.
Trailing 43-36 with 1:47 remaining, the Broncos were forced to start fouling, but Cony knocked down 11 of its 14 second half free throw attempts, and continued to disrupt Hampden on the defensive end. The Rams forced more than five fourth quarter turnovers from Hampden on Wednesday.
Hampden’s leading scorers were freshman guard Eve Wiles (10 points, two offensive boards), senior forward Lauren Voteur (seven points, two offensive boards), freshman forward Aubrey Shaw (six points, one assist) and senior guard Destiny Mooers (six points).
