The Cony Rams outlasted the Lawrence Bulldogs 54-46 after a back and forth 32 minutes of action in the Class A North girls championship basketball game at the Augusta Civic Center Friday night.
Cony now moves on to the Class A state championship game against Brunswick at 1:05 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
“It feels incredible. Words can’t describe how good I feel for the girls,” Cony head coach John Dennett said postgame. “You know, I just guide them a little bit but they do all the work. It’s an amazing group for sure.”
All of Cony’s players were fitted with white knee guards, and they made sure to get the most of that investment. The Rams were uber-active in the passing lanes all night and reeled in 14 steals, with five of them coming in the third quarter alone.
Dennett praised the effort his girls left out on the floor.
“We focus on defense all year long — tonight we wanted to shut down (Madalyn) Provost and then really be active in the passing lanes with their big girls, and they’re just super resilient.”
Junior guard Cassie Lacroix provided a spark off the bench that ultimately carried Cony to the state championship game, cashing in on numerous threes in the first half en route to a 12-point night.
“Awesome performance. She’s a very fiery kid, loves basketball, super passionate, and you know you’ve just got to keep her contained a little bit. She had a great game, she was a huge part of this win, and I’m proud of her,” Dennett said.
Senior guard Morgan Cunningham’s efforts wouldn’t go unnoticed either, earning her the Bob Whytock award for her stellar play throughout the tournament. Cunningham finished the game second on her squad in points with 14, nailing both sets of free throws she was faced with in the final minute of play. Junior guard Morgan Fichthorn paced the Rams in scoring as she netted 16 of her own to contribute mightily to the 16 lead changes in the game.
Lawrence was led by senior guard Kaylee Elkins and her 14 points.