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Ava Lerman did something that no player had ever done in a girls tournament basketball game before.
Her 18 free throws to help lead Wisdom over Ashland on Saturday were the most ever in a girls tournament game in any class.
“Free throws are something I’ve been working on,” Lerman told the Bangor Daily News after the game. “When it comes down to crunch time, they’re one of the most important things you do on the court.”
Lerman made those 18 free throws on 20 attempts. Her 22 points for the game helped power Wisdom to the Class D win.
The previous Class D tournament record belonged to Tate Dolly of Machias, who made 17 in a game during the 2018 tournament, according to the Maine Principals’ Association records. The Class C record belongs to Greenville’s Colllen Huff with 17 in 1981, Emily Wheaton of Presque Isle netted 15 in a game for the Class B record in 2016, Cindy Blodgett has retained the Class A record of 16 since 1994 and Tashia Titherington of Deering had 11 in 2016 for the Class AA record.
Free throws from junior guard Lerman and her teammates helped close out the game Saturday after erasing a seven-point halftime deficit.
“That was amazing. I’m very thankful I make them shoot a lot of free throws during practice,” grinned Wisdom coach Kayla Dionne after the win on Saturday.
Third seed Wisdom will take on second seed Central Aroostook in the semifinals at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
BDN reporter Larry Mahoney contributed to this story.