The inside-outside combination of junior center Alexis Creaser and junior guard Hope Fontaine led Edward Little of Auburn to a hard-earned 45-36 win over Bangor in a girls Class A North quarterfinal basketball game at the Augusta Civic Center on Friday night.
Creaser scored 12 points from in and around the paint and played intimidating defense to power Edward Little to as much as a 13-point lead late in the third quarter. When Bangor’s fullcourt pressure enabled the Rams to chip away at the lead, drawing within 7 points with 2:33 left in the game, Fontaine took over with sure-handed dribbling and clutch foul shooting.
Fontaine hit 3 of 4 free throws in the final 1:20 to ice the victory.
The win propels No. 4 Edward Little (15-4) into the semifinals against the winner of the Skowhegan vs. Mt. Ararat of Topsham game.
Senior guard Avery Clark led Bangor with 19 points and kept the Rams in the game until the late going. Her backcourt mate, senior Dalaney Horr, added 11 points for No. 5 Bangor, which finished 13–6 on the season.
Creaser pulled down 7 rebounds and blocked 6 shots to go along with her inside scoring. Fontaine hustled to grab a team-high 9 rebounds with her quickness and added 2 steals to spark a strong defensive effort. Sophomore forward Elizabeth Galway contributed 11 points.
Edward Little opened up a 22-12 halftime lead thanks to balanced scoring from Fontaine (7 points), Creaser (6 points) and Galway (5 points). The Edward Little pressure defense held Bangor to 24 percent shooting from the floor and helped force 5 turnovers.
Horr led the Rams with 6 points in the first half, while Clark added 5.