With 2024-25 Bangor Daily News All-Maine center Addison Cyr having to sit large stretches of the game due to foul trouble, the undefeated Mattanawcook Academy girls basketball team needed the supporting cast to step up in her absence in their Class C North semifinal.
And they certainly did.
Junior guard Natalie Turner and senior guard Megan House scored 16 points apiece and senior forward Chloe De La Cruz added 14 more against youthful Caribou at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor Thursday night.
The Lynx pulled away in the second half en route to a 59-43 triumph over the fifth-seeded Vikings.
Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln will take on third seed Foxcroft Academy in Saturday’s 7 p.m. C North championship game.
“Chloe really stepped up,” said Megan House. “She’s been great all season but there were some plays where she just rolled to the basket when our perimeter shots weren’t falling. She was always there to put it back. So she was really great. And Natalie, too. She was making those shots tonight and that really helped.”
Turner hit four 3-pointers in the second half and De La Cruz had 10 points in the paint.
“I felt like I needed to step up,” said De La Cruz. “I tried to work hard, see who else was open around the paint and try to get the best look for everyone.”
Mattanawcook led by just six at the half but started the third period with a 13-3 spurt that gave the Lynx valuable separation. And the Vikings couldn’t get any closer than 12 the rest of the way.
Turner said head coach Pat House told them at halftime to “pass it around, take a deep breath and take our time.”
Turner said they spend a lot of time in practice working on their 3-pointers.
Megan House opened the second half by nailing a pair of 3-pointers off passes from De La Cruz and Cyr and, after Caribou’s Carly Levesque nailed a three, House fed De La Cruz for a basket inside, Turner nailed a three, De La Cruz scored off an offensive rebound to make it 40-24.
“That was pretty awesome,” said Megan House. “Once we had the momentum, everything really came together.”
House had eight assists, seven rebounds and two blocked shots to go with her 16 points. De La Cruz had 10 rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot to accompany her 14 points.
Cyr finished with seven points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots.
Sophomore Quinn Corrigan paced 10-10 Caribou with 13 points, four assists and four steals. Freshman Levesque had 12 points and three steals and fellow freshman Peyton West produced 10 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Lillian Bell had six points.