BANGOR, Maine — Caribou High School senior forward Liv Adams never expected to step on a basketball court this winter.
In her first soccer game this past fall, she sustained a knee injury that required surgery.
Her soccer and basketball seasons were over.
Or so she thought.
But with around 10 seconds left in Thursday’s 59-43 Class C North semifinal loss to undefeated Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, Lynx head coach Pat House called a timeout and sent assistant coach Jackson Weatherbee over to Caribou coach Mackenzie Turner with an unusual offer.
In a wonderful gesture of sportsmanship, House and his coaching staff wanted to allow Adams to enter the game and score an uncontested layup.
The Caribou coach wasn’t quite sure what the Mattanawcook bench was asking at first.
“They had been yelling, ‘10, 10’ at me. I didn’t know what that meant,” Turner said.
Ten is Adams’ number.
“Their assistant coach came over and explained what they wanted to do. I went over to Liv and asked her if she wanted to go in and she did,” Turner said.
The ball was inbounded to Adams and she sank the layup. Turner then called a timeout and took her out.
“I was really surprised when it all happened,” said Adams, who was wearing a brace on her knee. “The adrenaline hit me. I was all shaky and nervous.”
Adams helped lead the Vikings to the state Class B championship last season.
“It was really nice to have both communities support the injury and everything,” Adams said about the opportunity to go out on the Cross Center floor one last time.
If not for the injury this fall, Adams would have been the youthful Vikings’ most experienced player, and Turner said the senior would have been their go-to player with the ability to average a double-double every game.
“That was really nice of them. Kudos to them,” Turner said. “That was very special for Liv to have.”
The Caribou coach said Adams’ dedication to her team hasn’t waned despite the injury this season.
“If anyone deserves that kind of thing, it is Liv,” Turner said. “She has been to every single practice and every game. She is a very nice girl.”
House also thinks very highly of Adams.
“Liv has been coming down to our summer tournaments the last couple of years and I always felt she was underrated and under-appreciated,” the Mattanawcook coach explained. “She is one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever seen and she is a nice human being.”
House was happy that Adams was able to have that moment Thursday night.
“I was heartbroken this fall when I heard she was out for the year. I said before the game to my assistant coach that if we were in a spot where we could do that, I wanted to make that offer to them,” House said. “So we called a timeout and I sent him over to clarify what we wanted to do.”
House pointed out that scoring a basket on the Cross Insurance Center floor during the tournament in Bangor is not something that everybody gets to do.
“I talk about it to my kids all the time. It’s something we take for granted,” House said. “But for an old guy like me and the guys I grew up with, buckets down here mean a little bit more. You hang on to them. Whether it was at the old Bangor Auditorium or here, for these kids to see that ball go through the net on that floor is something you’ll always remember.”
And the Cross Center floor saw yet another memorable moment on Thursday night, capping an impressive career for Adams and showcasing the power of good sportsmanship.