The Mattanawcook Academy Lynx have been a dominant force in northern Maine all season. And the girls from Lincoln brought their relentless game south on Saturday and are heading home with a Class C state championship.
The Lynx survived a strong test by the South region’s top team in Class C, as Spruce Mountain made things close in the second half. But Mattanawcook would not be denied as they fought for a 54-40 victory.
Saturday night’s state championship was the first ever for Mattanawcook basketball. It capped a perfect 22-0 season for the Lynx girls.
And it certainly did not come easy. Mattanawcook led 29-23 at halftime, but Spruce Mountain clawed even closer in the third quarter.
Junior guard Natasha McDonald’s basket in transition for Spruce Mountain cut the Lynx lead to 35-34. But senior forward Addison Cyr was there for Mattanawcook, like she has been all year, to add a huge bucket and put the Lynx back up by three heading into the fourth quarter.
Clockwise, from upper left: Aisla Armandi of Spruce Mountain High School scores a two pointer late in the second quarter of the Class C State Championship game against Mattanawcook High School at the Augusta Civic Center; Aisla Armandi of Spruce Mountain converts a turnover she forced into two points in the second quarter of the Class C State Championship game against Mattanawcook High; Alaina Kachnovich drives to the hoop after a fast break down the court in the Class C State Championship game against Mattanawcook High at the Augusta Civic Center on Saturday evening; Natalie Turner of Mattanawcook blows past two Spruce Mountain defenders to sink a two pointer in the Class C State Championship game at the Augusta Civic Center. Credit: Josh O’Donnell / BDN
“It’s just been amazing to see this entire team grow every single year,” Cyr said after the victory. “We’ve done it all together. Everyone’s bought in this year, and to come out with a gold ball and undefeated, it’s just amazing.”
Cyr and her fellow senior teammates simply would not let the Lynx stumble late.
Forward Chloe De La Cruz hauled in an offensive rebound and extended the Mattanawcook lead to five with a bucket down low. Guard House provided her own offensive rebound and put-back to stretch the lead to seven, and another two points from Cyr gave the Lynx even more breathing room.
Even after some responses by Spruce Mountain, Mattanawcook’s two career 1,000-point scorers were there to slam the door shut. House made a timely 3-pointer and Cyr kept scoring in the paint, making sure the Lynx lead continued to hover around 10.
Cyr led the scoring for the Lynx with 25 points and had an astounding 23 rebounds on the night. House had 14 points and five rebounds.
McDonald led the scoring for Spruce Mountain with 20 points.
Saturday night’s win further cemented Cyr’s place among the state’s top players. As a Miss Maine Basketball finalist, she’s in the running to be named the state’s top senior player. She called the championship win an incredible experience.
“I got to do it with my best friends, so there’s no better feeling,” Cyr added.
Mattanawcook ended the season a perfect 22-0, and Spruce Mountain finished 20-2.
Lynx head coach Pat House, who is Megan House’s father, said it felt “incredible” to end the season undefeated.
It may be familiar coach-speak, House conceded, but the Lynx had to take things one game at a time throughout the season.
“You really have to,” the Mattanawcook coach said. “You have to take each opponent in front of you, see what you can do well, see what you can limit them with, and that’s kind of the same mentality we had going in tonight.”
And though the Lynx didn’t know what exactly to expect from a talented Spruce Mountain on Saturday night, they knew that strong defense was going to be critical.
“We knew that if we could play defense, that we were gonna give ourselves a chance,” Pat House said.
And the Mattanawcook coach left little doubt about how he feels having one of the state’s top players on his team.
“She’s still probably underappreciated,” he said about Cyr. “She’s so strong, she’s so nimble, she’s so skilled. And she can do a lot of different things with the ball.”
Cyr isn’t just a prototypical post player, according to her coach, who noted that she can make good reads and is a dynamic force on the court.
“And she’s my daughter’s best friend, so she is an absolute wonderful human being to be around,” House added about Cyr.
Cyr and Megan House are a rare combo of 1,000-point career scorers on the same team.
Megan House said the historic championship for Mattanawcook was the culmination of multiple steps year after year for the Lynx.
“It’s so special to be able to do this, along with my best friend and my dad, of course,” the senior guard House said. “It feels so surreal.”