BANGOR — With both the Waterville and John Bapst girls basketball teams pressing and playing tight defense up and down the Cross Center floor, their Class B North quarterfinal game was the sloppy contest one could expect. The teams combined for 60 turnovers. While Bapst had 31 of those turnovers, the Crusaders were able to overcome the giveaways and squeak out a 52-48 win.
No. 2 John Bapst is now 15-4, and will face No. 6 Winslow in the semifinals Wednesday. No. 7 Waterville ends the season at 14-6. The loss snapped the Purple Panthers’ 11-game win streak.
Bapst led 24-21 at the half, and pushed the lead to 14 points, 40-26, with three minutes left in the third quarter. Waterville closed the quarter with a 10-0 run to trail 40-36 entering the fourth. Waterville was able to pull within a point, 49-48, on a pair of Mackenzie St. Pierre free throws with 3:31 to play, but those were the final points the Panthers scored.
“These kids don’t quit. You don’t play that many freshmen and sophomores and have them give up on you. I was pleased with the way they continued to fight back when (Bapst) stretched it out,” Waterville coach Rob Rodrigue said.
Sadie Garling led Waterville with 13 points and seven rebounds. Paige St. Pierre added 12 points for the Panthers.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Abbey Legasse scored 16 points to lead the Crusaders, and her two free throws with 2:15 to play gave Bapst a little breathing room. Legasse scored six points in the fourth quarter, helping the Crusaders hold off the Waterville rally.
Waterville led 11-2 midway through the first quarter, before a pair of Legasse foul shots began a 15-0 run that saw Bapst take a 17-11 lead.
“I think we just played our own game. We relaxed, and when we relax, we finish,” Legasse said.
TURNING POINT: Waterville cut the Crusaders’ lead to one point, and had two chances to take the lead, but was unable to convert. Legasse made her two foul shots, and Tia Zephir added a free throw to clinch the win for Bapst. The win gave the Crusaders a three-game sweep of the Panthers this season.
FOUL TROUBLE: Paige St. Pierre picked up her second foul two minutes into the game, and Lindsey Given picked up her second foul with 2:19 to play in the first quarter. The foul trouble tested Waterville’s depth, but the reserve Panthers played well in more minutes.
“It’s a good thing we have some depth. We could stay within striking range,” Rodrigue said.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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