FARMINGTON – Mt. Blue High School girls basketball (4-12) welcomed Camden Hills Regional High School (3-13) for senior night at the Den on Saturday. The Cougars and Windjammers served those in attendance a feast of physical play on both ends.
The home team was humming on offense early, draining treys and pounding the glass. Cougar Captain Lexi Mittelstadt, who led all scoring with 20, converted a four-point play followed by another fouled three-point attempt. The six-point flurry from Mittelstadt would help push the Cougar advantage to 20-9 after the first quarter.
Both teams started off the second with familiar defensive intensity. Windjammer and Cougars alike put bodies on those who ventured their dribble into the paint. Captains Rebecca Harmon (senior) and Mariel Damon (junior) for Mt. Blue time and again denied Camden entry to port with outstretched arms and fast feet.
The Windjammers found less resistance to the rim when they sailed through their fast break. Camden chipped away at the Cougar lead like barnacles from a bilge, closing the margin to 28-22 with 1:35 to play in the half. With the tide beginning to turn in favor of the Windjammers, Senior Jocelyn Daggett rose to the occasion. Daggett dropped a Cougar cold-blooded three followed by two at the stripe to end the half 33-24, Mt. Blue.
The third quarter began with a Windjammer surge. Camden caught up to the Cougars with their fast break success similar to the first half. Tied at 34 with four minutes remaining in the quarter, Daggett deposited another clutch three to quell the Windjammer run. Following the big bucket, Daggett would injure her ankle on the next play, forcing her from the game. The Cougars would push on to a 42-38 lead to enter the final stanza.
The fourth quarter provided a palpable intensity within the Den. Noise from both Cougar and Windjammer fans escalated and sparked a boisterous atmosphere. Bodies hit the court as both teams fought for every point and every stop. Eight lead changes in the waning minutes provided back-and-forth entertainment that ended with Camden beating Mt. Blue 54-51.
The Cougars will look to bounce back when they travel to Erskine Academy on Feb. 6.
