Twenty points isn’t usually the definition of a close girls basketball game. This winter, that’ll have to do at Rangeley.

The Lakers are 14-0 in Western D, and they have won as many games by 80 or more points (two) as they have won by less than 30. In 12 of their 14 wins, they’ve scored more than twice as many points as their opponents. Their latest win was a 95-6 victory over Kents Hill on Wednesday.

Part of that is scheduling, of course. Rangeley doesn’t play Pine Tree (15-1) or Searsport (7-5 with many of its games against Class C schools) during the regular season. Rangeley coach Heidi Deery said the Lakers run through time-and-score situations every night in practice, because they’ll likely have a game in the tournament that goes down to the wire.

“I think we’re continuing to ramp up our defense,” Deery said. “That’s something that we see we’re going to really need in the tournament.”

Offensively, Deery has been trying to build a team that always has five scoring threats on the floor. Junior Maddison Egan scored eight points recently on the road against Valley, and Deery thinks it’s important that subs like Valerie Roy-Lessard, Michaela Shorey and Sydney Royce also look for their shots.

“I feel like the last game up to Bingham Maddie really stepped up and took some big shots,” Deery said. “That’s what we need from her.”

•••

Defending Western C champion Carrabec had a tough time in close games in December and early January, but the Cobras appear to be jelling. They’ve won seven out of their last eight, including a six-game win streak in which they allowed 31.3 points per game.

“Defensively, we’ve been playing really well,” Carrabec coach Skip Rugh said. “I feel like they’re starting to come together as a group now. They’re accepting their roles, and everybody knows what needs to be done.”

In Carrabec’s first eight games, the Cobras lost four times by six points or less. They would play very well in spurts, then be flat at other times. Rugh said they’re now more consistent.

“We’re just playing better basketball now — smarter basketball,” Rugh said. “Our turnovers are down. Our fouls are down.”

The Cobras (10-6) were eighth in the Western C standings as of Wednesday evening, and both of their remaining games offer enough points for a probable home game in the preliminary round. Carrabec is at Hall-Dale (9-5) on Tuesday, then hosts Mountain Valley (8-5) next Thursday.

•••

Winslow has made a habit out of close games this season, so it really wasn’t that surprising that Wednesday’s game with Waterville came down to the final minute. The Black Raiders won that one, 56-50, and an amazing 12 of their 15 games this season have been decided by 10 points or less.

Part of that comes from Winslow’s defensive-minded style. Coach Lindsey Welch played in a similar system at Nokomis, where the Warriors also had their share of close games.

“My blood pressure goes through the roof — now I know what I put my parents through,” Welch joked. “I guess karma just has a way of making its way back to me.”

Still, the Raiders are 9-6, and while they’re in eighth place in Eastern B, they are barely six points out of the No. 4 spot. On Wednesday, Winslow trailed Waterville by six in the fourth quarter before rallying to win. The Raiders did miss four foul shots in the fourth quarter, but got the offensive rebound on three of them.

“What I really like about it is we grinded it out, and we finished strong,” Welch said. “If we came out on the other end I wouldn’t have been as happy, but we finished the game the way we needed to. We went on a 15-4 run. We finished strong, and that was our positive reinforcement in the locker room.”

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243

mdifilippo@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Matt_DiFilippo

Copy the Story Link