PITTSFIELD — Gardiner shot an un-Gardiner like 24 percent from the floor on Thursday night. That didn’t have to mean the game, but then, Cassie Miller didn’t have to set a career high for rebounds, either.

Miller, a 5-foot-10 senior at Maine Central Institute, pulled down 18 rebounds against the Tigers. Combined with teammates Katie Hughes and Ashley Alton, she all but eliminated Gardiner’s second-shot opportunities, and MCI pulled off the 36-32 upset.

“I told ’em before the game, ‘If we’re gonna play a zone, you (got to) rebound,'” MCI coach Wes Brann said. “Cassie and Katie both did a really nice job. I don’t think (Gardiner) had many second chances. I can only think of one putback, maybe two at the most.”

The win significantly increases MCI’s chances of getting into the Eastern B girls basketball playoffs. The Huskies are now 5-10, while Gardiner, which is sixth in the Eastern B standings, is 6-9.

“They’re way better than their record indicates,” Gardiner coach Mike Gray said. “It’s a reflection of this league.”

Miller and Brann noted after the game that the Huskies haven’t always been able to put four quarters together this winter, but MCI came out strong and led 6-1 in the first quarter. It was 11-11 after one, and when the teams shot a combined 3 for 26 in the second quarter, the Huskies were up 15-13 at the half.

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“I thought the key was the second quarter,” Gray said. “We had a lot of opportunities in the second quarter. We were playing really good D, and we just couldn’t finish opportunities.”

Gardiner got baskets from players like Savannah Vinton-Mullens (nine points), Nicole Chadwick (eight), and Mary Toman (eight), but it didn’t get rolling on offense until the fourth quarter, which began with MCI ahead 26-19.

“I thought once they went to that 2-3 zone, we settled too much, and didn’t crash like we want to,” Gray said. “Late, we made adjustments, but it was too late. You can only give a good team so many opportunities and expect to still be able to have a chance.”

Miller had 12 of her rebounds in the second half, and Ashley Alton finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Katie Hughes grabbed nine boards. Gardiner was able to get within 30-27 with under five minutes left, but Alton and April McAlpine each drove the lane for MCI baskets. The Tigers were down 35-31 with 21 seconds to go, but missed three out of four free throws in a seven-second span. Appropriately, Miller rebounded the last miss, got fouled, and made the clinching free throw.

“I think something we have struggled with a lot this year is working as a team, and finally, we just got that down tonight,” Miller said. “We pulled it through because we worked as a team. It wasn’t just about one player. It was about everybody pulling together.”

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243

mdifilippo@mainetoday.com

Twitter: @Matt_DiFilippo


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