AUGUSTA — Mt. Abram girls basketball coach Larry Donald said he made an agreement with Boothbay head coach Tanner Grover about having forward Alora Ross score a basket during the Roadrunners’ 60-21 loss to the Seahawks.

Ross — one of four Mt. Abram seniors playing in their final game — recently injured her knee and was limited. She scored her basket in the fourth quarter.

Mt. Abram's Alora Ross shoots during a Class C South quarterfinal game on Monday at the Augusta Civic Center. Staff photo by Joe Phelan

“It was good to get her on the court and let her get a basket,” Donald said. “But she wanted to get on the court. Tanner said he’d back off (defensively) for a minute, it was kind of a gentleman’s agreement. It worked out well.”

Ross’ layup provided one of the few cheers — and a loud one, at that — from the Mt. Abram fan section at the Augusta Civic Center.

• • •

The matchup is now set for what could be one of the best girls basketball games of the tournament.

No. 3 Monmouth will face No. 2 Boothbay in a Class C South semifinal at 2:30 p.m., Thursday at the Augusta Civic Center.

The teams split their regular-season meetings. The Seahawks (18-1) beat the Mustangs (16-3) during the first meeting on Dec. 22. Monmouth gave Boothbay its only loss — a 49-36 decision — on Jan. 21.

Boothbay guard Faith Blethen expects a battle in the rubber match of the series.

“They are the most gritty team that we’ll probably face through this whole process,” Blethen said. “It doesn’t matter if they get down, they’re a really tough, hard-nosed team.”

Monmouth battled to a 45-40 quarterfinal victory Monday over No. 6 Waynflete. The Mustangs were led offensively by forward Kayla Brooks, who powered her way to a 25-point output.

Boothbay cruised to a 60-21 win over No. 10 Mt. Abram. The Seahawks had double-double performances from Blethen (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Page Brown (15 points, 12 rebounds).

Seahawks guard Sydney Meader added 14 points, showing the ability for multiple players to rack up points in Boothbay’s offensive scheme.

“We can shoot 3’s, we can hit (shots) from the outside, but get inside just as easily,” Blethen said. “Having that versatility is kind of what we’re known for.”

• • •

If Parker Desjardins seemed a bit nervous Monday morning, he certainly had a good reason.

After all, there aren’t a lot of eighth-graders who are asked to play big minutes and contribute big points.

But there the 5-foot-1 Forest Hills eighth-grader was Monday, in the starting lineup for coach Anthony Amero’s squad in a Class D South boys basketball quarterfinal game.

“I was nervous at first,” said Desjardins. “This is my first time playing here in the tournament. Once I got on the floor and started playing, (the nerves) went away.”

The soft-spoken Desjardins certainly had an impact on the game, which the Tigers lost 70-55.

He scored 17 points, including 15 — all on 3-pointers — in the second half.

“It felt good,” he said. “It would’ve felt better if we were going to the second round.”

• • •

Madison senior Aaron Morgan is one of those glue guys that every good team needs. A player who comes to practice every day and works his tail off, with no promise of playing time.

Late in Madison’s 63-41 Class C South quarterfinal win over Boothbay, Morgan was rewarded for his effort and inserted into the game. He was greeted by huge cheers from Madison fans, which he acknowledged by raising a finger in the No. 1 symbol in their direction.

With just under a minute to play, Morgan nailed a 3-pointer for the Bulldogs’ final points of the game, drawing more raucous applause from Madison fans.

“Morgan’s a kid, he comes to work every night in practice. I’d like to get him more minutes, but sometimes that doesn’t happen at the varsity level. He knows his role, and he plays his role very well,” Madison coach Jason Furbush said.

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