AUGUSTA — Top-seeded Richmond took care of business in the first quarter Tuesday, draining any Buckfield hopes of an upset by forcing 15 turnovers.
The Bobcats went on to force 35 turnovers and coasted to a 51-22 win in the opening round of the Western Maine Class D girls basketball tournament.
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Richmond (17-1) moves on to play No. 4 Seacoast Christian (16-3) in the semifinal round Saturday. No. 9 Buckfield finished the season 5-15.
Danica Hurley set the tone for the game when she hit a 3-pointer from the left side on the game’s first shot. The Bobcats forced five turnovers before the Bucks got their first shot and finished the quarter with an 18-0 lead.
“Our defense has led to our offense which is making it easier for us,” Hurley said. “We’ve been doing it all year really.”
The Bucks played a box-and-one defense against Richmond’s Jamie Plummer. The junior center never really got untracked, finishing with nine points and 10 rebounds, but she had plenty of help from her teammates.
“It’s definitely difficult when I have a player with me all the time,” Plummer said. “If I don’t have a great game (my teammates) will all step up so in the end it worked out fine.”
The Bobcats were outscored 7-5 in the second quarter as coach Molly Bishop substituted freely, but opened the third quarter with a 12-0 run to put the game out of reach. Hurley, Brianna Snedeker and Noell Acord all hit outside shots against the Bucks. Hurley finished with nine points and four assists while Snedeker scored eight and Acord six.
The Bobcats also got a big game from Alyssa Pearson. The 5-foot-11 junior scored a team-high 11 points, all in the paint, and grabbed six rebounds.
“She’s my little secret weapon,” Bishop said.
Danielle Patrie led the Bucks with 11 points and eight rebounds while teammate Kaitlyn Rines scored eight.
Richmond won both regular-season meetings against Buckfield handily, holding the team to below 20 points both times. They also beat Seacoast Christian twice but expect a much tougher game.
Gary Hawkins — 621-5638
ghawkins@centralmaine.com
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