GARDINER — The Gardiner lacrosse team is well aware it will need to step up its game for next week’s regional final.
The top-seeded Tigers played below their standards in their quarterfinal win against Winslow. They saw improvement in Friday’s 14-7 semifinal win over Oak Hill, but now the Tigers must gear up for an even tougher test Wednesday when they host the winner of Saturday’s game between Maranacook/Winthrop and Yarmouth for the Class B North regional championship.
The Tigers (14-0) moved the ball and themselves better Friday than they had against Winslow, but their performance was a little uneven.
“A little bit better,” said Gardiner senior Tristan Hebert, who scored a hat trick to run his season total to 42 goals. “We moved the ball more on offense and we put up more goals than we did the other day. This team was better than the team we played (Wednesday).”
Oak Hill, seeded fifth, finishes its season at 8-6 with a quarterfinal win against No. 4 Cony to its credit.
“We’ve come a long way,” Oak Hill coach Joe Hinkley said. “We’re young but we’re going to get there.”
The Raiders graduate three seniors, including top scorer Steve Gilbert, who finished his season with 41 goals and his career with over 100.
The Tigers simply had too much experience for Oak Hill. They dominated time of possession and out-shot the Raiders 32-16. Oak Hill freshman goalkeeper Nate Marcotte finished with 19 saves, many of them point blank, to keep his team in the game.
“He’s the real deal,” Hinkley said. “I think he only played in seventh and eighth grade.”
In addition to Hebert’s hat trick, the Tigers got three goals from senior Michael Poirier and junior Sloan Berthiaume, two from Tanner Hebert and one each from Connor Manter, Kyle Johnson and Parker Hinkley. The Raiders drew two goals from Marcus Bailey and Noah Morang while Gilbert, Gabe Bergeron and Darryn Bailey scored one each.
Gardiner led 4-2 after the first quarter and 10-4 at the half. They played their best in the second period, rattling off five goals in a six-minute span capped by two scores from Tristan Hebert 10 seconds apart.
“It’s getting there,” Gardiner coach K.C. Johnson said. “The seniors didn’t have practice yesterday. Once we get every back moving we’ll be better.”
Each team scored three goals in the third period, the Raiders getting a couple of quick ones near the end of the quarter from Morang, a sophomore. Poirier scored his third of the game on a tough angle shot from Marcotte’s right.
“I happened to look toward the net and I saw an opening and I decided to take it,” Poirier said.
The senior has a quick release and one the team’s hardest shots.
“When he moves, he gets great shots off,” Coach Johnson said. “He’s got good hands, he really does for a big kid.”
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