AUGUSTA — The Rangeley girls basketball team geared up for next weekend’s showdown at Vinalhaven with a lopsided win against Forest Hills on Friday morning at the Augusta Civic Center.

The Lakers used their size, speed and experience to overwhelm to Tigers 71-18. They are 6-0 in Class D South play while Forest Hills falls to 2-6

All 11 players played and 10 of them scored, a feature coach Heidi Deery said makes her team tough to defend.

“We’re really working hard to getting everyone involved in the offense,” Deery said. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to be involved offensively and defensively and rebounding-wise.”

The Tigers struggled against Rangeley’s full-court press and didn’t get on the scoreboard until it read 32-0. They suited just seven players, including four freshmen, for the game and were quickly worn down.

Senior Natasha Haley led the Lakers with 19 points while sophomore Olivia Pye scored 14 and freshman Emily Eastlack added nine. The Tigers still struggled in the half-court after the Lakers lifted their press.

“We know that in practice and in games we have to take every opportunity to get better,” Deery said. “If we just let quarters of halves go by where we don’t have goals then we’re not going to get better. Today there wasn’t any lack of intensity and so far in our games there hasn’t been.”

Vinalhaven returns its entire lineup to a team that won its first Class D state championship last winter. Deery hopes her squad is up to the challenge after a disappointing loss in the tournament last year.

“We just said we’re not going to rely on one or two people to do all our scoring, we’re going to get everyone involved,” she said. “We’re running an offense now that doesn’t look to one person or two people. It’s up to everybody to get involved. We’re having a lot of fun with it.”


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