SKOWHEGAN — With Jaycee Christopher taking her game to the University of Maine and injured star forward Callaway LePage out for the season, the Skowhegan girls basketball team relied on a balanced attack to win its season opener Friday night.
Four players scored in double digits as the River Hawks handed a plucky Brewer bunch, 58-46.
Skowhegan’s Maddy Morris scored 16 points, including four 3-pointers, with Allie Frey (11 points), Laney LeBlanc (10) and Annabelle Morris (10) not far behind. Frey also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.
“We worked as a team and we looked for one another,” said senior Aryana Lewis, who contributed six points and six rebounds, five in the second half. “Defensively, we started a little slow, but I think we picked it up.”
Skowhegan swept its Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference rival last season, 3-0, capped by a 76-26 domination in the Class A quarterfinals in February.
The Witches didn’t go down so easily this time, thanks in large part to forward Jenna McQuarrie (14 rebounds, seven points) and pesky 5-foot-3 guard Allie Flagg, who scored 11 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter and made four second-half steals as the Witches quickly shaved nine points off a 19-point deficit. But a missed 3-point attempt, a LeBlanc steal and a pair of free throws sealed the win for Skowhegan.
“I think they (Brewer) came in with a little chip on their shoulder and wanted to show that they could play hard against us,” Skowhegan coach Mike LeBlanc said. “I think we basically just survived (Friday). We did some good things, and we did some not-so-good things. We’ll work on them.”
Christopher was the 2021-22 Gatorade Maine player of the year, while LePage suffered a knew injury during field hockey season.
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