NORTH ANSON — MacKenzie Robbins started heating up at the right time.
Robbins scored 14 of her 21 points in the second half — and nailed four 3-pointers — to lead the Madison girls basketball team to a 56-53 win over rival Carrabec in a Class C South prelim on Tuesday night.
“It’s definitely an upset, and we really needed that,” said Robbins, a sophomore. “We’ve has a very long season, that’s a good way to (keep it moving).”
No. 9 Madison (13-6) moves on to the quarterfinal round and will meet No. 1 North Yarmouth Academy (17-1) at the Augusta Civic Center. No. 8 Carrabec ends at 11-8.
The game was a classic slugfest between the Mountain Valley Conference foes. After playing to a 14-14 tie in the first quarter, an 8-0 run late in the second quarter gave the Cobras a 33-28 lead at halftime.
“There’s a lot of enthusiasm (in Madison vs. Carrabec games),” Madison head coach Al Veneziano said. “A lot of people on both sides are very passionate about what they’re doing.”
Thanks to the play of Robbins — who scored 11 points in the third quarter alone — Madison took a 51-42 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“I think I was a little nervous (early in the game). Once my nerves calmed down, I really got the hang of it,” Robbins said.
“(Robbins) always comes to play,” Veneziano said. “You’ve got to remember, her and (point guard Raegan Cowan) are sophomores. That’s a big place to put them in, in a packed gym like this. They stepped up big-time. (Robbins) is a shooter, but she can handle the ball.”
Carrabec would not go down quietly, outscoring the Bulldogs 11-5 in the fourth. But key free throws from Robbins and a layup by Jacey Moody helped seal the game for Madison.
“We’ve gotten good at slowing down the ball (on offense), not rushing it,” Robbins said. “Just running our plays through, not just working our fast breaks. We’re a fast team, but it’s good to slow down sometimes.”
Kylee Furbush scored 12 points, while Moody added eight points for Madison.
Molly Hay played an excellent game for Carrabec, scoring 21 points while grabbing eight rebounds. She was a perfect 9-for-9 in free throws.
“I feel like we’ve grown probably more than any team this whole year,” Carrabec first-year coach Will Cote said. “I’ve been so happy with them. I told them if they bought into the program, that we would be successful. They 100 percent bought in. We lost a tough one, but I’m extremely happy (going forward).”
Lindsay Hamilton scored 14 points for the Cobras, while Summer Lindblom added eight points.
During pregame introductions, Veneziano — recently named to the Class of 2023 for induction in the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame — received a standing ovation from both Madison and Carrabec fans over the honor.
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