Lawrence girls basketball headed to Class B North final

Players on the Lawrence bench erupt after Maddy Provost scored a basket during the Bulldogs’ 47-42 win over Ellsworth in a Class B North semifinal on Wednesday at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image

BANGOR — Maddie Provost has played in enough Maine high school basketball tournament games to know when her team needs her to take over.

With Lawrence down by three points against Ellsworth heading into the fourth quarter of a Class B North semifinal Wednesday night at Cross Insurance Center, Provost again understood the assignment.

“I just knew my team needed a spark, and I was willing to do anything I could to kind of get us going,” said Provost, a senior.

Within the span of a couple possessions, Provost ignited the Bulldogs, picking up two blocks and scoring five points. Her play set the tone for the rest of the game and paved the way for Lawrence’s gritty 47-42 victory.

The second-seeded Bulldogs (15-5) will play No. 1 Gardiner at 7 p.m. Friday at Cross Insurance Center.

Provost struggled with her shooting in the first half but scored 11 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter, lifting Lawrence to a spot in the regional final after losing in the semifinals to Camden Hills last year.

“I don’t think anyone, at any level, can hold (Provost) down for too long,” Lawrence coach Greg Chesley said. “Give Ellsworth all kinds of credit, they threw everything at her and did a great job on her. But as time wore down there, I could see it in her eyes. She just took over.”

What kept Lawrence in contention before Provost’s late surge was the performance in the paint by fellow senior Ashley Shores. She finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and played a big part in the Bulldogs taking a 22-14 lead into halftime.

For fourth-seeded Ellsworth, senior Kaylee Bagley’s clutch shooting helped the Eagles rally in the third quarter, which ended with Ellsworth ahead 32-29. She finished with 16 points.

Once Provost put the Bulldogs back in front, their defense down the stretch prevented another Ellsworth comeback.

“We’re not exactly known for our defense, and (in) the third quarter we let up some easy looks to them and we had to really clamp down defensively,” Chesley said. “And give the girls a lot of credit, we did that in the fourth quarter.”