Buckfield girls basketball beats Madison in D South semifinal

Buckfield’s Taylor Harvey, left, and Emma Hooper embrace after the Bucks beat Madison, 41-23, in a Class D South semifinal on Thursday at the Augusta Civic Center. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)

AUGUSTA — If the shiner underneath Sarae Devoe’s left eye wasn’t evidence enough, the Buckfield girls basketball team was ready for a rock fight Thursday morning.

And the second-seeded Bucks weren’t going to leave the Class D South semifinal against sixth-seeded Madison without leaving a mark of their own.

The Bulldogs (10-10) may have forced twice as many turnovers with their press defense, but Buckfield (17-3) dominated the glass and made its shots down low on the way to a 41-23 win at the Augusta Civic Center.

“The biggest reason we’re here is that group of five seniors that have experienced the lows, and now they get an opportunity to experience a little bit of the highs,” Buckfield coach Troy Eastman said. “They’re setting the tone for the future, as well as just this year.”

Buckfield advances to face No. 1 Mt. Abram in the regional final at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center.

Buckfield never trailed, holding Madison without a basket until early in the second quarter. The Bulldogs struggled to make shots all morning, shooting 6% from the field in the first half and 12% for the game. The Bucks won the rebounding battle, 41-27, and capitalized often by pushing the ball up court with an overhand pass to senior Chloee Bennett (11 points) or freshman Haleigh Campbell (10 points).

Buckfield senior Alyssa Breton contributed seven points and 10 rebounds despite sitting out the second quarter because of foul trouble.

Devoe, who got her black eye in a quarterfinal win over Boothbay on Monday and had one earlier in the season as well, helped the Bucks take 16-8 halftime lead in Breton’s absence. Devoe had six rebounds and an assist in the second quarter. She finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

“We all work together,” Devoe said. “So when one of us gets shut down, another one of us steps up and takes the lead on that.”

The Bucks maintained control of the glass in the second half with both bigs back on the court. Madison could only cut the deficit to 23-17 at the end of the third quarter. A 9-0 Buckfield run to start the fourth put the game out of reach.

Brookelyn Rich led the Bulldogs with six points. Jaelyn Rich and Jillian Linkletter each scored five.

“It means a lot to us,” Devoe said. “We worked really hard this season, we pushed each other in practice, and each and every one of us has improved in some way. So it’s incredible. It’s really amazing to work with all these girls, and it’s been a really fun season.”