Mt. Abram upsets Dirigo girls, 44-41

DIXFIELD -- A back and forth battle between Dirigo and Mount Abram came down to the wire in a girls' basketball game played last week.

Tori Lyn Beane and Mikayla Luce combined for 29 points as Mount Abram stayed together down the stretch for a 44-41 upset win against the Cougars at Defoe Gymnasium. The Cougars beat the Roadrunners in Salem last month.

The score was tied or changed 16 times through three quarters. Dirigo trailed 40-38 following a bank shot by Ambyr Wilson and things certainly got interesting. Miranda Smith (eight points) scored in the paint, but on the ensuing possession Hannah Knight (14 points) drained a three pointer. The teams traded turnovers and with four seconds left, Dirigo turned the ball over.

“This is a big win for us,” said Mount Abram coach Doug Lisherness. “We’ve lost a lot of close games and this is a young team and when this game was close I was hoping they would start to think here we go again. But, the girls hung together and remain a close-knit group.”

Dirigo entered the game on a high after having beaten Mountain Valley and Jay, the latter, 59-54 in overtime. Knight made five of six free throws in OT, and Alyssa Wade had 19 points,10 steals.

The Cougars had an 8-0 run to lead by three points late in the second quarter. Murphy and Wade each had two baskets. Paige Murphy stole the ball and dribbled in for a lay-up and Wade (10 points) completed it with a hard drive.

“Dirigo is also a young team, but (coach) Reggie (Weston) has them playing well,” said Lisherness.

“Dirigo had just beaten two of the hottest teams in the MVC, so for us to come in this gym and pull out a win is great.”

Knight had scored twice to put Dirigo ahead 30-28 in the third quarter, but the Roadrunners regained the lead on a basket by Luce. A shot by freshman Kayla Gaudin (six points) kissed the glass and Dirigo trailed 32-30, entering the final quarter. The Roadrunners committed 29 turnovers and shot 40 percent.

Dirigo had tried being patient, while utilizing its motion offense. Junior Miranda Shurtleff suffered a season-ending thumb injury in the Jay game. The Cougars shot 31 percent.