AUGUSTA — You might have figured this out already, but having a player who is the best rebounder, passer, shot-blocker, inside scorer, and 3-pointer shooter on the court can cover up a lot of a team’s mistakes.

Jamie Plummer was that player for Richmond on Monday morning against Greenville. Plummer had 35 points and 12 rebounds as the second-seeded Bobcats overpowered No. 7 Greenville 70-38 in a foul-plagued Western D girls basketball quarterfinal at the Augusta Civic Center.

Plummer came within four points of the Western D single-game tournament record of 39, held by Valley’s Kristin Baker. She also hit four 3s, one off the record held by several players. Plummer was 14 of 22 from the floor overall and four of six from behind the arc.

“She likes to (shoot 3s),” Richmond coach Molly Bishop said. “It’s hard to let her shoot from the outside against the teams that we play, because it takes her away as a rebounder. But you can’t really complain when they’re going in.”

Richmond will now play No. 3 Hyde in the semifinals at 10 a.m., Thursday, at the Augusta Civic Center.

Richmond shot out to an 11-0 lead, and was ahead 22-2 after one quarter and 37-12 at the half. Plummer scored 21 points in the first half, but the Bobcats were distributing their shots around the court. Richmond’s first five field goal attempts of the game were taken by five different players.

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“That’s definitely awesome,” Plummer said. “If I’m getting double-teamed and someone else is making the shot, then they’re going to have to pull away. It’s really awesome that everyone can step up and make a shot when we need it.”

But early on, the fouls came (and came, and came). Greenville took 23 free throws in the first half, and a whopping 57 for the game. Unfortunately for the Lakers, they were 21 of 57 for the game, or 36.8 percent. Richmond was 6 of 20 from the line. The teams combined for 59 turnovers, 33 of those by Greenville.

“There’s stuff that we got away with today that, it didn’t matter so much today, but will certainly make a difference later on,” Bishop said. “I want the kids to play intensely. We’re playing full-court man a good portion of the game. So you’re going to have those fouls. Those incidental ones, too, they add up.”

Greenville hit its first field goal with 3:45 left in the first half. Olivia Bouchard led the Lakers with 13 points.

For Richmond, Ciarra Lancaster added 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Alyssa Pearson finished with 11 rebounds. Plummer went to the bench with 4:13 to play in the fourth quarter and needing two baskets to tied the record.

“I didn’t know, but that’s not what I’m here to do,” Plummer said. “I’m here to win. We got the win, and that’s all that really matters.”

Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
mdifilippo@mainetoday.com
 


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