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CENTER COURT

WESTERN D GIRLS: Bobcats back in West final

By Gary Hawkins ghawkins@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

AUGUSTA -- Richmond fans are so used to seeing their girls athletic teams in regional finals, it's tough to imagine it's been 10 years since the Bobcats reached a basketball championship game.

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SURROUNDED: Richmond High School’s Emily Leavitt, left, Brianna Snedeker, center, and Danica Hurley surround Greenville High School’s Gretel Breton during a Western Class D game Thursday in Augusta.

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They did that Thursday by knocking off fourth-seeded Greenville 34-22 in the Western Maine Class D semifinals. The top-seeded Bobcats (19-1) will face No. 3 Valley for the regional title Saturday afternoon at the Augusta Civic Center.

"We haven't been there in a really long time and it's about time we go there," sophomore Jamie Plummer said.

Plummer, Richmond's 5-foot-11 center, finished with a game-high 14 points and was the focal point of Greenville's zone defense.

"They did a great job of clogging the middle so we just worked the ball around," Plummer said. "We tried to eventually get them to pull out but they really didn't. We were just patient and patient and a couple of times we were able to get them off their feet and get the ball inside."

The Bobcats led from start to finish after opening the game with three consecutive 3-pointers, two from Brooke Lancaster and one from Danica Hurley.

"That was huge, definitely," said Hurley, who finished with 10 points. "That got our momentum going."

Greenville (13-6) chipped away and cut the lead to 12-11 early in the second period, but the Lakers struggled from the field, shooting just 8 of 35. Gretel Breton scored nine points for Greenville before fouling out while Miranda Drinkwater added eight. The Bobcats defense did a nice job on sophomore Michaella Gilbert, who scored one point.

"(She's) the one who's given us the most trouble throughout the season," Richmond coach Molly Bishop said. "She's a strong kid."

The Bobcats led 19-14 at the half despite the fact Plummer picked up her third foul in the second quarter and had to sit out. Plummer scored all of Richmond's points in the third quarter as they held the ball for extended periods of time and outscored the Lakers 5-2.

Greenville cut the lead to 27-22 following a baseline jumper from Breton, but Hurley got a key shot in the lane after taking a pass from Lancaster.

"I kind of started to regret it as I was going up, but it went it," Hurley said. "So it wasn't too big of a deal."

The Bobcats got a nice team rebounding effort led by Alyssa Pearson with seven, Plummer with five and Payton Johnson and Hurley with four apiece.

Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com