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HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL: Bulldogs hold off Seahawks to win Round 3

Kennebec Journal Staff

FARMINGDALE -- After playing to overtime and double overtime in two previous meetings this season, did anyone expect anything other than a close game between the Boothbay and Hall-Dale girls basketball teams Tuesday night?

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COMING THROUGH: Hall-Dale High School’s Carylanne Wolfington drives through the Boothbay Region High School defense during a game Tuesday night in Penny Memorial Gym at Hall-Dale High in Farmingdale.

Staff photo by Joe Phelan

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The Mountain Valley Conference rivals didn't disappoint, as this one went to the wire again with Hall-Dale pulling out a 59-58 victory, its third straight over the Seahawks.

Hall-Dale is 13-3 and atop the Western Maine Class C standings while Boothbay falls to 9-6.

"We're just two really good teams and we want it really bad," Hall-Dale senior Kristina Buck said. "So we're fighting with each other constantly and fighting for the win."

The fight wasn't settled until Carylanne Wolfington dribbled out the clock with a couple of Seahawks trying to foul her. Wolfington finished with a team-high 19 points, but the senior guard had plenty of help from her teammates. Buck finished with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, while Wendy Goldman scored 14 points and sophomore Allison Crockett added five points and 11 rebounds.

"We always try to get everyone involved," Buck said. "So we just had to have some players step up."

The Bulldogs led 18-8 early in the second quarter but the Seahawks shot themselves back into the game behind Alexandra Andrews (10 points) and Sarah Caron, who finished with a game-high 21 points. Hall-Dale led 28-23 at the half but the Seahawks rallied in the third quarter to take a 41-38 lead as Wolfington went to the bench for the final two and half minutes after picking up her third foul.

"There's not too much separating these teams," Hall-Dale coach Brandon Terrill said. "We're both going to be tough teams to beat at the (Augusta) Civic Center."

The teams traded baskets over the final eight minutes. The Bulldogs got a key 3-pointers from Goldman and two straight from Buck with less than three minutes to play. Her second three put the Bulldogs up 51-49 and the Seahawks never regained the lead. Wolfington scored on a driving layup to make it 53-50 but Meghan Smith cut the lead to one with two free throws with 1:52 left.

Buck, who also dished out four assists, capped her big night with her third 3-pointer of the quarter to make it 56-52. The Seahawks cut the lead to one on Caron's layup but ran out of time. Allison Crocker finished with 17 points for Boothbay.

"It looked kind of bleak there in the second quarter," Boothbay coach Dan Wolotsky said. "So I was really pleased with the way our kids battled. We just gave up too many points tonight."

Gary Hawkiins -- 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com