Sophomore guard Quinn Corrigan’s two last-second free throws capped a miraculous comeback and gave Caribou High School an overtime victory over Biddeford in the State Class B championship game a year ago.
And she came through again on Tuesday night.
Corrigan scored 17 second-half points including a key basket and free throw in overtime to give the fifth-seeded Vikings a come-from-behind 43-40 victory over fourth seed Dexter in their Class C quarterfinal at the Cross Insurance Center.
Caribou trailed by as many as nine in the first half but Corrigan rallied the Vikings in the second half.
Following an Annabelle Peakes free throw for Dexter to open the overtime, Brynne Hamilton gave Caribou the lead for good with two free throws with 2:49 remaining.
The score remained 39-38 until Lillian Bell hit a free throw for Caribou with 41.1 seconds left.
Her second free throw bounced out but right into the hands of Corrigan, who banked it home to make it 42-38.
“I was really just lucky that the ball came to me at the end there,” Corrigan said about that play.
Kaitlyn Cookson’s two free throws closed the gap to two with 31.2 seconds left but the Vikings protected the ball until Corrigan was fouled with 8.9 seconds left and she sank one.
She said a key for the Vikings in the second half comeback was staying together.
“I mean, we’re a young team, so I think just keeping our heads there and staying in it, even when we’re down, and just playing through it,” Corrigan said.
“The girls really handled that pressure well down the stretch. I was really impressed,” said Caribou first-year coach KMacy-yeare /wtsid ssxtre pressure
Caribou started three sophomores and two freshmen. Standout senior forward Liv Adams, the team’s second-leading scorer a year ago, missed the entire season due to a knee injury.
Davis had seven first-half points and Adams had six to go with six rebounds, two steals and two assists as the Tigers took a 21-15 lead into the intermission.
Dexter used a 13-5 run to close out the half and build its six-point halftime lead.
The Tigers held the Vikings to two points in the second quarter until Corrigan nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key just before the buzzer went off.
Davis started the 13-5 run with a 3-pointer to end the first quarter.
Two free throws apiece by Adams and Dorman opened the second period to build the lead to 15-10.
Following a Bell basket off a Levesque inbounds pass, Adams fed Dorman for a layup, Dorman returned the favor with a feed to Adams for a layup and Davis canned a lefthanded layup before Corrigan hit her three.
The Caribou sophomore agreed that having to step up and hit those game winning free-throws in last year’s state title game may have prepared her for Tuesday night.
“I think it might help a little bit with the nerves,” she said with a smile after the win.
