BANGOR, Maine — The Bangor Rams stormed back in the second half to earn a quarterfinal win on their home court Friday evening.
The Bangor girls will now head to Portland for continued Class AA playoff action after downing the Windham Eagles 37-36 at the Red Barry Gymnasium.
Co-captain Emily Adams made the winning free-throw for the Rams with just over 2 seconds left to play.
“I think our whole team just really wanted it, you could tell on the defense and the offensive side,” Adams said after the game.
Another Bangor senior guard and co-captain Ayzlynn Gifford knocked down two early 3-pointers at the onset, and it was the Rams’ shooting beyond the arc and swarming defense down the stretch that ultimately made the difference.
Gifford took a critical charge with 4:22 left in the game to get Bangor the ball back after the Rams had made a 3-pointer the possession before.
“I’m a senior so I’m really not ready to be done yet,” Gifford said. “I love our team and I think we can go really far, so I’m excited for that.”
Junior guard and co-captain Avery Clark provided a big and-1with about 3 minutes left in the third quarter, which cut the game to one point at the time and got the home crowd roaring.
It was big play after big play for the Rams down the stretch, erasing a 22-17 halftime lead for Windham. Adams added a block with 1:03 left in the game.
Windham’s Marley and Stella Jarvais were all over the court, with 12 and 10 points each to lead their team, but it wasn’t quite enough for the Eagles.
Adams led all scorers Friday night with 13. Gifford knocked down three 3-pointers for nine points and Clark also had nine to lead the way for Bangor.
The fourth seeded Rams will play again on Wednesday at 2:45 p.m. in Portland against top seeded Oxford Hills.
Bangor coach Jay Kemble credited his team’s resilience and grit for the win.
“Any time you get a playoff win, you feel pretty good,” Kemble said after the game.
He wasn’t surprised by Adams’ big foul shot at the end of the game, calling it something “you expect out of a senior, someone who’s been through it before, and has been through the gauntlet.”
