OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The Old Orchard Beach girls basketball team is picking right up in 2012 where it left off in 2011: Winning.
The Seagulls beat Hyde 44-20 on Thursday night. Old Orchard Beach, which started the season 0-3, has now won two of its last three games.
The Gulls handled the Phoenix with strong defense, jumping to an 11-point lead at halftime.
Old Orchard Beach also kept Hyde guard Kara Fischer at bay, holding her to nine points. She was averaging 23 points per game.
Much of that credit goes to ‘Gulls guard Olivia Dubois, who covered Fischer for much of the evening.
“We play D,” Old Orchard Beach head coach Dean Plante said. “We did well against her (Selana Lorrey) from Traip (Academy), we did a nice job (tonight). We play D and I think that’s an attitude. Now we just have to finish.”
Christina Colman, who scored eight points on the night, led OOB. Colman, a junior, leads the Gulls with an average of nine points per game, though scoring on the team has stayed even throughout the first five games.
“We’re very balanced, scoring-wise,” Colman said. “Even our defense, it’s all balanced. The freshmen pull through, the seniors pull through, the juniors, it works out.”
Anna Foss and Mackenzie Rague each scored seven points for the Gulls, who are still trying to find an offensive rhythm. Nine of the 13 players on the roster are getting considerable playing time.
“In our games, it’s usually our defense that pulls us through,” Colman said. “Our offense is all over the place sometimes.
Even though Old Orchard Beach won the contest by 24, the Gulls shot 13 of 52 from the field, a statistic Plante said needs to be remedied.
“Against good teams, you have to take advantage of those opportunities,” Plante said. “It was a good game, the kids worked extremely hard.”
Much of the offensive struggles are because of the Gulls’ youth, Plante said. Five games into the season, two freshmen ”“ Rague and Haley Plante ”“ are starting in the backcourt.
“That’s a big step up from the middle school to the varsity,” Plante said. “And then my guards from last year are now my big people. So they’re learning the post. We still have hopes of hosting another (preliminary playoff game) and then we’ll take our chances.”
Old Orchard Beach will continue the learning process on Saturday, when the Gulls host Kents Hill. Game time is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535, Ext. 323.
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