RICHMOND

Washburn, 43-30.

That was the final score last season when the Washburn District High School girls basketball team pressed Western Maine Class D champ Richmond into 26 costly turnovers in the State Class D title game at the Bangor Auditorium.

The rematch is set for Saturday, this time in the Bobcats’ home away from home, the Augusta Civic Center, with tip-off set for 1:05 p.m.

For Richmond seniors ( Danica Hurley, Lindsy Hoopingarner) and juniors (Brianna Snedeker, Noell Acord, Jamie Plummer, Emily Leavitt, Payton Johnson, Alyssa Pearson and Ciarra Lancaster), this is the ninth time the Bobcats will dress in locker room No. 1 for a game on the Civic Center floor during their high school careers.

“That is like an entire home season played there,” allowed Richmond coach Molly Bishop, who leads her 19-1 squad against the 20-1 Beavers, who are making their first trip to Augusta.

“ We are driving down Friday because it is around a six-hour drive for us,” said Washburn coach Michael Carlos, whose top-seeded squad advanced to the title game with a 68-44 rout of No. 7 Washburn last Saturday in the Eastern A championship.

There are few secrets between the Bobcats and Beavers. Both teams have reviewed game tape and watched each other play in person.

“We’re certainly not going to take them lightly,” said Bishop. “They’re athletic, fast and certainly good. We have to play our game and not get pushed into playing their run and gun. We can’t allow their pressure to pull as apart.”

Bishop feels her team’s experience last season will help this time around.

“ Last year I took a bunch of young, little girls to a state game, and I didn’t know what to expect,” said the coach. “ I wasn’t ready either, not knowing what to expect and how to coach them on how to get pumped up for the game and deal with the nerves.

“I am a lot more comfortable this time around. I watched the intensity and how we played as a team defensively on Saturday against Rangeley (a 46-33 victory in the Western D final), and I expect to see that same tenacity rather than the ‘deer in the headlights’ look we had last year.”

Richmond allowed a mere 25.8 points a game during the regular season and continued its defensive presence in the Western D tourney, with 27.6 points allowed in wins over Buckfield (51-22), Seacoast Christian (54-28) and Rangeley.

“We know that Richmond is coming to kill us, wanting to get us like we got them last season,” said Carlos. “Win this game and they are the champs and can erase what happened last season. We are thinking the same thing, wanting to repeat.”

Washburn

The Beavers were an offensive and defensive juggernaut again this season, averaging 69.2 point a game while allowing just 37.

“There were many games where we scored all those points in the first three quarters, going with the younger kids in the fourth,” said Carlos, whose squad is led by Mackenzie Worcester’s 23 points a game, with Carmen Bragg chipping in 14 per contest. “We have good balance, with Carsyn Koch, Rayah Saucier and Olivia Doody adding around eight points apiece.

“We haven’t let down against anyone this season, knowing everyone wants to knock us off. We just go out, use a full court, man-to-man press and put the pressure on.”

Washburn’s lone loss, a 66-56 setback against rival Van Buren, came near the midpoint of the season. The Beavers avenged that loss, downing Van Buren 52- 46 in the Eastern D semifinals.

“ We were at a different point when we lost to Van Buren and going through some things, and Van Buren put their bigs on our guards and it slowed us down a little,” admitted Carlos, who made some changes to his lineup. His squad won its final seven regular-season tilts before sweeping through the Eastern D tournament. “Everyone on this team has contributed, and we have played well defensively all year. The kids wrapped themselves around the concept and have excelled again. Our mental toughness is much better than earlier in the season.”

Richmond

An advantage Richmond certainly possesses is in the paint, where juniors Jamie Plummer and Alyssa Pearson reside.

Plummer averages 18 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.2 steals a contest, while Pearson chips in 8.6 points and 7.7 rebounds a game.

“Plummer is definitely an issue for us, and along with Pearson and guard (Danica) Hurley, we will have our hands full keeping an eye on them,” said Carlos, whose squad held Plummer to 14 points in last year’s title game, with Pearson in foul trouble throughout.

“We need to go out and be aggressive,” said senior Richmond guard/forward Hoopingarner, normally the first player off Bishop’s bench. “We have a height advantage and we will have to take advantage of that.”

Richmond’s guard play, according to Bishop, will be key. Hurley, Snedeker and Acord handle the bulk of the ball-handling duties for the Bobcats, and with Washburn’s penchant for causing turnovers, getting the ball up the court to Plummer and Pearson may be the difference.

“This team at the beginning of this year struggled making the cuts across the middle while being pressed, something I had nightmares about after last year’s game,” said Bishop, whose team has worked throughout the season to improve when pressed by opponents. “All of the sudden during the season they got it, and they recognize when teams are throwing zone presses at us or backing off. We are much better equipped to handle the press now.”

“There is a lot of pressure on me and the other guards to be able to handle Washburn,” said Hurley, who averaged seven points, four assists and three steals this season. “I consider playing Washburn again an advantage because they play a lot of the same defense as last year and that will hopefully give us an advantage and more confidence. We have an idea of what they will do on Saturday.”

Bobcat players feel believing they can win is paramount to success.

“We need to go in believing we can play with them. Last year, we came in thinking we were going to get killed, and once we realized we could play with them, it was too late,” said Snedeker, who admitted she was nervous going into last year’s game. “I had only been inside Bangor Auditorium once before that day and it was intimidating. Playing in Augusta gives us an advantage since we know it well, and no one on Washburn has ever played there.”

	Richmond	Bobcats roster
10	Senior	G	Danica Hurley
23	Senior		G/F Lindsy Hoopingarner
12	Junior		G/F Brianna Snedeker
15	Junior	C	Jamie Plummer
24	Junior	G	Payton Johnson
33	Junior	C	Alyssa Pearson
21	Junior	G	Emily Leavitt
13	Junior	G	Noell Acord
44	Junior	F	Ciarra Lancaster
11		Sophomore G	Haley Murphy
25		Sophomore F	Morgan Harrington
14		Freshman G	Michaela Lewia