Nokomis coach Kori Dionne said she hasn’t seen much of Mt. Desert Island this season — just a half each of two different games. But Dionne has done that sort of thing all season.
“That’s what gotten us to where we are thus far this season, is focusing on what we need to do,” Dionne said. “There’s a few things that we’ll go over that are specific to MDI that we’ve picked up on.”
The fourth-ranked Warriors (16-4) will take on No. 2 MDI (18-2) for the Eastern B championship at 2:05 p.m. today at Bangor Auditorium. It is the first time Nokomis has played for a regional title since winning the Eastern A crown in 2003.
Nokomis has five starters who can score in Mary Badeen, Kara Batchelder, Marissa Shaw, Julie Smith and Danielle Watson. All five are averaging at least five points per game in the tournament, with Shaw averaging 13 points and 12 rebounds.
For MDI, 5-foot-11 forward Megan Phelps is a talented inside player, but players like Sara Carroll, Mackenzie Curtis and Jessica Swanson are also threats to score.
“I think Phelps is obviously a key for them, but from what I’ve seen, when you key on her, there’s two or three people around her who kind of seem to step up their games,” Dionne said.
“We pride ourselves on being a defensive team. If we play our man-to-man halfcourt defense the way we’re capable of playing, I think that we should be able to match up with them.”
Both teams appear to be capable of playing different styles. MDI sometimes gives the impression of a plodding, shut-down defensive team, and anyone who saw the Trojans defeat Winslow 32-23 in the semifinals or beat John Bapst 24-22 in January would quickly agree with that assessment.
But MDI has also scored at least 50 points nine times this season in 20 games — the same as Nokomis.
“You’ll hear a lot of people say — I haven’t really figured out whether I agree with it or not — that it’s a race to 40,” Dionne said. “I think a big thing for us is where we hold them defensively. I think we’re going to score points. Whether that’s 35 points or 45 points or 55 points, I think the key is going to be to stop their offensive game.”
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