By Pete Warner, Special to the BDN
AUGUSTA, Maine — Valley High of Bingham had all of the momentum early in the first half of Saturday’s Class D girls basketball state championship game at the Augusta Civic Center.
The Cavaliers built a 14-point advantage, only to watch it slip away as a veteran Southern Aroostook team exerted its influence.
The Warriors of Dyer Brook peeled off a 20-2 scoring run to regain the lead, then executed well in the second half while pulling away for a 60-42 victory.
It is the third straight state crown for coach Cliff Urquhart’s team, which wrapped up a 21-1 season.
Valley, coached by Gordon Harwell, wound up 21-1.
Senior guard Cami Shields spearheaded the Southern Aroostook offense, pouring in a game-high 28 points. Emmalee Landry provided seven points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
The Warriors also received nine points from Ally Shields and seven points each from Libby Anderson (6 rebounds) and Madison Shields.
Junior Madeline Hill paced Valley with 11 points, while eighth-grader Lianna Hartwell provided 11 points and eight rebounds and Rylee Clark added eight points and seven rebounds.
