Auburn, ME – The home CMCC Lady Mustangs squared off against the Lynx of NHTI for the YSCC Championship on Monday afternoon at Kirk Hall. In typical Mustang fashion, they Ladies of CM came out pressuring early, but missed shots allowed NHTI to transition keeping the score within one at 21-20 by the 10 minute mark in the first half. With some big 3 point shooting from Sara Romano and Danielle Kimball of NHTI, the Lynx were able to put the Mustangs in as much as a 13 point hole, the first time the Mustangs have seen such a deficit in recent memory. By halftime, it was 43-36 NHTI behind 14 points from Allura Leblanc, 9 from Sara Romano, and 9 from Danielle Kimball. Maggie Sabine paced CM with 11 points and Danielle McCusker added 9. The bright spot early for the Lady Mustangs was certainly Maggie Sabine. Sabine, was phenomenal around the glass on both ends of the floor, and at times even facilitated the fast break.
It was time for the Ladies of CM to see what they were made of. All great teams get tested at some point in the season. Unfortunately for the Mustangs it had to happen on Championship Monday, but if you want to compete for a National Title, it is the best time to be challenged. The second half started all CM. It was as if the fans in Kirk were watching two different teams from half one to half two. They were crisp, played tenacious defense, and shot at a much higher percentage. This was the CM team that everyone has enjoyed watching all season long. And with only a minute and change gone off the clock in the second period, it was CM back on top 45-43, NHTI had not scored. Baskets were traded for a majority of the period, but Susie French led the charge late putting CM up by 9 with under 5 minutes left in the game. French was dangerous from both inside and out, becoming a near impossible matchup for NHTI. As the final buzzer sounded, it was CMCC over NHTI by a score of 80-74, giving the Lady Mustangs their second straight YSCC Title.
In a strong effort for the Lynx, Jordan Phinney scored 20 points, Allura Leblanc scored 18, Sara Romano added 16, and Danielle Kimball chipped in 14. For CM, tournament MVP Maggie Sabine led all scorers with 22 points, Defensive Player of the Tournament Susie French scored 18, Nohemy Aguila added 15, and Danielle McCusker had 12. The next stop for the CMCC Lady Mustangs will be Pennsylvania for the USCAA National Tournament.
