Tigers roar past Penobscot Valley on the court
By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer
DEXTER — For over 12 minutes of game time, from late in the first quarter into the third, the Dexter Regional High School girls held Penobscot Valley High School of Howland without a field goal and to only three points on a trio of free throws during this stretch as part of a Dec. 19 contest.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
LETTING THE PRESSURE GET TO THEM — Dexter Regional High School senior Abbie Melvin gets hers hands up while guarding senior Molly McGinn of Penobscot Valley High School of Howland during a Dec. 19 contest. The Tigers held the Howlers to 23 points while scoring 54 in the team’s fourth win of the season.
The Tigers’ ability to limit the points for the Howlers continued over all 32 minutes, as Dexter held the opposition to just eight shots total from the floor — all inside the 3-point line — to win by more than 30 at 54-23. The victory improved the Tigers to 4-2 as the team handed the Class D Howlers (3-1) the squad’s first loss of 2013-14.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
PEACH BASKETS — Freshman center Megan Peach wins the tipoff against Penobscot Valley sophomore Sami Ireland, while fellow Tigers junior Michaela White (34) and senior Abbie Melvin (10) look on. Peach scored a game-high 15 points to help Dexter win, 54-23.
Never trailing in the game, Dexter was ahead near the end of the first quarter when a Penobscot Valley basket made the score 10-6. In the second quarter the Tigers had a 9-1 advantage on the scoreboard to go up 19-7 by the half. Freshman Megan Peach, who scored a game-high 15 points, had three second-quarter points and juniors Tasha Pratt, Peyton Watson and Michaela White added two points apiece during the second eight-minute session.
The Howlers converted three shots from the free throw line to start the third quarter, but the first Penobscot Valley shot from the floor would not come until the 3:20 mark at which point Dexter was ahead 21-12.
An 11-8 third quarter got the visitors to within 15 of the Tigers, 30-15, heading into the fourth quarter, but in the final eight minutes Dexter outscored Penobscot Valley by a three-to-one margin at 24-8.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
PEYTON IN THE PAINT — Tiger junior Peyton Watson goes up for a shot during the Dec. 19 game vs. Penobscot Valley. Dexter became the first team to defeat the 3-1 Class D Howlers in 2013-14.
Peach would tally over half of her 15 points on four field goals and seven other Tigers would get on the scoring sheet as the eight players accounted for the 54 points. Senior Abbie Melvin and White both scored eight total points and senior Bobbie-Lynne Chambers was next on the list with seven points.
Only five players from Penobscot Valley recorded points, with just three having more than two. Sophomore Sami Ireland was the lone Howler to get into double figures, reaching the mark at exactly 10 points.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
FROM DEFENSE TO OFFENSE — Dexter junior Dana Webber looks to get around teammate junior Macie Melvin and up the floor after grabbing a rebound.
Next on the schedule for Dexter is a trip to Millinocket on Monday, Dec. 30 where the Tigers are scheduled to play Stearns High School, 2-3 as of presstime and who dropped down to Class D for 2013-14, at 6 p.m. Dexter will conclude the regular season with a game at Howland on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m.