Sophomore Brittany Gray gets the steal and takes off on a breakaway at home against Bucksport January 26. By Alicia Allen
Deer Isle—A 56-39 win over Bucksport on Saturday, January 26, kept the Deer Isle-Stonington girls basketball team undefeated heading into their final regular season games. A slow first quarter saw the Mariners take a slim 10-6 lead before they surged ahead for a 41-9 advantage heading into the second half. Bucksport outscored the Mariners in the second half, sinking 30 points to DISHS’s 15 but it wasn’t enough. Rylee Eaton led scoring with 20 points, Kaley Morey shot 13 points, and Lily Gray added 11 points. The victory brings the team to 12-0 and the chance of a second-straight undefeated season heading into the playoffs. The team is doing its best not to feel any pressure.
“Expectations are always high with a team like ours but we always just try to look at our season game by game,” senior starter Lily Gray said. “I think one big strength we have this season is how well we work together and get along.”
Ranked second in the Class D North Heal Point Standings, with games against George Stevens Academy (3-11), Jonesport-Beals (6-9), Searsport (9-6) and Bangor Christian (1-12) still to come, the Mariners have locked in a bye for the preliminary playoff round and will hit the floor at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on February 15 for the quarterfinals.
“Going to the Cross Center for the past couple of years always gives us something to look forward to,” Gray said, “but we always try to have that game-by-game mindset. We have played a lot of really good teams this year, and I can’t wait to see how this last stretch goes.”
Jonesport-Beals proved a tough competitor back in early December, with the Mariners edging a slim 41-39 win. The team has home court advantage for the second contest between the two teams this Saturday, February 2. Before that, the Mariners will host GSA on Thursday at 5 p.m.
Freshman Maggie Bubar dribbles the ball up the court during a home game against Bucksport on January 26. By Alicia Allen