Dexter, Me---Maicee Gustin is known as the key defensive player for the Dexter Tigers. On Thursday night, Gustin was known as the player that did everything.
Gustin scored 19 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and had five steals to lead the Tigers to a 54-51 girls basketball victory the Central Red Devils. It was a performance Tigers coach Jody Grant called "A herculean like effort."
"How many kids get 19,13 and five in a high school basketball game? Not a lot. I am very, very, very proud of her," Grant said. "I told her (Gustin) a couple of weeks ago in preseason that it was the best game she played since she has been here. Tonight I told her I had to take that back because tonight was the best game she played since she has been in this high school."
A strength for the Tigers in recent years has been defense. The Tigers still work on that defense with Gustin leading the charge. The 2011/2012 Tigers are looking for more from their offense. Lauren Crane is the Tigers main offensive threat on most nights.
With Crane scoring five points others stepped it up. Gustin led the offensive outburst. Gabrielle Adam put in 12 points.Point guard Jordyn Bell scored 11 points including hitting four free throws in the fourth quarter.
"We have been focusing on offense. We get so many compliments on defense. We keep going on defense but we are working on our offense more this year than in any other year. It is showing on our scoreboard," Gustin said. "I have a lot of respect for coach Rollins and the Central team. I knew that I would have to play my heart out for us to win this game. I knew I would have to shoot as much as everyone else to get this win tonight. I did and it worked out."
The Tigers built a 17-8 lead after the first quarter. The Red Devils dominated the second quarter. They went on a 12-0 during the quarter and outscored the Tigers 20-9 to take a 28-26 halftime lead. Dexter committed 11 of their 19 turnovers in the second quarter.
"We just made the wrong decisions (in the second quarter) with the ball. Passed it to the wrong person. Dribbled it when we should of passed it. Passed it when we should of dribbled it," Grant said. "We talked about it at halftime that we are shooting ourselves in the foot a little bit. We were just not making the right decisions with the ball. We tried to do a little bit of correcting. It was the first time we have been pressed. Sometimes you turn it over once. It is mind game. You turn it over again and again."
The Tigers made the adjustments as they only turned the ball over four times in the second half. They did fall behind by six late in the third quarter. Gustin scored the last five points of the quarter to cut the deficit to 39-38 going into the fourth quarter.
The Tigers won by an average of 33.5 points in their first two games. Grant knew coming in that it would be a close one against Central. he wasn't sure how his team would react in situations they have not been in before. Central defeated Mattanawcook 35-31 on Tuesday.
"That was a little bit of a concern coming into tonight. Central played on Tuesday night and played a close game throughout. We had two games we won pretty easily," Grant said. "You never know, when you get into a game situation where it is a time and score situation. Sometimes especially early on in the season.you don't know how kids are going to react."
Alison Pease only scored one point but it came at a big time in the game. She sank a free throw with 4:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. That gave the Tigers a 44-43 lead. It would be a lead they would hold onto the rest of the way.
Crane, Adam, Bell and Michaela White all hit key free throws down the stretch to seal the victory for the Tigers.
White is a freshman who Grant counts on to guard the top player on opposing teams. Abbie Melvin is a sophomore who came off the bench to grab seven rebounds.
"They (White and Melvin) got a chance to play in the preseason and get some good quality minutes. I have confidence in them, Michaela didn't come out. As a freshman I tell her she is guarding their best player. She loves it. She is a basketball player. She wants to be good. She cares.. I just have so much confidence in all these kids. " Grant said. "Like I tell all of my kids, you never know when you may get put into the game. Foul trouble, injury, both of those. I tell all of my kids you need to be ready to go.The other night up in Howland we had three kids with two fouls in the first quarter. We had kids that came in and did a great job. Anna Ritland, Chrissy Cunningham came off the bench and played solid."
A big difference in the game was the ability of the Tigers to make free throws down the stretch. The Red Devils struggled from the line. That is something the Red Devils have struggled with in recent years and Coach Diane Rollins is not sure why. Rollins is confidence that when her players are back at 100 percent and her key players are not in foul trouble things could be different. One of those key players is Brianna Speed who should be returning in a couple of weeks.
"Foul shooting kills us every year. I don't know why. We practice them enough," Rollins said. "I think when everyone is well again and we don't have three of our starters on the bench things could be different. She (Rollins) had an injury during her great soccer season and played through it. She had to go in and have a scope done on it. They did a little bit of a surgery thing. She should be back in a couple of weeks."
Gustin had the game of her life and a pregame speech by her coach helped motivate her and her teammates.
"We knew it was going to be a good game before we came out. Coach told us before we came out that we needed to play with confidence and that we are capable of beating anybody. We should have that thought in our head that we are going to beat anybody," Gustin said. "That really touched everyone tonight. He gave a great speech in the locker room before we came out and it fired us all up. We have a lot of respect for Central."
Grant added, "I have tried to convince these kids to play with confidence. I told them that every inch of my body if it takes that will get that out of them. We are going to be as good as we possible can be. I don't want to be scared. I want them to step on the floor."
Dexter (3-0) will next play on Monday, December 19th when they host Penquis.
Freshman Brianna Skolfied finished with 16 points and nine rebounds for the Red Devils. Max McHugh also had 16 points. She finished with five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Kaylee Harvey chipped in with nine points. Sam Brownell led the Red Devils with 10 rebounds. Central (2-1) will host Orono on Monday, December 19th.
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