It was the 13th straight win for the defending Class C state champion Tigers, who avenged their only loss of the season and moved to 14-1. The Howlers, who fell to 12-4, beat Dexter 57-50 on Dec. 11.

Ames, a 6-foot-6 senior didn’t have one quarter in which she dominated more than another, although she was on the bench for most of the fourth quarter. But her play at the end of the second period was key as Penobscot Valley briefly took the lead.

The Howlers went up 15-14 on a Kelsy Lavertu putback about 1 minute, 35 seconds into the quarter. The Tigers responded over the next two minutes, managing to regain the lead and go up 20-15.

PVHS used a trapping full-court press to force five turnovers in the final 6:17 but couldn’t convert. The Howlers, who are usually fine shooters from 3-point range, hit only two of their 20 attempts from behind the arc.

Meanwhile, Ames grabbed control in the final 2:30. She hit four baskets as Dexter’s guards pumped the ball inside and Katie Poirier made a driving shot as the Tigers took a 30-15 lead and cruised from there.

Dexter went on a 12-0 run in the third during which Ames had nine points.

Ames was just four points off her school record for points in a single game (44). Poirier chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Lavertu had a team-high 11 points and eight rebounds for the Howlers.
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Saturday, February 03, 2007 edition of the Bangor Daily NEWS and is used here with permission."