By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

FRYEBURG — As sophomore guard Alysa Grawe pulled the trigger from behind the arc without hesitation and swished her first two shooting attempts, Raider Coach Kristen Stacy had just one thought.

Finally!

Grawe and fellow guard Sydney Shaw took their offensive games to the next level last Thursday night, scoring 10 and 18 points respectively to lead the undermanned Raiders to a 49-23 victory over Waynflete at Wadsworth Arena.

Grawe netted three 3-pointers, while Shaw darted through the Flyers’ defense for most of the night, closing FA’s first win of the season with a pair of 3-pointers and a pull-up jumper.

“Tonight, I liked how our girls were confident. They didn’t hesitate to shoot, which we have struggled with. They can shoot, but they’ve been hesitant. The passing was also better. We have a hard time with the flow on offense unless they’re given direction. They need to go out and play basketball. It felt tonight, they were just playing basketball. They were reading the defense and were keeping their spacing. That ‘feel’ helped their confidence. It was fun to watch,” said Coach Stacy, who earned her first varsity win. “Tonight, something clicked and Sydney and Alysa were confident they could take over the game — and they did it without hesitation. I told them that the more they think about it (shooting), the less likely they are going to make the shot.”

Fryeburg had just five varsity players available (which included a freshman joined by three JV members), since six players had left for the holiday break on Dec. 17.

“Our practices have been five girls. You can’t run anything with ‘live’ defense. So, the preparation is hard. The execution in the game is hard, because we can’t afford for anyone to foul out. We’ve had to play with just 8, three of the girls are from the JV and haven’t practiced with us. Their skills are at a different level right now. So, it was a real test for us — to keep our heads up. We’re tired, but we had to play smart,” Coach Stacy said. “It’s been hard to get in a groove. I think in January, when we are all back together, we can be consistent in practice, and get into that groove and find that chemistry that they have. I’ve seen it.”

Coach Stacy hoped her squad could build an early lead and then give her starters a break or two.

One problem, both Grawe and Shaw “like to play fast” at every opportunity.

“I was torn because I wanted them to slow it down to conserve their energy, but at the same time, they game that they play is fast — it’s what they know and love. It’s natural to them. When they are in a rhythm, I don’t want to slow them down,” Coach Stacy said.

Waynflete was unable to slow them or Raider junior guard Jilyan Byrne, who consistently knocked down short-range jumpers from the corner while also going 3-for-3 at the foul line to finish with 13 points.

Byrne broke open a tight first quarter, scoring 7 straight points including an aggressive baseline drive that resulted in a hoop, a foul and made foul shot. FA was out to a 15-7 lead.

With Maya Mahan (5 rebounds, a blocked shot and 2 points) controlling the defensive boards, the Raiders pushed the ball and created open looks inside the lane or along the perimeter. FA started the second frame with a 6-0 run and eventually extended the lead to 25-9 as Grawe found freshman Eden True (4 points) for a lay-up.

Waynflete finally topped double digits by going 3-for-4 from the foul line in the closing minutes of the half. 

Byrne put an exclamation point on a strong FA half with another corner jumper as the Raiders took a 27-14 lead into the locker room.

FA didn’t lose a beat in the third, forcing six Flyer turnovers and jumping out to a 6-0 run as the lead swelled to 18 points.

The Flyers dodged a goose egg from the field, finally sinking a pair of jumpers in the final 2:53. Shaw closed the quarter with a pair of hoops, one off a Grawe steal that was converted into an easy lay-up while the second hoop was an end-to-end drive off a turnover.

FA dominated the final 8 minutes, as Shaw scored 8 of the team’s 12 points, while Waynflete connected on just two field goals.

As the final buzzer sounded, players wore big smiles and Coach Stacy felt both elation and relief.

“It felt so good to get that first win. I know how good they are. What we saw tonight, that’s them — that’s my team. And, we don’t even have half of our team. When they are on, it is so fun to watch. Tonight, they saw it. They felt it. Ah, finally!” she said. 

During the break, the focus will be on skills and conditioning, Coach Stacy said. A full squad should be in place by Jan. 2, at which time “we’ll get back to work and hopefully find our groove and team chemistry,” Coach Stacy said.

Stat Lines: Fryeburg was 6-of-7 from the foul line, Waynflete 3-of-8; each team committed 16 turnovers; the Raiders won the rebounding battle 24-17.

Lessons learned. It’s early in the season, but if Kristen Stacy was to point to one lesson she has learned in her first varsity coaching season, it would be the importance of attitude.

“The biggest thing learned so far is how much my attitude affects the team’s attitude. Going into Monday, I felt it wasn’t fair to play the make-up game when we had only five (varsity) players. I was negative, and we came out and played flat. I reflected on that and changed my attitude headed into the Freeport game, and we were a whole different team,” she said. “As a coach, they look to you as a role model. How I show up is important. It was a hard lesson... I find coaching is repeating yourself, and I assume parenting is very similar. Just a lot of repeating the same thing over and over again. We’re all learning.”