Gabbie Tibbetts said she and Ella Pelletier are “like a well-oiled machine” when they’re playing basketball together.
“Ella and I have been playing together forever, and we’ve always played for her dad,” Tibbetts said, referring to former Oxford Hills coach Nate Pelletier. “We always work better (together).”
Pelletier and Tibbetts proved that in Oxford Hills’ 46-40 victory over Edward Little in a girls’ basketball season opener Friday.
The seniors each scored 18 points. Pelletier hit two 3-pointer and made all four of her free-throw attempts. Tibbetts sank three of her four treys in the first half to help the Vikings take a 27-11 lead into halftime.
Tibbetts said the Oxford Hills players have worked hard since falling to eventual state champion Cheverus in last season’s Class AA North final.
“We put in hours in the gym during the offseason,” Tibbetts said. “Our assistant, Pat Carson, always had the gym open. We were on the gun every day, just working all summer on those 3-pointers, (which) really helped me.”
Pelletier said while she and Tibbetts do work well together on the court, Oxford Hills’ success is not a two-person thing.
“Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, yeah, me and Gabby have scored,’ but it’s not that at all,” Pelletier said. “We have to keep the team going, pick them up when their heads are down. It’s all about leadership on this team, and everyone thrives off of each other. I think that’s a big thing.”
For instance, Pelletier noted that Madalyn Oliveira was crucial on defense, coming off the bench and drawing two charging fouls.
“Her job is to buy into that sixth-man role,” said Oxford Hills’ first-year head coach, Cimeron Colby. “We talked to her the first day of practice, like, ‘You could start for anyone in the state, but we need you coming off the bench.’ We need to get better just as the other team’s getting tired, so that’s her role, when she buys into it.”
Pelletier is a four-year starter, and Tibbetts is a second-year starter after being a key contributor off the bench for the 2022-23 state championship team. Colby said the other players look to Pelletier and Tibbetts for leadership.
“They can score. They’re so much more than scorers, though, they’re leaders,” Colby said. “They actually run drills and practices, they’re both playing beyond this year. They’re way more than scorers. I hate to limit them to just basketball skills, because they’re such wonderful people.”
Pelletier has committed to play at Division I Stonehill College, while Tibbetts has committed to play at Central Maine Community College.
EDDIES FIGHT BACK
Edward Little, meanwhile, opened the game on an eight-point run but was held to three points the remainder of the first half and trailed by 16 at halftime.
However, the Red Eddies battled back in the second half and got within 41-40 late in the fourth quarter.
“Basketball’s a game of runs, and that’s a darn good team,” Colby said of Edward Little. “They’re going to be right there at the end of the season.”
First-year coach Frank Perry said he was proud of the Red Eddies for fighting back in the second half.
“Our girls really battled, kept their composure, which was great to see,” Perry said. “A lot of teams would have kind of slumped their heads and given up if they got down 16, and just reminded them that they got some fight in them, and we wanted to try to wear (Oxford Hills) out.”
Sophomore Alexis Creaser played a big role in the second-half rally, scoring six points in the third quarter and four in the fourth.
“I think once she figured out where she could be and where she was going to fit into what they were doing defensively,” Perry said, “and then other girls figuring how they were going to get her the ball in good positions to be able to put it in, drawing Ella (Pelletier) off of her so that she could have more of a free lane to the basket helped a lot.”
Layla Facchiano matched Creaser as Edward Little’s top scorer with 10 points. Rachel Penny added nine.