BUCKFIELD — Determination quickly trumped hesitation.

When Vinalhaven’s Ashley Davis-Oakes was told she was being switched to guard Buckfield’s Naudia Wesley in the fourth quarter Tuesday, the senior was a bit anxious.

“The look on my face was really a look of shock,” Davis-Oakes said. “You can’t really say anything. You’ve got to do it. Somebody had to do it.”

So Davis-Oakes took on the challenge. She not only produced a critical defensive effort in the final minutes but also hit a crucial shot that helped lift the Vikings to a 49-44 Western D preliminary win over Buckfield.

Ninth-ranked Vinalhaven (9-10) was down by as many as 13 points early in the game but chipped away to make a game of it late. The Vikings advance to the Western D quarterfinals at the Augusta Civic Center next Tuesday to play top-seeded Pine Tree.

“It’s a pretty big deal,” said Davis-Oakes, whose team lost to Forest Hills in the quarterfinals last year. “It’s pretty exciting that we get to go to Augusta now, especially with the start that we had. It wasn’t looking too good, but we picked our intensity up. We came together as a team and got right back  in it.”

The Bucks (6-13) were last in the quarterfinal two years, but that’s been the only time since 2009. Buckfield has just two seniors and a roster built around juniors and sophomores.

“I particularly feel for Naudia and Kerseyanne (Goyette),” said Buckfield coach Ryan Wilkins of his two seniors. “This was it for them. We talked beforehand that this game doesn’t define the season but it is the most important game on your schedule because it’s the only game left on your schedule. You would expect it to hurt the kids for a little while. I know it’s going to hurt me for a little while.”

Wesley led the Bucks, which went 2-15 last year, with 24 points. Goyette, who played for the Eastern A champs at Oxford Hills last season, had eight while Kali Litchfield chipped in six.

The Vikings, which have just three seniors and six freshmen, got 11 each from Deja Doughty, Gilleyanne Davis-Oakes and Taylor Littlefield.

Wesley scored 20 points through the first three quarters. So Vinalhaven coach Sandy Nelson decided to make a switch. She gave Ashley Davis-Oakes the assignment with simple instructions.

“I said, ‘All you have to do is don’t let her have the ball,'” Nelson said.

Wesley had just four points in the fourth and the Bucks struggled in the halfcourt offense.

“I knew she’s extremely fast and one of their very good players,” Davis-Oakes said. “I had to focus on her and on her footwork. I wanted to stick with her and not lose here, not let her get two steps in front of me.”

Though the Bucks hit five of its first seven shots of the game, the offense didn’t come as freely the rest of the way. Most of the Buckfield offense was aided by Vinalhaven’s turnovers — 21 in the first half and nearly 40 overall. The Bucks shot 12-for-54 over the last three quarters.

“The shots we got certainly weren’t bad shots,” Wilkins said. “We just didn’t make anything. That’s usually our Achilles heel. You’ve got to give Vinalhaven credit. They hit a couple of shots where we were a little late in the rotation. I think that was a big difference. They made more uncontested shots than we did.”

One of the biggest shots came with 38 seconds left. Goyette had just tied the game with a three-point play with 1:06 remaining. The Vikings were helped by a trio of Buckfield turnovers down the stretch. Ashley Davis-Oakes broke the tie when she sank a shot from the left corner, giving the Vikings the lead for good.

“A lot of things were going through my head,” Davis-Oakes said. “I saw an open shot. That’s one of my hot spots. I knew I had to take it if I was going to take it and pray that it went in.”

The Vikings added to the lead with a free throw by Doughty with 15 seconds left. The Bucks had a try at a 3 by Alexis Bennett from the corner. After a rebound shot was blocked, Wesley had a chance at the top of the key but missed. The Vikings added two Gilleyanne Davis-Oakes free throws in the final second.

“You have to be able to knock down the uncontested jumpers,” Wilkins said. “We’ve gotten to the point where we’ll at least shoot it but a lot of times we’re focused on hoping that it’s going in instead of knowing that it’s going in.”

The Bucks, which split with Vinalhaven during the regular season, jumped out to a 12-0 start. The Vikings missed their first seven shots and had 11 turnovers in the first quarter. Vinalhaven’s first field goal came with just 2:34 left in the quarter on a Paige Dennison jumper. 

The Vikings tried to settle down in the second. Though Vinalhaven had 10 turnovers in the quarter, the Vikings got within 25-20 at the half. The Bucks missed their first seven shots and went 4-for-19 in the quarter. Doughty was a spark for the Vikings off the bench with six points and a couple of key assists, including a feed to Dennison that cut the lead to 23-20. Wesley finished the half with a jumper for the five-point lead.

“What we tried to do was calm down and not throw the ball away,” Nelson said. “We wanted to keep the ball down the middle of the floor. We didn’t want lateral runs but diagonal runs. This is what we practiced all day (Monday). We spent the whole time on the pressure, and they did it.”

The Vikings had tried to get the ball into Gilleyanne Davis-Oakes early but struggled to do so. As the game progressed, other players began hitting shots. Ashley Davis-Oakes and Taylor Littlefield each hit a pair of baskets in the third while Gilleyanne Davis-Oakes, who had just two free throws in the first half, scored her first field goal.

Vinalhaven tied the game 31-31 on a Littlefield basket with 1:43 left in the third, but Goyette sank two free throws. Then Wesley scored on a short jumper in the paint for a 35-31 lead entering the fourth.

The Bucks missed their first four shots, and Vinalhaven erased the lead with a 7-2 run. The Vikings took the lead three times but the Bucks answered right back. It was a pair of rebounds by Gilleyanne Davis-Oakes that opened a 42-39 lead with 4:00 left. After a fast break basket by Wesley, Doughty hit a jumper with 2:54 left. That was followed by Goyette’s three-point play.

“I told them that I’m proud of the season they had,” Wilkins said. “A lot of people didn’t even think they’d get to this point. In that regard, we’re happy with what happened, but we certainly had our hopes of getting to Augusta.”

kmills@sunjournal.com