Hall-Dale poses for photos while celebrating after beating Madison, 36-35, in the Class C South girls basketball final on Saturday in Augusta. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

The Hall-Dale girls basketball team is back in the Class C state final for the third time in four years.

For the Bulldogs to win their second Gold Ball in that span, they’ll have to put together their best defensive effort of the season. And the task is far from easy.

Hall-Dale (18-3), the South champion, meets North champion Penobscot Valley (21-0) at 7:05 p.m. Saturday night at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. To say the Howlers have been putting up lots of points would be an understatement. They average 75.3 points per game and have three players — senior Ellie Austin (16.3), junior Rylee Moulton (19.2) and sophomore Brooklynn Raymond (16.5) — who average 16 or more. They’re not shy about taking 3-pointers, as they showed when they set three Class C North tournament records in an 86-26 semifinal win over Calais on Feb. 20. Moulton nailed nine 3-pointers, and Penobscot Valley hit 15 from beyond the arc.

“We have 127 kids in our school, there’s no way we should be beating the bigger schools (in this manner),” Penobscot Valley coach Nate Case said with a laugh. “They’re a phenomenal group and it’s been so much fun.

“We’re going to find ways to score, if we’re defending and rebounding at the level we expect,” Case continued. “When we’re really locked in defensively, we’re really good offensively, because it’s aiding your offense because of transition.”

So Hall-Dale will have its hands full.

“(Penobscot Valley) has some really great shooters on their team,” Hall-Dale coach Laurie Rowe said. “They have some really good athletes. I think we match up well. We really need to make sure we’re closing out and trying to prevent some of those 3s that they take. (The key) is just sticking to our game plan.”

The Bulldogs have been strong defensively, allowing 35.7 points per game. They’ve held teams to 30 points or fewer eight times, including the South final, when Hall-Dale defeated Madison 36-25.

“One of our strengths is our defense,” said Bulldogs senior forward Jade Graham. “We can’t get really get into foul trouble against (Penobscot Valley). We need to communicate, play good help-side (defense), closing out on shooters.”

Graham added that Hall-Dale’s quarterfinal win over Poland revealed things the Bulldogs need to work on.

“Ever since Poland was draining 3s in our face, we’ve been working on closing out on shooters, because (Penobscot Valley is full of) shooters — but also respecting their drive (to the hoop), because they can drive, too. What it’s really going to come down to is if we can stop their transition, and if we can (break) their press (defense), because I think they get a lot of points off that press.”

“We’re definitely going to have to adapt to playing against girls taller than us and who are just as strong,” said Hall-Dale senior guard Lucy Gray. “We’re really going to try to be more physical with our defense. … This week, our coaches have really been on us to not take any plays off, and if someone scores in our face, we just have to let it go and keep the energy up and not get down on ourselves. Keep each other up and stay positive.”

Hall-Dale changed up its practice routine in preparing for the state final. The team traveled to Cross Insurance Center on Tuesday to get a feel for an arena that’s bigger, and at times louder than the Augusta Civic Center. The Bulldogs also brought in members of the school’s boys basketball team so they could practice against stronger opponents.

“We got our own little practice squad,” Graham said. “It’s definitely nice to get that strength, that speed and that length that we haven’t seen before, because PVHS has all of that. It’s been really nice to play against 6-5 kids that can dunk and against 5-6 guys that can run a 4-minute mile. We’ve had a wide array of boys that have helped out, but it’s making us better every day.”

“The arena and court (in Bangor) is all very different,” Gray said. “It’s a lot brighter (than Augusta), and the stands being (further up) is a lot cooler. I think we’ll be able to adapt pretty well, our team has always been one to adapt to different situations. Playing at that court (Tuesday) will make us more excited and ready.”

Hall-Dale does have an advantage in championship game experience. Penobscot Valley was last in a state final in 2019, a 33-25 loss to Boothbay. This is the second consecutive year Hall-Dale has been in the state final. Last year, the Bulldogs fell to Dexter, 48-41. Most of the Hall-Dale players are also on the school’s softball team, which has won four consecutive Class C titles. For the seniors, a Gold Ball to wrap up their careers on the hardwood would be the icing to a successful high school run.

“It’s nice to have that experience, because regional (finals) and states are two totally different types of anxiety,” Graham said. “Last year, the state game was an eye opener for us. Softball, we’d always have some tough matchups and end up pulling through every time. Basketball, we finally get there, not show up the way we wanted to, we let that pressure get the best of us. We know we can’t underestimate anybody, and just try to compose ourselves in the way we know we can, entering that game.”