LEWISTON – They worked diligently for much of the third quarter just to get within two points of the lead.
Then in just a few moments, the Lewiston girls’ basketball team watched it slip away.
Morse came to life late in the third quarter Friday. The Shipbuilders went on a 10-0 run, opening a 12-point lead that led to 65-49 victory.
“They hit a couple of shots, and we went after them with a couple of ours,” said Lewiston coach Jim Hood. “Their shots fell and ours didn’t
“It came down to we had a little defensive lapse, and they went to the line way too many times. That was good for them that they had that many shots at the line.”
Morse scored 23 of its points from the line. Kate Ross led all scorers with 19 points while Jill Henrikson added 14. Sonya Dickinson chipped in 12, and Maggie Smith added 10 for the Shipbuilders (4-1).
“Henrikson, in my opinion, is one of the best players in the state,” said Morse coach Tom Morong. “She struggled tonight but kept us in the game by doing other things. Dickinson is tough. I didn’t start her the first two games of the year because she struggled. All of a sudden, she’s picked it up. Tonight, she was dominating in there, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
Lewiston (2-3) got 10 from Danielle Willey and nine from Mallory Long.
Trailing 34-25 early in the third quarter, Lewiston’s surge got it within 36-34 with 4:33 left. Back-to-back baskets by Allison Morin and Long cut the deficit to five. After a Dickinson rebound, Willey set up Jessica Hunt for a score. Long added a free throw and rebound to get the Blue Devils within two.
Morse responded with a 3 from Ally O’Dare. Then Ross scored off a Lewiston turnover for a quick five-point swing in about 15 seconds. Henrikson drilled a 3 and added two free throws for a 46-34 lead.
“I haven’t figured us out,” said Morong. “Three games in a row, we’ve started poorly. We played at their level until the end of the third period, and then said It’s time to lift our game up.'”
Lewiston built a 15-10 lead in the first quarter. The Blue Devils were aggressive defensively and moved the ball effectively on offense. Lewiston also did a nice job on the boards. The Blue Devils couldn’t put that together consistently and were plagued by some missed easy shots.
After falling behind by seven at halftime, Lewiston’s flurry in the third had it back in the game. The Blue Devils couldn’t maintain it, hitting just six of two dozen shots in the second half and turning the ball over 15 times.
“We’ve got to control what we’re doing with the basketball,” said Hood. “Sometimes we throw it away, and there are times that we’re not taking any shots.
“We’re improving quite a bit as a team. We’re coming on slowly, but we want to make sure the dividends start to show.”
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