LEWISTON – The progress has been steady, but the wins have been elusive for the Lewiston girls’ basketball team.
Entering Tuesday’s showdown with their arch rivals, Edward Little, the Blue Devils knew it was a game that could be had.
“We got really pumped up before the game,” said senior guard Katie Nadeau. “Me, Allie (Morin) and Mallory (Long) all talked to the team and said We needed this game. Let’s go get them.'”
Lewiston proceeded to do just that in a 46-33 victory. The Blue Devils (3-7) opened a 14-point lead by halftime and never looked back.
“I think we finally put it together a little bit,” said Lewiston coach Jim Hood. “We’ve been turning the corner. The Brewer game went into overtime. The Gardiner game got away from us a little bit. We were in that game all the way too. Except for the Cony game, we’ve been very, very competitive.”
EL (2-8) was hampered by an injured Kate Dargie, who saw limited action because of an ankle injury. The Red Eddies then lost starter Ashley Gaylord to an ankle injury in the first minute of play.
“Between Kate being hurt and Gaylord going down, they started to be apprehensive,” said EL coach Craig Jipson. “(Kate) didn’t look like herself at all. Our kids came into the Mt. Ararat game knowing Kate wasn’t going to be there, but tonight, I think in the back of their minds they thought she was going to come in and hit some threes.”
EL’s offense struggled mightily, missing its first eight shots and shooting 2-for-12 in the first quarter. The Red Eddies went just 1-for-6 in the second and 3-for-16 in the third.
Lewiston, however, had one of its most balanced games offensively, to go with a solid defense.
Jessica Hunt led Lewiston with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Long had 13 points and Nadeau added nine. EL got a fine outing from Kelsey Nicolas with 14 points. Brittney French added 11.
“Everybody shined on the team and played solid, but you’ve got to look at Jessica,” said Hood. “She got 14 points in the post, which is 10 points above her average, and the rebounds has to be double her average.”
Up 8-4 after the first quarter, Lewiston broke the game open with a 14-4 second quarter, scoring nine straight at one point. After a Hunt rebound, Nadeau hit a jumper and later added a free throw. After a Morin foul shot, Nadeau hit a 3-pointer for a 20-6 lead.
“I think we’re playing together great,” said Nadeau. “It’s like we’ve been playing together for a million years. At first we were a little rocky, but with all the loses, we’ve come together more and learned from each other.”
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