LISBON FALLS — A month ago, the Lisbon girls’ basketball team might not have won a game like it did Thursday night.

The Greyhounds battled foul trouble, a game Wiscasset club and overtime for the second straight game, but Lisbon still prevailed for its fourth straight win with a 49-44 victory.

“I think we would have made a run at it (a month ago), but I don’t think we would have been playing as well as we are right now,” said Lisbon guard Mia Durgin.

Lisbon lost its first four games but have produced a winning streak that has turned the season around. That included a one-point win in overtime against Telstar earlier in the week.

“I think after the Monmouth we had a team talk and talked about playing as a team and pulling together,” said Lisbon coach Julie Wescott. “Since then, they’ve really been taking it to heart and been playing well.”

The Greyhounds (4-4) needed the team element against the Wolverines (1-8). Both teams were plagued by fouls and each lost three starters to foul trouble. For Lisbon, that included guard Mikayla Yanez and post players Adrianna White and Katelyn Fowler.

“We’re really beginning to trust each other,” Durgin said. “We knew we’re really deep. We know that if some foul out, it’s not a great thing, but we know someone else is going to step up from the bench. We really like that. We like having it be a team effort.”

White finished with 15 for Lisbon while Durgin added 14. Wiscasset was led by Kayla Gordon with 14 while Briana Goud had 10. Both Gordon and Goud fouled out late in regulation. That was after point guard Tylan Onorato also fouled out.

“I’m all about playing kids,” Wescott said. “They’re going to have to step up. Fortunately, we had kids that really stepped up and worked hard and gave us good minutes when we had playing in foul trouble.”

The lead changed hands twice in the final minute. Lisbon could have sealed the win from the foul line but hit just one of its last seven free throws in regulation and missed five straight to start overtime.

“I told the girls: ‘Are you just trying to make it interesting for me?’ Wescott said. “That’s due to our youth. We’re really young. That’s a tough situation to be in when you’re a freshman or a sophomore.”

In overtime, White gave Lisbon the quick lead. She scored on a corner jumper and then drove the baseline for two early baskets and a 46-42 lead. She fouled out soon thereafter.

“We had some big plays right off the bat,” Wescott said. “Defensively, we knew we just wanted to lock them down and not allow anything easy. We wanted to play smart basketball and not come down and chuck the ball. We wanted to run our offense, and they did a good job of it.”

Wiscasset, which went 2-for-8 from the floor in the fourth, shot just 1-for-6 in overtime and missed six straight free throws. The Wolverines got a jumper from Hanna Foye with 2:03 left in overtime, but it would be the only basket Wiscasset scored.

Lisbon’s solid defense protected the lead, and then the Greyhounds finally hit some foul shots. Katherin George sank one with 21 seconds left to make it 47-44. Then Durgin sealed it with a pair with six seconds left.

“I think when we pick each other up, it helps a lot,” Durgin said. “I don’t think we could do that if we didn’t have each other’s back.”

The game was tied four times in the fourth quarter and the lead changed hands four times.

After a corner jumper from Miranda McIntire with 2:02 left, Lisbon took the lead with a basket by  Fowler. Lisbon added a free throw from Yanez to make it 41-39 with 1:17 left. Wiscasset tied it with a drive from Goud with 47 seconds left and then took the lead with 20 seconds remaining on a free throw by Gordon.

Durgin got the ball after a missed Wiscasset free throw and pushed the ball up court, drawing a foul with 12 seconds left. She hit one free throw to tie it and force overtime.

kmills@sunjournal.com

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