EL forced four turnovers and scored three baskets for a quick lead in the opening minute. That pressure didn’t subside, and the Red Eddies’ advantage was up to double digits before Lewiston even got a basket. That was all EL needed to set the tone in a 69-48 win over the Blue Devils.
Coming off a loss Tuesday against Oxford Hills, EL played with a revved-up intensity and a tenacious pressure defense from the start. It overwhelmed Lewiston, which had seven turnovers in the first three minutes and missed its first five shots.
“The only chance we have of being one of the better teams is to press and run and fly up and down the floor and use 10 kids,” EL coach Craig Jipson said.
EL opened the game with a 14-0 lead and maintained that advantage throughout. The Blue Devils managed to get as close as nine twice, but couldn’t change the momentum.
“We always have a slow start it seems like,” Lewiston coach Lynn Girouard said. “They started out quick. Their press is good, and we didn’t take care of the ball the way we should have in the first quarter.”
EL (7-3) got 16 points from Brooke Reynolds, who had six in the first quarter and 10 in the first half. Tianna Harriman added 14 while Eraleena Hairston had 13, including eight in the second quarter. The Red Eddies, which are ranked third in Eastern A, had 10 different players score.
“I think as a whole, we’re deeper than a lot of other teams,” Jipson said. “We just have to use our depth.”
Lewiston got 26 from Kristina Blais, including five 3s, and 10 from Amanda Swart. Though Lewiston played solid after the poor start, the Blue Devils never dented the lead significantly to rattle the Red Eddies.
“We were right there,” Girouard said of getting within nine in the third quarter. “Maybe we scared them a little bit, but we just couldn’t get over that hump.”
Reynolds had the first two baskets for EL. After scoring on a rebound, she converted a steal. Emily Jacques then scored off a turnover for the 6-0 lead. After a Hairston free throw, Harriman drilled a 3. Reynolds hit a jumper and Hairston scored on a rebound making it 14-0 midway through the quarter. Lewiston didn’t hit its first basket until a Blais 3 with 3:12 left.
“We do have to score more off our defense,” Jipson said. “Down the stretch, we have some games coming up and we really have to push the tempo.”
Blais had a pair of late 3s to get Lewiston within 16-6 after the first quarter. Reynolds scored off a Jacques pass and Harriman scored off a steal to bump the lead back up to 14. Though Lewiston started to settle and play better, Hairston helped maintain the lead with a strong presence in the post. She had eight points in the second and EL had the lead up to 30-18 at the half.
In the third, Lewiston got baskets by Blais, Swart and Gabby Barrett. The Blue Devils had a 7-4 spurt that cut the lead to 36-27 with 3:05 left in the third.
“We came out great in the third quarter,” Girouard said. “We talked at halftime about what we were going to do on offense. We executed that great. Then we just kind of forgot about the outside shot and they hit a couple of big shots.”
EL finished the third strong. After a Reynolds rebound, Molly Murray hit back-to-back 3’s. After two Blais free throws, Harriman hit a 3 to finish the quarter up 47-29.
In the fourth, Karli Stubbs hit a pair of baskets to start the quarter. Reynolds and Harriman followed with baskets off steals during a 12-0 run.
“When they cut it, Molly Murray and Karli Stubbs hit some big shots,” Jipson said. “Piper Norcross had a huge 3 at a big time in the game.”
EL scored just 34 points in the loss to Oxford Hills. The Red Eddies offense was stagnant at times and struggled to execute. Whether it be off the press or in the halfcourt, EL managed to move the ball more effectively and had good results on offense against the Blue Devils, despite missing some good shots.
“I was happy that we scored 69 points, but I didn’t think we shot the ball that well,” Jipson said. “We’re a team that’s going to play in spurts. We’re going to go on 12-0 runs and 14-0 runs and there may be times we struggle to score. “
Blais had 11 in the final quarter for Lewiston while Kasey Talarico had five. Despite the poor start, the Blue Devils were more competitive and consistent the rest of the way.
“The good thing about our team is that we don’t give up,” Girouard said. “They keep fighting. We kept fighting until the end.”
kmills@sunjournal.com
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