LISBON — Through the first six games of the girls’ basketball season, the Lisbon Greyhounds have watched close games slip through their fingers.
On Friday against winless Wiscasset, Lisbon dominated the offensive boards and forced several turnovers for a 40-20 Mountain Valley Conference victory, giving the Greyhounds a 1-6 record heading into Tuesday’s road game at Carrabec (7 p.m.).
“Finally!” Greyhounds coach Julie Petrie of her team’s first win. “I hope this gives us some confidence. They have been right there, and we will work to continue to get better.”
Keys for the Greyhounds were the 41 turnovers they forced, along with the 26 offensive boards.
“When we play scrappy and stay focused, it is our game. We didn’t board well against Telstar, and that led to the loss and was a focus tonight,” Petrie said.
A slow start had Petrie frustrated as Wiscasset grabbed a 5-2 lead. A pair of free throws by Carly Drischler was followed by Lisbon’s first field goal, a Mallory Fairbanks floater inside for a 6-5 advantage with 1:20 remaining in the opening frame. The Greyhounds led 9-5 after a quarter.
Lisbon’s 9-0 run was finished off by a Fairbanks layup to open the second quarter before Wiscasset scored on Kateleen Trask putback. A 6-0 run by the Greyhounds extended the advantage to 18-9. Kiley Merritt came off the Lisbon bench for eight first-half points.
The Wolverines stayed competitive, using four points each from Trask and Sydnie Thayer but trailed 19-12 at the intermission.
“We took a big step tonight and competed. I am just happy with the effort,” said first-year Wiscasset (0-8) coach Tom Philbrick.
Lisbon continued to work the offensive boards. Merritt and Charlee Cox were forces inside, while Sydney Plourde finished off passes from Fairbanks and Cox to give the Greyhounds a 30-17 advantage.
“We were able to stay patient on offense in the second half and we didn’t play too fast,” Petrie said. “We still panic at times, where we don’t realize where we are on the court, but we are capable of playing well.”
“We have had so many close games, where we could have five wins,” Drischler said. “We had to get in there even though teams are bigger than us. I am 5-foot-4 and a forward. It is tough sometimes. I am so small compared to a lot of girls.”
After committing 24 turnovers in the first half, the Wolverines had 17 more miscues in the second, a problem for Philbrick’s team as the season nears the halfway mark.
“We have a problem with turnovers, but I don’t want them to pull back and hopefully we will get better and the turnovers will go away,” Philbrick said.
In the fourth quarter, Lisbon spread the floor and worked on finding the easy shot. Cox scored four fourth-quarter points.
Merritt led all scorers with 12 points. Fairbanks and Cox chipped in seven points each, while Drischler finished with six. Cox also had 12 rebounds, Fairbanks five steals and two assists, Plourde four steals and two assists, and Merritt four steals.
Thayer paced Wiscasset with six points and eight rebounds, while Zoe Waltz had five points, including the only 3-pointer of the game. Alice Yokabaskas finished with nine boards, two blocked shots and three steals.
The Wolverines host Mt. Abram on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
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