GRAY – It was one quarter of pedal-to-the-metal basketball and three quarters of holding on for dear life.

Emily Baker scored eight points in the opening period, and Josalee Danieli led Gray-New Gloucester with 17 points as the Patriots edged Wells, 52-45, in WMC girls’ basketball Tuesday night.

Things looked bright for the Patriots (2-0) when the home team controlled every aspect of the game in the first eight minutes, using a hefty rebounding edge to take a 17-2 lead.

Virtually every point came from inside the paint as G-NG worked the low post and found the open player inside. In addition to Baker’s efforts, Danieli produced six points, most from the foul line.

“The first quarter we were playing really well on defense,” said Baker. “We were running and gunning and it was working out.”

“We were very aggressive in the first quarter,” added Danieli.

Credit Wells (0-2) for sticking it out.

The Warriors started to chip away at the margin almost from the beginning of the second quarter, and when Alicia Ramsdell hit the field goal midway through the period it was 18-10.

Even though the Patriots recovered enough to post a 12-point lead at intermission, the tone was set for the second half.

“I’d say we were really lazy,” said Danieli. “We weren’t really focused, and by the third period we realized they were shooting really well.”

“I think we started getting a little too comfortable with the lead ,and we got a little sloppy with our passing,” said Baker.

The third period was Wells’ turn to run-and-gun.

Ramsdell led the way with 12 points, including 10 in a row at one point. What was a uncomfortably safe margin dwindled to three points by the end of the frame.

“It was a game I don’t think we were mentally prepared to play,” said G-NG coach Ken Butler. “We came out shooting well, even though we probably didn’t do everything right in the first quarter.

“They started slashing and we got lazy on defense. We thought we could block the shot from the rear and got in foul trouble.”

What might have been the biggest key to the win doesn’t go into the scorebook. Ramsdell was held scoreless in the fourth quarter thanks in large part to Patriots junior Leanne Waterman.

“We put Leanne on her in the fourth,” said Butler. (Ramsdell) had 23 in three quarters and had zero in the fourth quarter. She did a great job.”

Wells went to the long ball in the end.

All three field goals in the final eight minutes were of the 3-point variety, and the Warriors trailed by just four with 1:30 remaining.

“They held together and showed some guts,” said Butler. “They held together and played well at the end. It’s a journey.”

[email protected]