LEWISTON – For a few moments, Lewiston was in the driver’s seat.

The Blue Devils had just gotten a nice drive from Tracy Bradley to take the lead with less than three minutes remaining. A defensive stop or two and some fine execution might be all the Blue Devils needed, but Megan Franklin quickly changed all that.

Franklin’s 3 at the top of the key with 2:44 left gave Skowhegan the lead in an instant and turned around Saturday’s KVAC girls’ basketball game. Lewiston would get the lead back again but couldn’t slow down the Indians’ inside game as Skowhegan pulled away for a 56-51 win.

“We didn’t have the person coming up to play the girl,” said Lewiston coach Jim Hood. “We were trying to help down low and the transition, sometimes we were getting caught. We got caught once where it really mattered. It was only a point, but we came down and didn’t answer.”

Lewiston didn’t get another field goal the rest of the game. A pair of Kelsey Varney free throws with 2:24 left put Lewiston ahead 51-50, but Skowhegan jumped ahead for good with 1:56 left when Bethany Sevey put back a Kayla Thompson miss. Lewiston came down and watched an Amanda Bryant shot bounce off the rim. Danielle Miller came up with a steal off the rebound, and the Indians were on their way. Bryant fouled out and Skowhegan hit its free throws down the stretch. Lewiston did get a crack at a tying basket with 30 seconds left when Katie Morin’s 3 didn’t drop.

“It was a great game,” said Hood. “His kids played great and our kids played good. We got beat a little bit on the glass and got beat on the foul line, and I think that made the difference in the game.”

Lewiston (10-2) hit just 13-of-28 free throws and struggled against Skowhegan’s post game. The Indians (11-1) hit their first 3 and made good on six of their first eight shots in the fourth quarter.

“Obviously our perimeter shots weren’t falling,” said Skowhegan coach Paul True. “We really made it an emphasis to get it inside. Megan Franklin, Megan Smith and Kayla Thompson, they did a nice job.”

Franklin finished with a game-high 20 points while Thompson had 15. Lewiston was led by Bryant and Bradley with 11 each while Morin had 10 and Varney scored nine.

The Blue Devils built a 37-35 lead after three quarters. The game was tied five times in the final quarter, but Skowhegan’s ability to score in the paint made it difficult for Lewiston to open a lead. Thompson had nine of her points in the fourth quarter. Lewiston played well in the fourth with Bryant on the bench with four fouls. She returned just as Laura Martel hit two free throws to put Lewiston ahead with 3:52 left. Thompson fed Franklin in the paint for a tying basket, but Bradley’s move to the hoop off an inbounds play put Lewiston ahead before Franklin’s 3 gave Skowhegan the lead for the second and final time in the last quarter.

“I think that’s the only one we hit,” said True. “We told the kids that they’ve got to keep shooting with confidence and take open shots. Megan did and finally got one to go down.”