By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

TOPSHAM – They stepped on the gas, sped away and put it in cruise control.

The Oxford Hills girls’ basketball team came out full throttle Tuesday night and raced out to a 10-0 lead. Mt. Ararat could never catch up in a 67-36 Vikings win.

“We knew we had to come out strong and make an impact in the game and play it at our pace,” said Oxford Hills guard Kelsey Pelletier.

The Vikings dominated the first three-plus minutes, and Mt. Ararat struggled to recover. The Eagles did get within eight to start the second quarter, but Oxford Hills pulled away with another 10-point run.

“I’m just so happy,” said Oxford Hills coach Craig Jipson. “They played so hard. They’re playing some great basketball.”

Pelletier, Annie Foster and Kristina Bowden each scored 10 points for the Vikings (8-1). Terry Bunce added seven while Kari Pelletier, Katie Martin and Allison Fox each added six.

“A lot of kids contributed,” said Jipson. “They’re just getting more confident. We’re a team that hopefully has its best basketball ahead of us.”

While the Vikings hit four of its first five shots, Mt. Ararat (4-5) turned the ball over on five of its first six possessions. The Eagles didn’t score until 5:29 remained in the first quarter.

“We let them dictate the tempo all night long,” said Mt. Ararat coach Kelly LaFountain. “It’s tough to come back when you’re down by that much.”

Sherry Turcotte led Mt. Ararat with nine points.

Between their defensive pressure, which forced 16 turnovers in the first half, and their outside shooting, the Vikings came out hot and built an early lead that the Eagles couldn’t match. Oxford Hills hit five 3-pointers in the game and got one each from Kelsey and Kari Pelletier in the first quarter.

“It’s great when we can all hit our outside shots and everyone can pitch in,” said Kelsey Pelletier. “The last couple of games, our outside shots haven’t been falling as much. So we went into practice focusing on our outside shooting and did a lot of shooting drills.”

After a 3-pointer from Elaine Emerson closed the gap to 20-10 to end the first quarter, the Eagles got a steal by Emerson to make it an eight-point game.

But Oxford Hills answered when Fox scored in the paint and off a steal, and Bunce buried a 3-pointer. Mt. Ararat didn’t get another point until 1:59 remained in the half.

“It’s a matter of taking advantage of opportunities,” said LaFountain. “I’ve revamped the offense three or four times, and no matter what I put in, if they’re not going to take what they’re given, than it’s not going to work. They have to react to what’s going on out there. Instead they’re letting the other team dictate.”