By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

AUBURN – Megan Sullivan had little time to think about her shot, let alone get one off Saturday afternoon.

With the final seconds ticking away, and Old Orchard Beach needing a basket in a hurry, Sullivan wasn’t holding the ball for long.

She received a pass with about three seconds remaining and let go a 3-pointer that swished the Seagulls to a dramatic 51-50 win over St. Dom’s in a girls’ basketball game.

“All I could think about when I got the ball was to shoot and try to score,” said Sullivan. “I was just praying that it went in.”

Sullivan’s prayer from the right of the arch produced a stunning loss for the Saints, who held the lead for the entire game.

St. Dom’s couldn’t put away OOB and squandered a 10-point lead in the third quarter and a seven-point advantage with 1:15 left in the game.

“I think we missed some easy shots, and we made some bad decisions passing,” said St. Dom’s coach Chet Lenfestey. “We’ve just got to cut down on our turnovers. We turned the ball over way too much.”

The Saints (1-1) managed just one field goal in the entire fourth quarter. That came with just 45 seconds remaining.

Though the Saints sank seven of their first nine free throws in the quarter, St. Dom’s hit just one of its last four. St. Dom’s also committed seven turnovers, including one with 10 seconds left, allowing for OOB’s last-second chance.

“I kept telling them that we’ve got to keep playing,” said OOB coach Roger Gelinas.

“We weren’t playing really well. We dug ourselves a hole a couple of times. We have kids that can score. We have good nights and we have not-so-good nights. I kept telling them to keep playing and that if they play hard enough, good things are going to happen eventually.”

Abby Gilbert led St. Dom’s with 19 points. Sullivan finished with 14 while Lauryn Goyet added 11. It was a Goyet 3 with 4:21 left that got OOB (2-1) within 43-41.

The Saints opened the lead to 48-41 on free throws by Gilbert and Julie Vandermeulen.

A rebound by Katie Robichaud with 1:15 left and two free throws by Sullivan with 57 seconds remaining kept OOB within 48-45.

A basket off a press breaker by Malley O’Shea made it a five-point game, but Sullivan hit a 3 with 30 seconds left.

Two missed free throws and a turnover gave Sullivan a crack at the winner.

“We were trying to get me or Lauryn Goyet open on the wings to get the shot,” said Sullivan.

The Saints built a 17-6 lead in the first quarter, but OOB got within one late in the half before an O’Shea 3. Gilbert’s 10 points during a 10-2 run in the third quarter opened up a 38-28 lead.

St. Dom’s spread the offense in the final quarter but struggled to execute.

“I was trying to get Gilbert one-on-one,” said Lenfestey.

“What’s supposed to happen on that is that when the defense steps across, the big girl slides to the bucket. They’re young and they’re learning.”