LEWISTON – By the time the Lewiston girls’ basketball team got the hot hand offensively in the fourth quarter Tuesday night, it was too little too late for the Blue Devils.
Lewiston got late back-to-back 3s, but Brunswick had already built a lead too steep for the Blue Devils in a 53-46 victory.
“They played well,” said Lewiston coach Jim Hood. “They wanted to win. They took the win from us. We need to learn to win again and comeback and play solid ball.”
At this stage of the season, both teams could use all the Heal Points they can get to keep their playoff hopes alive. Lewiston (4-9) was ranked 16th in the latest Eastern A standings while Brunswick (3-9) sat in 18th. The top 13 teams reach the postseason.
“We’re going to continue to push and try to get back into the tournament and hope to win some game from here on out and try to accumulate some Heal Points,” said Brunswick coach Rita O’Connor.
The Dragons were led by Danyel Cousins with 15 points off the bench. Brooke Suckow added 14 while Claire Baecher chipped in 12. Lewiston got 11 each from Danielle Willey and Mallory Long. Allison Morin and Katie Nadeau each added 10.
Lewiston had been up 19-11 in the second quarter, but nine straight points gave Brunswick the lead by halftime. The Dragons also finished the third quarter strong, with four points by Cousins, giving the Dragons a 35-31 lead.
“Our bench players are helping every time out,” said O’Connor. “So are all the girls. They’re all working really hard.”
Lewiston got within two twice early in the fourth on baskets by Morin and Willey, but the Dragons broke open the lead with 11 straight points.
“They beat us on the boards, and they beat us in aggressiveness and they were at the foul line more than us,” said Hood, whose team hit just one of its first six shots in the fourth, finishing 5-for-15 from the floor. “We’re trying to learn every day and trying to get better. We’re just taking small steps, but we need to take bigger steps in the learning process.”
The Dragons shot 4-for-6 in the final quarter and hit six straight free throws, 7-for-10 overall. After a pair of free throws by Lindsay Hammond, Suckow hit a 3 for a 42-35 lead. Free throws from Cousins and Baecher padded the lead. A nice passing play finished off by Baecher made it 48-35 with 2:43 left.
Lewiston got 3s from Willey and Long but only got as close as 51-43 the rest of the way.
“We were trying to comeback, and we had the big shots, but when you’re down by 10 points with three minutes, it’s awfully hard,” said Hood. “They’re going to hold the ball and work the time.”
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