AUBURN – It didn’t take long Tuesday before Allie Forgues realized she had the hot hand.

The senior guard opened the game with a 3-pointer and hit another before the first minute of play had elapsed. It was a good sign for her Edward Little teammates and a bad sign for Lewiston.

“It raises the tempo of the game and the overall atmosphere of the gym too,” said Forgues. “Everyone else feels it too.”

The offense quickly became contagious for the Red Eddies as EL built a 23-point lead in the opening quarter and beat the Blue Devils 83-24.

Forgues tallied 13 points in the first quarter, including three 3-pointers, and finished with a career-high 15 points.

“Allie showed a lot of confidence,” said EL coach Craig Jipson. “Her shooting has improved so much this year. She’s confident. When she does miss, she doesn’t panic about it. I’m very impressed with how much she’s improved.”

In addition to Forgues firing from the outside, other Red Eddies got into the act. Brittney French added 13 points in the first quarter and finished with 19 overall. Freshman Kirsten Prue led EL with 20 points.

“Five days before tryouts, I’m in Brittney French’s hospital room visiting her and then I get a call that afternoon that Prue has mono as well,” said Jipson of the injury and illness trend that has plagued his club this season. “I’m so happy with my kids because they kept a great attitude. I’m thrilled to be 6-3 right now.”

With a rematch coming against Morse this weekend, EL built some momentum with the win over the Blue Devils. After a Danielle Willey basket in the opening minute got Lewiston within 3-2, EL got a Prue drive, a second 3-pointer from Forgues and a rebound basket and three-point play from French for a 12-2 in just 1:22 of play. EL opened the game with an 18-2 run and were up 33-6 by quarter’s end.

“I think it got the momentum flowing in a positive direction,” said Forgues. “I think we felt we could really take charge.”

Willey finished with 10 points, but the Blue Devils struggled to maintain any offensive momentum with nearly two dozen turnovers in the first half.

“It’s definitely a confidence booster because we know Morse is going to be a tough battle,” said Forgues. “It kind of sets us up for it in a positive direction.”