DIXFIELD – There was little doubt as to what they were up against Saturday.

The Lisbon Greyhounds were fully aware that the Dirigo Cougars would press them and smother them with defense. It’s been the trademark in Dixfield for well over a decade. What the Lisbon girls’ basketball team also thought was that if they handled that challenge, a win could be the reward.

“We know they come out and play really hard and play zone pressure defense,” said Lisbon coach Jake Gentle. “Even the man-to-man, they’re in your face a lot. That’s the way they’ve played since I’ve known them. I told the girls that handling the pressure was going to be the big thing and getting high quality shots. I think we did both of those.”

The Greyhounds got an early jump on the Cougars and built that into a double-digit advantage in the second half in a 42-27 victory.

It was the third straight win for the Greyhounds and a rare loss for Dirigo on its home court. Jay was the only club to beat the Cougars at home in almost a decade.

“That’s a huge feat for us,” said Gentle. That’s great for the girls. I don’t think they knew that coming in, and I didn’t tell them. I had a good feelinig coming in that we might have a good chance to win.”

After an 0-2 start, the Greyhounds are hitting their stride and gunning for another Western B playoff appearance. A three-game winning streak is another milestone the Greyhounds have matched in years.

“We’re starting to work together as a team,” said senior forward Christy McAuliffe. “We’ve finally got a team that we’ve wanted. Everybody’s been playing with each other since we were younger.”

After seven turnovers in the first quarter, Lisbon (3-2) only had seven the rest of the game. Dirigo (3-2) couldn’t get the turnovers that often lead to points, and the Cougars struggled in the half-court offense, shooting 8-for-53. At one stretch in the second half, the Cougars went nearly 10 minutes without a field goal.

“Being an intense team, they didn’t have the patience to just let things flow,” said Dirigo coach Reggie Weston. “They took that first shot instead of working it around and making the defense work.”

Renee Moore led the Greyhounds with 12 points while McAuliffe added nine. Emily Moore and Sam Purcell chipped in eight and seven respectively. Dirigo got eight each from Nikki Kaulback and Jane Hebert.

“Unfortunately, we played their game, and we didn’t play it well,” said Weston. “They were smart about what they were doing. They got into that zone. We can play against a zone, but we just couldn’t put the ball in the hole.”

Lisbon raced out to a 6-0 lead to start. Baskets by Renee Moore, Stephanie Smith and McAuliffe put Dirigo in the hole quickly. The Cougars shot 2-for-14 in the first quarter and missed their first six shots.

“That’s what we needed – attack the first few minutes and take what they give us,” said McAuliffe.

A 3-pointer late in the first by Hebert tied the game at 8-8. A Renee Moore free throw put Lisbon ahead at quarter’s end. The Greyhounds built the lead to eight in the second quarter. Lisbon had a 9-3 run to start, fueled by a 3-pointer by Renee Moore and a pair of baskets inside by McAuliffe. A fast break hoop by Purcell made it 22-14 at the half.

“They’re really a guard-oriented team, kind of like us,” said Gentle. “Matchup-wise, I thought we had more of an advantage inside. So we tried to isolate Christy inside.”

Lisbon did an excellent job on the boards and forced Dirigo’s offense to come from the outside. When the Cougars were able to work it into the paint, they forced shots.

A 3-pointer by Renee Moore in the third followed by a short jumper by Purcell made it 29-19. Dirigo’s Ricki Sinclair scored to make it 29-21 with 4:13 left, but the Cougars didn’t hit another field goal until 2:41 remained in the game.

“After they get down four or six points, they start to panic a little bit,” said Weston.

Lisbon played a patient game in the fourth and only had four shots from the floor. Free throws by Renee Moore, Emily Moore, Purcell and McAuliffe maintained the lead. The Cougars could only muster one field goal and a pair of free throws, shooting 1-for-12.

“We just wanted to slow it down and not force anything,” said McAuliffe.