AUBURN – By the time its offense caught up with its defense, there was no catching the Edward Little girls’ basketball team.

The unbeaten Red Eddies waited patiently and a bit anxiously for their offense to come to life Tuesday. When it did, it was worth the wait. EL dominated the third quarter to open a tight game and remained perfect with a 45-28 victory over Bangor.

EL (5-0) used a 17-2 run in the third quarter and held Bangor to just eight total shots from the floor in the second half.

“The key for us is to not freak out,” said junior forward Kayla Cummings. “Like in the Lewiston game, we were down. The key for us was to stay calm and believe the next (shot) was going in. We’re always going to go on one big run in the game. So we knew it was coming.”

Cummings had a monstrous game with a career-high 23 points. At halftime, she had 13 of EL’s 17 points and was the only EL starter that scored. Francesca Lally finished with nine while Kirsten Prue added six. EL got superb efforts off the bench from Karen Leary, Miranda Martin, Emily Grund and Katelyn St. Hilaire during a close first half in which the largest lead was three points.

Kayla Cummings played great,” said EL coach Craig Jipson. “They did a great job on Kirsten. “Tom (Tennett) is a brilliant coach. He had a great gameplan. What I like is that Kirsten didn’t force things. She showed to be an all-around player. Francesca didn’t shoot well early. She just kept shooting. She’s grown up so much. Cummings really came to play and we took what they gave us.”

Last year EL lost tight games to both Brewer and Bangor. This year, the Red Eddies blew away both. Though the first half Tuesday resembled last year’s struggles against the Rams, EL worked through the offensive problems.

“Last year, we were a very young team,” said senior forward Abby Downs. “It’s amazing how much we’ve matured.”

That was evident against Bangor. EL missed its first 11 shots and shot 1-for-13 in the first quarter and missed seven straight to start the second. The work on defense forced 35 Bangor turnovers and kept the Red Eddies within reach. EL didn’t panic and worked through the zone defense the Rams presented.

“We’re all pretty much upperclassmen, as far as playing time goes,” said Cummings. “We’ve grown up so much. We just calm down and believe the next one’s going in and that the last one doesn’t matter. We all pick each other up and have each other’s back.”

Bangor had the lead early in the third. Cummings tied it with a short jumper. Then Prue stole a pass on the press and made a nifty layup and converted a three-point play. After a Bangor turnover, Prue drilled a 3-pointer and EL had the largest lead of the game, 29-23.

“We talked at halftime and we thought we could make a little bit of a run,” said Jipson.

Bangor got a basket by Meagan Doucette, but EL finished the quarter with nine straight to build a 38-25 lead. Downs scored on a rebound and turned it into a three-point play. After a Lally free throw, Cummings scored on a rebound, and Lally drilled a 3-pointer.

“In the first half, it was no secret that our shots weren’t falling,” said Downs. “When we went in at halftime, we just said we have to keep our heads up and stay in the game. We ended up going on a big run.”

EL got a 3-pointer from Lally, a field goal from Cummings and free throws by Lally to build a 45-25 lead. EL then milked the clock and allowed Bangor just two shots from the floor in the final quarter.

“The kids really did the job,” said Jipson. “They came to play. The kids are embracing their roles. They made Cummings make shots, and Kayla certainly made some shots.”