BUCKFIELD – When Emily Eastman drove hard to the basket on her team’s first possession of the second half Friday, it was a sign of a new and improved Buckfield offense.

The Bucks struggled in the first half but displayed patience and aggressiveness in the second half. It enabled the unbeaten Bucks to open the lead in a 50-36 win over Valley.

“We just knew we had to come out and work harder than what we had been,” said Eastman, a senior guard. “We knew it was an impact game for us, and we just had to keep pounding it in.”

Valley (4-2) stayed close through three quarters, but a strong third quarter and an even more commanding fourth put the Cavaliers away.

“Valley was seeded No. 2 last year right behind us, and they didn’t lose anybody,” said Buckfield coach Dan Jack. “You know they’re a team you have to reckon with. That’s something we talked about at halftime. We knew we had to grind it out and put it away in the second half. We seem to be that type of team. We start a little slow, and we keep getting stronger.”

The Bucks (6-0) overcame an injury to Ashlee Hamann. The junior guard suffered a knee injury 1:07 into the second half. She was carried off the court but was limping around following the game.

Losing a player of her caliber might unnerve most teams, but the Bucks settled down. Though Valley erased a 30-22 lead in the quarter, the Bucks responded and opened the lead for good. Eastman had eight points during that stretch.

“She’s our main shooter so somebody on the team had to step up and take the lead,” said Eastman. “We have experience with injuries. We know that person’s hurt, and we worry about them, but we know we have to step it up for that person.”

Abby Jones led the Bucks with 16 points and 15 rebounds while Eastman added 14 points and 10 boards. Lindsey Henderson chipped in 10 points. Valley got 10 from Cindy Schultz and nine from Jocelyn Laweryson.

The Bucks struggled against Valley’s zone early. Buckfield couldn’t hit the outside shot and missed opportunities inside. The Bucks couldn’t get its transition game in gear, forcing just six turnovers in the first half, and had defensive lapses. Jones had 10 of her team’s 22 points in the first half.

“I think we weren’t finishing well in the first half,” said Jack. “We were just off a little bit. That’s been a key all year – finish your shot and that makes it easy. A lot of the plays were there but they were missing.”

The Bucks were more aggressive yet diligent in the second half. Eastman drove to the basket and hit the outside shot. Buckfield also did a better job of feeding the post.

“I know if I can drive, I can either get it down into the post or just go in for the shot,” said Eastman.

The Bucks were 6-for-13 while Valley missed its first eight shots in the third.

“We started missing shots, and they started getting shots,” said Valley coach Gordon Hartwell.

After Eastman’s drive to open the half, a three-point play by Henderson and a 3-pointer by Eastman made it 30-22. Valley got within a point twice in the third, but Eastman fed Henderson for a hoop. After she hit a free throw, Eastman added a drive for a 37-31 lead.

In the fourth, the Bucks opened with a 7-4 run. Valley hit one of its first 11 shots and finished 2-for-16 from the floor.

“We were wearing down,” said Hartwell. “The legs weren’t so much underneath us in the fourth quarter. We were going through a period of rushing our shots.”