AUBURN – Transforming themselves into an all-star team between Christmas and Martin Luther King Day might benefit the Central Maine Community College women’s basketball team by the time Presidents’ Day rolls around.

Right now, though, the Mustangs could use a holiday to rediscover their identity.

The recent influx of talent and unprecedented depth is obvious, but CMCC couldn’t summon any answers for Sonya O’Tash from that well Wednesday night. Southern Maine Community College’s junior center exploded for 29 points, 11 rebounds and five steals and allowed the Seawolves to sneak away from a Kirk Hall with a 64-60 victory and a regular-season sweep of their most intense rival.

“It’s pretty big. It’s unheard of,” SMCC coach Becky Roak said of backing up December’s 67-64 thriller with another verdict on the road. “But I know they’ll be gunning for us come February.”

That’s the Yankee Small College Conference tournament, where an automatic berth to the USCAA nationals will be at stake. Twelve-deep and stacked with explosive, former local high school stars, the Mustangs (12-4) have the ability to return the favor. But there are lessons to be learned in communication and comfort before then.

Southern (11-7) never trailed. Central was crafty enough to rally from separate deficits of 10, 9, 10 and 7 points and get two peeks at the potential game-tying basket in the final 30 seconds.

Sara Martin, one of three significant second-semester newcomers for the Mustangs, took both. The first rattled off the rim and into the hands of Rachel Del Camp. After Del Camp sank one free throw with 26.9 seconds remaining to make it a three-point SMCC edge, O’Tash swatted Martin’s second try and cradled the rebound in one fitting, game-sealing motion.

The Seawolves overcame a 10-for-20 showing from the free-throw line in the second half and 24 turnovers to the Mustangs’ 12.

“We don’t really get frustrated,” said O’Tash, who started her career at the University of Southern Maine. “We understood at halftime that we were the quicker team, so we had to push the ball and look for the open shot.”

Martin scored 11 of her team-high 14 points in the second half for CMCC. Michelle Holmquist and Tiffany Seams each contributed 10. CMCC shot 28 percent from the floor before intermission and only inflated that to 30 percent for the game.

“They’re the best team in our league right now,” said CMCC coach Mike Bridges. “We find ourselves behind a lot and having to catch up. At some point here in the near future, it’s all going to come together for us, but it hasn’t yet.”

SMCC has hit on the right combination, administering a heavy dose of O’Tash with plenty of help from Del Camp (five points, 11 rebounds) and Amanda Chandler (15 points).

O’Tash opened up with 16 in the first half, including back-to-back 3-pointers in an 8-0 surge that staked the Seawolves to a 20-10 lead.

“She’s unstoppable,” Roak said of O’Tash. “She knows when to take it and when not to take it. When they collapse on her, she always finds the open man. She can take it to the rack, or she’s a great passer as well.”

Most of Southerrn’s first-half miscues were unforced errors, but the Seawolves curbed those turnovers drastically in the second half.

The Mustangs’ offense flourished in fits and starts, most notably a 12-2 run orchestrated by Martin (eight points) that reduced the margin to 47-45 with 12:18 to play.

CMCC sank only four field goals thereafter, and none in the final 5:32. Chandler scored seven in that stretch for the Seawolves, including a 3-pointer. O’Tash padded her total with eight, six from the line.

“Somebody always has a big night against us. We need to find a stopper defensively, which we haven’t established yet,” Bridges said. “(O’Tash is) such an athletic kid. She’s a lefty. There’s not a whole lot of lefties you see, so it makes it an odd matchup. She’s the best player in the league.”