JAY – When the Livermore Falls girls’ basketball team got blanked and fell behind by seven in the first quarter, the Andies took a bit of a “been there, done that approach” against the defending Class C state champions Saturday.

Livermore Falls began to battle its way back and was within a point in the second quarter. By the fourth, the Andies were clinging to a slim lead and held off the Tigers for a 25-22 win.

“During our preseason, we’ve done the exact same thing,” said senior forward Hannah Therrien. “We always have to dig ourselves out. We know we have what it take to dig ourselves out. So we just came back.”

The Tigers had chances to tie the game late, but missed on a trio of possessions. Jay hit one field goal in the second half and struggled with a makeshift lineup put together at the last minute. Jay had already lost forward Gina Nemi, who quit the team during the preseason. Then Saturday, all conference forward Hillary Deane was a no-show. Bessey and his players had no idea why Deane didn’t show, but had to patch together a new gameplan at the last moment.

“I have no idea,” Bessey said of why Deane wasn’t there. “Honestly, I don’t know.

“But I’m about as proud of a team as I’ve ever been. We practiced for three weeks going over combinations. We had girls that were used to playing 2s and 3s, and they were playing the 4 and having to battle inside. I couldn’t have been more ecstatic with the effort we put out. If we put that kind of effort out every night, we’ll be fine.”

Therrien led the Andies with six points, while Marissa Welch added five. Kathryn Ventrella and Kathrynn Lake each had four. Jay was led by Brittany DiPompo’s seven points and six from Mallory Bonnevie.

The Andies fell down early after shooting 0 for 6 and turning the ball over nine times in the first quarter. Jay took advantage and built a 7-0 lead, thanks to a pair of Bonnevie baskets and free throws by DiPompo and Beth Moore, who finished with five points.

Livermore Falls inched its way back and was within 10-9 midway through the second on a Lake basket. By then, the Andies knew they were back in the game.

“Our defense is way ahead of our offense,” Livermore Falls coach Mark Simpson said. “I knew we could start like that. I just kept telling them that we’re still in it. We were only down by seven. I knew we could get it back. We did it this summer.”

In the second half, it was anybody’s ballgame. The Andies tied the game twice in the third quarter, before taking the lead in the fourth. A rebound off a free throw by Welch put Livermore Falls up 21-19. Jay went back ahead on free throws by Alexis Blodgett and DiPompo, but a pair of free throws by Ventrella with 3:22 left made it 23-22. Then Therrien was fouled with 2:56 left and hit both for a three point lead.

“Coach says foul shots are my thing,” said Therrien. “I try to take them whenever I can. I knew those were crucial. I just tried to breathe.”

Jay’s scrappy defense was superb much of the night and forced eight turnovers in the fourth, but the Tigers couldn’t convert on the offensive end. Jay shot just 1-for-19 in the fourth and went the last 10-plus minutes without a field goal. Without Deane and Nemi in the post, the Tigers were hampered and limited to the outside shots. Jay struggled to hit those, and the Andies took advantage by pressuring each opportunity effectively late. The Tigers had three possessions in the final seconds but couldn’t get a quality 3-point shot off.

“We had some good looks,” said Bessey. “I’m not really upset with the looks that we had. We had some nice looks. They just didn’t go in.”