LEWISTON — By the time the Leavitt girls’ basketball team had a chance to blink that night, they were down 10-0.

It was a stunning start for a Hornets team that is accustomed to a quick start and early lead. Instead, it provided one of the most valuable lessons of the season.

Leavitt rallied that night in Newport and fought off a late challenge to earn a 66-61 win against Nokomis.

“I think Nokomis helped us a lot,” said Leavitt coach Tammy Anderson. “We were down 10-0 and we learned that, mentally, we weren’t out of it. We just kept playing one basket at a time. We didn’t panic. That helped us a lot in the York game. They went on a 9-0 run and nobody panicked. We just went after it.”

After beating the defending Class B state champs in overtime, the Hornets now get a rematch with the Warriors. Nokomis makes its second straight appearance in the Class B state final when the two teams meet Friday at 7 p.m. at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

If either of their last two meetings are an indication, there might be a whole lot of nail-biting and surging of blood pressure Friday night.

“When we played up there, it was a battle, and I have no doubt that it will be a battle again,” said junior forward Amanda Jordan.

Over the last two years, Nokomis has been one’s of Leavitt’s toughest foes. The Warriors beat the Hornets in Turner in 2009. It was Leavitt’s only regular-season loss. The Warriors built the early lead but watched Leavitt rally to tie it. Nokomis then ran off 11 straight, thanks to its foul shooting, to open up the game in a 64-57 win.

This year, Nokomis started strong again, building that 10-0 advantage and a 12-point lead in the first quarter. Leavitt counter-punched with a 12-5 run to take a 35-28 lead at the half. The Hornets had the lead up to 13 points in the third, but Nokomis ran off 11 and 10 straight points and got within two points in the final minute.

“The key for us is to play the same game we always play,” said Anderson. “We need to go out there and have fun and play hard. If they go out and have fun and play relaxed, it’s real tough to stop them.”

Both teams boast a wealth of talent. Leavitt had three of the top five scorers in the KVAC B with Courtney Anderson (23.1 ppg, 6.0 apg, 5 spg), Adrie Newton (17.3 ppg, 78 rpg) and Kristen Anderson (16.0 ppg, 4.8 apg). The Anderson’s also combined for 79 3-pointers and were both among the top three in assists with teammate Abbey Randall.

“We played them a while ago,” said Courtney Anderson, a senior guard headed for the University of Maine. “We’ve grown. They’ve grown. It’s going to be a whole new matchup. If anything, we want to prove we can do better against them than we have before, but it’s a whole new game when it comes to Friday.”

Nokomis has a nice mix of post play with Marissa Shaw and Emilee Reynolds with the outside shooting of Kelsie Richards. Julie Smith is a superb ballhandler. All four of those players have been averaging around 10 points per game.

Having played the Warriors already in an intense atmosphere, the Hornets are prepared for what Nokomis will bring Friday.

“It helps us a lot knowing what we’re up against,” said Jordan.

Leavitt also feels comfortable at the Cumberland County Civic Center, not a place that is shooter-friendly. The Hornets have had two wins there against Lake Region and York, but the venue will be very unfamiliar for the Warriors.

“We’re definitely familiar with the Civic Center playing there last week,” said Randall, a senior guard. “We know how we work together as a team on that court. So that’s definitely a plus. We definitely feel a lot more comfortable. It’s not new to us. So we’re used to it.”

Being multi-faceted, the Warriors offer a challenge not many can present to Leavitt. Nokomis takes care of the ball. The Warriors are strong inside and out. They’re experienced and have proven they can score enough to keep pace with the Hornets. Nokomis is also a strong defensive team that can press well.

“Whoever comes out ready to play is who will come out on top,” said Randall. “Defense is important because if you play good defense then you can get the ball and play offense. So we have to play good defense.”

Handling the other team’s defensive pressure is going to be a factor. Both teams will be working on that this week because the press has accounted for much of the scoring surges in previous games.

The battle inside will also be a factor. There will be a lot of rebound opportunities for both.

“Rebounding and boxing out is always the biggest thing because we don’t have that much size,” said Jordan. “They’re a little bigger than us. So rebounding is always big for us because if we rebound, we can run the floor.”

The biggest point of emphasis for Anderson this week is to get her team to go out and execute well and play their game. It is what has made them successful and what could achieve that last milestone.

“These kids have worked hard to be in this position,” said Anderson. “I would like to see them finish and put the icing on the cake. They’ve had a great experience already, but having played in two state championships games, I’m just trying to get them to focus and finish now.”

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