GRAY — By the end of the first quarter, both coaches had reason to be pleased Tuesday night.

Lake Region had played superb defense but had struggled to score. Gray-New Gloucester had battled with the favored Lakers and were within two points.

“We were down 7-5 after the first quarter,” said GNG coach Mike Andreasen. “If we don’t throw the ball away and take silly fouls, we outplayed Lake Region in the first quarter.”

If the rest of the game unfolded in similar fashion, the Patriots might have been happy with that, but things changed drastically in the second.

Lake Region kept up its strong defensive play and then got its shots to fall. The Lakers went on a run that the Patriots couldn’t match. Lake Region had the lead into double digits by halftime and put the game away in the third in a 59-26 win.

“I told the kids that we just needed to hang with what we were doing and eventually some shots were going to fall,” said Lake Region coach Paul True. “That would allow us to set up a little more pressure that we were unable to do in the first quarter.”

Lake Region finished the second quarter with a 14-2 run, turning an 11-9 lead into a 25-11 halftime lead. Then Lake Region opened the third with 16 straight points.

The Patriots (2-2) were plagued by 18 turnovers in the first half, including 10 in the first. GNG also shot 10-for-56 in the game and 5-for-26 in the first half.

“We’re not a great offensive team,” said Andreasen. “What we’ve got to do is limit the turnovers. The shots you’re not taking are shots you’re not going to make.”

Tiana-Jo Carter led the Lakers (5-0) with 14 points while Allison Clark had 12. Abby Craffey and Kelsey Winslow each added eight. Gray-New Gloucester was led by Haylee Cote with 11.

Between the 10 turnovers and shooting 2-for-11 in the first quarter, GNG struggled to get on track early. Lake Region only shot 3-for-11, so even though the defensive effort was there, the shots weren’t falling.

That changed in the second quarter. Ahead 12-9, Craffey hit a 3 and then scored on a three-point play to open an 18-9 lead. After a Cote rebound, Carter scored twice in the post and Clark added a 3 for the 25-11 lead at the half.

“That was huge,” said True of Craffey’s six consecutive points. “Abby and all the kids, it was a great team effort. We’ve got a very talented group and all of them are able to step up on any given night. I thought a lot of them did some very good things.”

GNG had eight turnovers in the second and shot just 3-for-15. The Patriots also watched starter Maggie Chaplin go to the bench with three fouls.

“We’re averaging over 20 turnovers a game,” said Andreasen. “It’s not happening in the backcourt. It’s happening in the frontcourt. We’re beating the pressure and getting into the frontcourt. That’s 12 or 13 points a game, and in some games those are killers.”

In the third, Lake Region put it away. While the Patriots missed their first 17 shots, finishing 2-for-20, the Lakers ran off 16 straight. Craffey, Sydney Hancock, Winslow, Carter and Clark all scored during the spurt.

“We’ve really been focusing on getting the ball inside first,” said True. “Our interior players are super passers. So our shots tend to fall when the ball comes from them inside out rather than forcing shots on the perimeter.”

GNG didn’t get a basket until a Michele Dehetre 3 with 1:21 left in the third to make it 41-14.

“We’re working,” said Andreasen, whose team plays Wells before the holiday break. “Hopefully it will get a little easier. Any game is going to be a little easier than Lake Region. They’re in your face on both ends of the court.”

[email protected]