And her Edward Little teammates were feeling pretty good too.

The Red Eddies senior led a strong first quarter as EL built an early lead and never looked back in a 73-36 win over Lewiston.

Arnold finished with 21 points and had 10 in the first quarter. She had been nursing an illness in recent days and didn’t start against Oxford Hills Tuesday.

“I’m feeling a lot better,” said Arnold. “I finally got my shot back.”

It finished the regular season in fine fashion. EL enters the post season at 15-3 and likely has the first seed in Eastern A. It would be the second top-ranking ever by the girls’ team, which was the top seed in 1992.

“It was a special night,” said EL coach Craig Jipson, who also earned his 200th win as a varsity coach with the victory “This has been a special team. I’ve never had a team come in No. 1. I’m just proud of how far these girls have come.”

Lewiston finished the year 5-12. That’s after getting just two wins a year ago.

“I’m really proud of the seniors,” said Lewiston coach Mike Labonte, who graduated  Emily Paione, Tori Denis, Kelsey Dumond, Erica Brochu and Alex Wilson. “They battled and were really committed to the program. It’s headed in the right direction, and we’re really happy with that.”

In addition to Arnold’s 21 points, Tianna Harriman had 12 while Brooke Reynolds and Emily Jacques each added 11.. Lewiston got 11 from Brie Wilson and eight from Emily Brochu.

Lewiston had played teams tough of late, giving both Cony and Mt. Ararat a challenge recently. EL proved too strong for the Blue Devils in the first quarter as the Red Eddies built a 26-9 lead.

“We knew it was going to be a fight,” said Jipson. “We talked about getting up early and trying to hold it. We weren’t sure they could score with us. If they were going to beat us, it was going to be a game in the 40’s. So we wanted to get in the 60’s or 70’s.”

Lewiston had seven turnovers in the first quarter and missed its first seven shots. That gave EL ample opportunity to build the lead.

“They’re the No. 1 team in our conference,” said Labonte. “Every strength that they have exacerbates our weakness. They were really good and were on their game.”

Kate Sawyer opened the game with two quick baskets. After taking a 5-2 lead, EL scored nine straight. Arnold had a rebound. Then Harriman hit a 3. After a Reynolds steals and basket, Arnold sank a pair of free throws for a 14-2 lead. Lewiston got a Brie Wilson basket, but Arnold answered with a 3. Then in the final 1:20 Arnold hit a 3 and both Jacques and Kory Norcross converted three-point plays.

“We didn’t come in nervous at all,” said Arnold. “We knew we had to get down and play defense and try hard. Our defense has really gotten a lot better this year.”

Lewiston had nine turnovers in the second quarter and shot 3-for-14. EL hit four of its first five shots. Reynolds had eight points in the quarter while Harriman, Arnold and Jacques all added four to make it 48-19 at the half.

EL, which will play in its fifth straight KVAC championship game Monday, had the lead to 59-29 and maintained the lead the rest of the way.

“Tonight was a special night,” said Jipson. “Coaches tend to get old, and we start to hit milestones. It was my 200th win as a varsity coach. It was really special with the way the girls played and against Lewiston.”

kmills@sunjournal.com