LEWISTON — It was pretty apparent after the first quarter that foul shots and depth was going to make a significant difference Tuesday.

The girls’ basketball game between Lewiston and Mt. Ararat began as a whistle-fest and didn’t change much from there. It made both teams scramble to handle foul trouble from the start. 

The Blue Devils hit their free throws and got some great minutes from their bench in a 54-28 win over the Eagles.

After three straight losses, Lewiston (6-5) has now won two straight.

“We had a lot of girls, not losing confidence, but it was a win we thought we could get,” junior guard Skylar Gaudette said. “So we wanted to work hard for it. We have a chance to win every game. So we have to capitalize in these games.”

The game featured nearly 50 fouls and both teams were in foul trouble in the first quarter. Lewiston had four players — three starters — nursing two fouls at halftime. The Blue Devils were able to survive the abundance of whistles thanks to a superb effort from the bench. Lewiston built an eight-point lead in the second quarter and then blew that lead open when the starters returned in the third.

“They did a great job,” Lewiston coach Lynn Girouard said. “Everybody can play. It’s whether they want it that night or not. Our bench stepped up and played great. Three of my starters were in foul trouble in the first quarter. Everybody stepped up and played hard and did what I asked.”

Mt. Ararat had numerous starters with three fouls at the break. The Eagles (1-9) lost three starters to fouls and were already shorthanded with Nikki Bradstreet out with an injury.

“The officiating made it difficult for us, but if we’re going to miss shots and if we’re going to miss layups and if we’re going to score seven points (in a half), you’re going to lose by 30,” said Mt. Ararat coach Andy Morris, whose team was shut out in the third and scored just seven total points in the second half. “I can’t blame the officials, although they didn’t make our job any easier. You’ve got to knock down the foul shots and knock down the jumpers.”

Victoria Harris led Lewiston with 11 points while Gaudette added nine. Kristina Blais and Gabrielle Wilson each had eight. Lewiston had nine different players scored and got 22 points from its bench in the game.

“It was really good to be able to watch and cheer for the girls that usually don’t play a lot because they cheer for us,” Gaudette said. “It was good to sit down and cheer for them. I think the girls that came in did really well. They came in and stepped up.”

Mt. Ararat, which has lost eight straight, was led by Lauren Sturgess with eight, while Katelyn Cox had five.

Harris had seven points in the first quarter and Lewiston built an early 13-8 lead, despite little flow in a game constantly interrupted by whistles. Entering the second, both teams were already battling foul trouble after 13 fouls were called in the opening quarter. That had both coaches scrambling to pull starters with foul trouble. 

Lewiston made the best of the situation. The Blue Devils hit seven free throws in the second quarter and built a 30-21 lead by halftime. Blais had six points in the quarter but the Blue Devils got points from Jazlyn Dumas, Wilson, Dacia Ball and Kiani Teague off the bench. Nine of the team’s 15 points came from players off the bench.

“I was hoping our bench would get some minutes,” Girouard said. “I need to get them some experience, and we were able to do that tonight.”

Lewiston shot 12-for-17 from the line in the first half while Mt. Ararat shot  7-for-13 and had 15 turnovers.

“We did not play well,” Morris said. “We’ve got injuries and we’ve got sickness but we’re a better club than this.”

Lewiston broke the lead open in the third, scoring 15 straight points and while  Mt. Ararat shot 0-for-8 from the floor. The Eagles didn’t hit a field goal in the second half until 3:13 remained in the game.

“I know everyone was itching to get back in after having to sit through the second quarter,” Gaudette said. “So we wanted to come out strong.”

Gaudette started the third with a 3 and had five points in the quarter. Blais, Morgan Eliasen, Ball and Harris also scored to extend the lead. Mt. Ararat shot just 2-for-11 in the fourth and had Sturgess, Sara Lamb and Kate Guerin foul out.

“It’s a tough one to swallow,” Morris said. “I thought it was a getable game. We’re struggling. When the chips get down, we start to get down. A call her or there would have helped.”

kmills@sunjournal.com