AUGUSTA — The Lawrence girls basketball team wasted no time in its Class A title defense on Friday night.

Three Bulldogs posted double-digit points on the way to a 59-32 victory over Mt. Blue in an A North quarterfinal at the Augusta Civic Center.

Junior forward Lilly Gray led the No. 1 Bulldogs (18-1) with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Maddie Provost scored 14 points, while senior guard Kaylee Elkins added 12.

“It’s definitely great (to win),” Gray said. “We get to play more basketball, which is nice. Moving on just gets us closer to a state championship.”

Sophomore guard Kensley Malcore led No. 8 Mt. Blue (5-14) with 17 points.

Lawrence got to work right out of the gates, pulling ahead with a 12-0 run in the first quarter, then outscored the Cougars by a 23-5 margin in the second quarter. Gray tallied 12 of her 16 points in the first half alone, dominating the boards and using her 6-foot frame to shield off Mt. Blue defenders for easy layups.

“It’s definitely nice when we’re pushing the ball and moving up the court,” Gray said. “It gives us that confidence to keep going and wanting to steal the ball and move up the court.”

The Bulldogs were also dominant defensively, forcing 20 turnovers in the first half and 32 for the game. Elkins turned multiple steals into fast-break layups for Lawrence.

“We felt like we had the advantage if we played fast,” Lawrence head coach Greg Chesley said. “We tried to get them to pick up their dribble and get up and play tight on that, be in the passing lane and steal that next pass. It worked most of the time, Kaylee Elkins picked off quite a few and took it the other way.”

Lawrence continued its strong play in the third, before the starters were lifted with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

“I’d like our second half to be a little sharper, and I told the girls the same thing,” Chesley said. “I’d like us to be a little sharper. But we won and we’re playing (in the semifinals) Wednesday.”

Despite being outmanned, the Cougars fought throughout the contest. Malcore was the player of the evening for Mt. Blue, scoring 12 of her 17 points in the second half. She also grabbed six rebounds.

“Tonight was huge for us,” Mt. Blue head coach Alex Bessey said. “I think we’ve come a long, long way. Me being with them every day, I don’t see it as much, but people that have seen us play from the beginning of the year to now, have talked to me, and it’s huge how far we’ve come.

“I think getting here, playing on this floor and this atmosphere will help us be hungry to be back next year,” Bessey added.

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