AUGUSTA — Third-seeded Livermore Falls controlled the tempo for much of the game Thursday and pulled out a 31-27 victory against second-ranked Waynflete in a Western Class C girls’ basketball semifinal at the Augusta Civic Center.

The victory propelled the Andies (17-3) into Saturday night’s regional final against top-seeded Hall-Dale (19-1).

“The only way we could stay with (Waynflete) was to control the pace of the game,” Livermore Falls Coach Mark Simpson said. “We had to keep working it. I kept telling (my players), don’t listen to the crowd. Don’t shoot the ball. Just keep working it.”

It was a game plan the Andies stuck to for the entire 32 minutes.

“We just never found our rhythm offensively,” Waynflete Coach Brandon Salway said. “We missed some shots and in a close game like this, one or two plays makes a difference, and it ultimately did.”

Livermore Falls, which never trailed by more than four points, finished with a 12-4 run.

Marissa Welch, a 5-foot-11 center, led the Andies with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Kathryn Ventrella hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with 14 points.

Liz Lewis, a senior forward, and Leigh Fernandez, a freshman guard, each scored seven points for the Flyers (16-4).

Tough defensive play dominated in the first half, which ended with the score 10-10.

Megan Therrien shadowed Martha Veroneau, a sophomore guard who scored 37 points while setting a tournament record with seven 3-pointers in the Flyers’ 69-49 quarterfinal win over St. Dominic.

“Megan’s only job was to face-guard (Veroneau) and make sure she didn’t get any good looks,” Simpson said. “She played the game of her life.”

Veroneau wound up with five points, including just one free throw in the first half.

Waynflete finished the first quarter with a 6-0 run, with Fernandez coming off the bench to hit a 3-pointer that gave the Flyers a 6-4 lead. But the Andies kept the Flyers from pulling away in the second quarter.

“The physicality of the game created some problems for us,” Salway said. “I am disappointed because it wasn’t our best effort. We played nervous today, unfortunately. (It was) the combination of physical play and deer in the headlights sometimes, but ultimately you’ve got to credit Livermore Falls.”

The Andies moved into the lead for the first time since the opening minutes when Ventrella sank her second 3-pointer with 2:42 left, snapping a 24-24 tie. Ventrella and Welch each made two free throws in the final minute.

Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:

pbetit@pressherald.com