LISBON FALLS

For seven games after a 2-0 start, the Lisbon High School girls basketball team struggled to find offensive consistency. With a Western Maine Class C playoff spot looking more unlikely as the Greyhounds slumped, coach Julie Wescott kept her team together, working hard on defense in the hopes the offense made an appearance.

On Thursday, the Greyhounds found some rhythm, putting up 40 points for the first time in nearly a month in a 40-27 Mountain Valley Conference win over Wiscasset.

The victory, Lisbon’s second straight, gives the Greyhounds a 4-7 record, with a date against 2-8 Mountain Valley tonight at Rumford.

“We are finally coming together as a team,” said Lisbon senior guard Bailey Madore, who had nine points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. “We really stepped up on defense today. We had a lot of intensity. We need to keep playing as a team.”

Meanwhile, Wiscasset had its losing skid reach eight games, falling to 2-9 on the season. The Wolverines’ last victory came on Dec. 18 in a 45-43 overtime win over these same Greyhounds, the last time Wiscasset eclipsed the 33-point mark.

Solid start

Neither team came out looking like struggling offensive clubs. Wiscasset hit four of its first five shots, led by Heidi Pinkham’s six points, for an 8-3 lead three minutes in.

Lisbon battled back behind Denise Thomas. The forward had seven first-quarter points as the Greyhounds rallied to within two points, 12-10 after a quarter.

“Our defensive effort links how well we are scoring,” said Wiscasset coach Patrick Quinn. “Credit to Lisbon. Denise (Thomas) is a phenomenal rebounder, and she hit the glass hard. She was in foul trouble the first time we played Lisbon.”

Lisbon began to force things on defense, holding Wiscasset without a field goal and just one point in the second quarter. On the offensive end, the Greyhounds leaned on Madore, who scored seven points, including a big 3-pointer for a 19-13 lead. Lisbon led 21-13 at the break.

Wiscasset again found some offense to begin the second half, getting five points from Kasey Cromwell and four from Kayla Gordon, but Lisbon kept pace as Thomas popped for six more points and Mia Durgin stepped back and hit from behind the arc, giving the Greyhounds a 34- 24 edge heading to the fourth quarter.

“The third quarter dictated the rest of the game, and we knew that we had to keep plugging away and focus,” said Wescott.

“Everybody stepped up. We had lost seven in a row. We realized we were not a one-person team, and we had to support each other.”

Wiscasset went cold again in the fourth quarter, scoring just three points (a Cromwell trey), while Lisbon pulled away behind four points off the bench from Elyssa Hubert to complete the 40-27 victory.

Lisbon shot 40 percent from the floor (18 of 44). Thomas had a game-high 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Arianna White chipped in six points and eight key rebounds, including seven in the fourth quarter as Lisbon finished with a 33-21 edge on the boards. The Greyhounds were just two of 10 from the foul line.

Wiscasset received nine points from Cromwell, and six each from Briana Goud, Pinkham and Gordon.

The Wolverines, who host Madison tonight at 7 p.m., shot just 23 percent from the field (12 of 51) and turned the ball over 24 times.

Lisbon 40, Wiscasset 27

At Lisbon Falls
Wiscasset — 12 1 11 3 — 27
Lisbon — 10 11 13 6 — 40
Wiscasset — Kasey Cromwell 3-1-9,
Heidi Pinkham 3-0-6, Briana Goud 3-0-6,
Miranda McIntire 0-0-0, Kayla Gordon 3-
0-6, Alecia Faulkingham 0-0-0, Tylan Onorato 0-0-0, Hanna Foye 0-0-0, Hannah
Campbell 0-0-0. Totals — 12-1-27.
Lisbon — Mia Durgin 2-0-5, Mikayla
Yanez 0-0-0, Bree Sautter 0-0-0, Bailey
Madore 4-0-9, Denise Thomas 7-1-15,
Arianna White 3-0-6, Elyssa Hubert 2-1-5,
Jordan Kates 0-0-0, Katelyn Fowler 0-0-0,
Courtney Martel 0-0-0. Totals — 18-2-40.
3-point field goals — (W) Cromwell 2;
(L) Durgin, Madore.
Records — Lisbon 4-7, Wiscasset 2-9.
Next — The Greyhounds visit Mountain
Valley today at 7 p.m., while the Wolverines host Madison tonight at 7 p.m.