KENNEBUNK — The Kennebunk unified basketball team held on to win a tight battle against the visiting Bonny Eagle squad 45-44 in the South Quarterfinals on Tuesday afternoon.

Evan Warren led the Rams with 20 points in the contest while Michael Maloney chipped in seven.

Bonny Eagle’s Colbe Lewis led the Scots with 14 points scored.

The Rams came out hot in the first quarter, dominating the game in the paint and collecting many rebounds along the way.

Four different Rams scored in the opening period, including a long-distance 3- pointer from Maloney from the left wing. Joshua LaRoche also scored four points in the quarter.

In the final minutes of the first, the Scots battled their way back into the game and narrowed the score to 11-8 Kennebunk heading into the second.

Warren exploded in the second quarter, beginning with a big layup in the opening seconds. The Scots had no answer for the senior guard, who scored 10 of his points in the fifteen-minute period.

The Rams’ freshmen players also got involved in the second, with both Isaac Zahares and Savanna Dow putting up points, giving the Rams a 27-20 lead heading into the halftime break.

Bonny Eagle played a much stronger defensive game in the third quarter. In the third period of play, the Scots held the Rams to just 10 points and took control of the game in the paint.

Freshman forward Elyssa Franklin had a solid third quarter, putting up six points and helping Bonny Eagle bring the score to 37- 32 heading into the final quarter.

The Scots continued to pressure the Rams in the final fifteen minutes, controlling the game on both ends of the floor.

Thanks to a big, 6-point quarter from Lewis, Bonny Eagle brought the score within one point in the final two minutes.

The Rams took a timeout, and according to Kennebunk coach Mark Carney, ball possession was the key.

“During that timeout we just told them that we had to really up the defense, get the rebound and get a good shot. We didn’t want to settle for a 3-pointer so we went for the layup,” said Carney.

The plan worked as Kennebunk scored a late layup to give them a 3-point advantage, however with less than a minute remaining the Scots fired back and brought the score back within one.

Although the Scots battled back, Kennebunk gained possession of the ball, held its ground and closed the game out strong to secure the 45-44 win.

Carney was pleased with his team’s performance.

“The credit goes to the kids. The hard work and the chemistry has really been great all year and it showed here today,” said Carney. “As you saw, it wasn’t about one player today. Everyone stepped up and I thought it was a well-balanced win.”

Looking ahead to the semifinals, the Rams do not plan on changing their game plan.

“We aren’t going to change anything… we are going to keep playing good defense and keep playing together. That’s is how it’s been playing out this tournament,” said Carney.

— Sports Staff Writer Alex Sponseller can be reached at sports@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @ JournalTsports.