BRUNSWICK — For the Morse High School girls basketball team to have a chance in Friday’s Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference opener against a talented Brunswick Dragons squad, the Shipbuilders had to play near perfect basketball.

After Brunswick steamrolled to a dominating 72-28 win, a perfect Shipbuilder storm still might not have been enough.

The Dragons (1-0) jumped out to a 10-1 lead, led 19-3 after eight minutes, and put up 31 points in the second quarter en route to the victory.

Morse guard Julia Goddard (4) tries to escape from Brunswick’s Hannah Fortier (5) and Alexis Guptill during Friday’s KVAC girls basketball game at Brunswick. The Dragons downed the visiting Shipbuiders, 72-28. (Bob Conn / The Times Record)

“It was a great atmosphere with the band here, lots of fans, and you don’t know what you have until the season starts, especially in a rivalry game with Morse,” said Brunswick coach Sam Farrell, whose Dragons host Mt. Ararat on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Despite struggling to a 30-percent shooting performance (25-of-83), Brunswick worked hard on the boards, especially offensively, where the Dragons often had two, three, or even four chances.

“We got all the loose balls and the rebounds, which made up for us not shooting well,” Farrell said. “When it is not your bigs getting rebounds, it shows that hustle that we have.”

“I thought we played pretty good defense, but they were getting second and third shots,” said Morse (0-1) coach Jan Veinot, whose Shipbuilders open their home slate on Tuesday against Lincoln Academy (6:30 p.m.).

Our early

Senior Charlotte MacMillan came out hot, draining a pair of 3-pointers and scoring 11 first-quarter points as the Dragons quickly grabbed a double-digit lead.

“Our offense was good,” said MacMillan. “It was good to come out strong and

Brunswick’s Charlotte MacMillan, right, tries to get a hand on the ball while defending Morse’s Kaylee Garland during the KVAC girls high school basketball opener for both teams on Friday at Brunswick. MacMillan had 14 points in Brunswick’s 72-28 victory. (Bob Conn / The Times Record)

take control. We were able to calm down and work as a team.”

In the second quarter, Brunswick used a 10-0 spurt for a 32-5 lead, with freshman Logan Brown putting in 12 of the Dragons’ 31 second-quarter points as Brunswick went to the intermission with a 50-12 advantage.

MacMillan and Brown both scored 14 points, with Emily Larochelle and Marley Groat adding seven points apiece.

For Morse, forward Marija Medenica had seven first-half points, while Mary LaRochelle chipped in three.

Farrell praised the work of his five seniors for bringing along the younger Dragons.

“The is the greatest thing about having the seniors that I have is that the freshmen are learning from them,” the Brunswick coach said.

Brunswick slowed the game down to a crawl in the third quarter, but still extended its lead thanks to seven points from Alexis Guptill.

In the fourth, Shipbuilder Julia Goddard was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, finishing with a team-high 13 points, followed by Medenica with 10.

“We got the hard one out of the way tonight,” Veinot said. “The girls played hard and they are learning. I am very proud of them.”

Brunswick had four players score in double figures, led by Brown with 18, with MacMillan adding 14, Guptill 12 and Groat 10. Emily Larochelle chipped in seven points, nine rebounds and six steals, while Rosalie White finished with eight points, six boards and five steals.

The Dragons held Morse to 22-percent shooting (7-of-31) and forced 41 turnovers. Brunswick held a 45-26 edge on the boards, including 30 offensive rebounds.

At the charity stripe, Brunswick made a solid 16-of-20, while Morse finished 13-of-22. Medenica had six rebounds, with Dory Kulis adding five caroms for the ’Builders.