Marshwood’s Hadley Prewitt fires a shot during the second half of the Hawks’ 10-3 victory Friday at Thornton Academy in a Class A girls’ lacrosse quarterfinal. Steve Craig photo

SACO — Possession matters.

Especially in girls’ lacrosse, where checking rules make it difficult for defenders if the offensive player keeps the ball cradled near her body.

In a Class A quarterfinal Friday at Hill Stadium, fifth-seeded Marshwood won the possession battle decisively, and won the game in a similar one-sided fashion, beating No. 4 Thornton Academy, 10-3.

The Hawks’ dominance started with a 10-5 edge in draw controls. Sarah Theriault used her strength and savvy to get the initial directional push. If Theriault didn’t control the ball herself, then senior Lindley Gori was usually the one who won the secondary battle.

“It’s just about body positioning and making sure you can get a better step than the girl next to you,” Gori said. “I’d say the draw was pretty key today. Having more offensive possessions really helped us today.”

Marshwood’s defense also created some turnovers when Thornton (11-5) did have possession, especially in the first 10 minutes of the second half when Marshwood (11-5) methodically pushed a 6-1 halftime lead to 9-1.

“Our defense has improved very much,” said Theriault, a sophomore midfielder.

Hawks goalkeeper Lauren Walker also helped regain possession with eight saves, six in the first half when the Hawks held a slim lead before scoring four times in the final 4:48.

“Their goalie made a few big saves early when we had a few good shots,” said Thornton Coach Craig Agreste. “It felt like it was 2-0 for awhile, and then all of a sudden it was as if we couldn’t even compete on the draw circle.”

Marshwood used multiple approaches to convert its extra possessions. Hadley Prewitt dodged her way past defenders to get near the goal on her three scores. Maeve Long scored twice on quick shots after catching crisp passes right in front of Thornton goalie Sophia Auger (four saves). Theriault used a hard mid-range shot after making strong cuts to find open space. Isabelle Young scored on a transition run. Madison Poitras added a goal.

Seniors Morgan Bolduc (two goals and an assist) and Amelia Benoit (one goal) scored for Thornton.

Marshwood advances to Wednesday’s state semifinals, likely at two-time defending champion Kennebunk (14-0). The Rams take a 46-game winning streak into Saturday’s quarterfinal against No. 9 Cheverus (9-6).

In the regular season, Kennebunk beat Marshwood 19-11, the only game this season where Kennebunk allowed more than five goals.

“I think it will be really fun to play them again, try to improve our score against them,” Prewitt said. “It will be a chance to learn more about our team for next year, and honestly, go for it. Try to get the win.”