SKOWHEGAN — It might have been a tighter game for the Skowhegan girls basketball team in its rematch against Lawrence on Thursday night. But the River Hawks made sure the result remained the same.
Up by eight entering the second half, Skowhegan went on a 16-0 run between the third and fourth quarters and beat Lawrence 50-35 in a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A showdown.
The River Hawks, who entered the game No. 3 in the conference, continue to roll along with an 11-0 record. The top-ranked Bulldogs fell to 8-2, both losses coming at the hands of Skowhegan. The River Hawks beat Lawrence 70-31 on Dec. 29 in Fairfield.
Callaway LePage (21 points) and Jaycie Christopher (19 points) tallied 40 of Skowhegan’s 50 points. LePage did most of her work at the foul line, where she was 11 of 14. She also pulled down nine rebounds.
“We knew at halftime we had to be patient to get good shots and open shots,” said LePage, a junior. “I think we just slowed down and that’s what got us open shots and better looks. We weren’t just forcing up shots, which I think we were the first quarter, that’s why we didn’t put up as many points as we’re used to scoring now.”
A 9-0 run helped the River Hawks jump out to a 15-5 lead by the end of the first quarter.
“I think for us, today, (Lawrence) did a really good job getting back into transition,” said Christopher, a senior. “That kind of takes away a big part of what we do. We just spent a lot of time working on zone offenses, because we know we’re going to see that (later in the season). It’s just a matter of executing. At halftime, we talked about some things that weren’t really working, tried to just adjust.”
The adjustments worked, as the third quarter belonged to Skowhegan. LePage scored 10 points, while Christopher added four points as the River Hawks outscored the Bulldogs by a 14-2 margin. Skowhegan’s 16-0 run began early the third and lasted nearly an entire quarter.
The River Hawks also provided a strong effort defensively, forcing 23 turnovers out of Lawrence.
Brianna Poulin had a double-double for the Bulldogs, scoring 12 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Alisabeth Dumont added nine points.
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