The Lady Seahawks were calm, collected and focused as they headed into the third quarter against the second seeded Bulldogs from Madison, Saturday, Dec. 22, in Boothbay Harbor.

The Lady Seahawks trailed the Bulldogs 19-24 at the half, but Boothbay’s bench simply couldn’t be tamed when they triggered a 7-2 run that culminated with a monstrous 3-point buzzer beater by Sarah Caron, that closed the third period with a 5-point lead over Madison.

The game’s momentum remained with the Lady Seahawks in the second half as their defensive pressure kept the Bulldogs’ perimeter shooters tied tightly to the leash. Boothbay (4-2) delivered Madison (4-2) their second loss of the season, shaping the Western Class C conference into a close three horsed race between the latter and Monmouth Academy (5-0).

The Lady Seahawks offensively exhibited steady ball handling from guards Hannah Morley, and Abby McLellan, coupled with penetration in the post from Allison Crocker’s game high 15 points, and Alex Clarke’s 12 points.

“Alex Clarke’s effort was tremendous. She came up with a few key steals in the fourth quarter,” Boothbay coach Tanner Grover said. “She’s such a selfless player and a great teammate, I’m sure she doesn’t even care about numbers.”

In addition to scoring 12 points, Clarke grabbed nine rebounds, four steals and three blocks.

“It was a really good win for the whole team,” Clarke said. “We didn’t panic. We kept our cool when we had the lead, and I think that really helped out.”

Junior guard Samantha Bruce led the Bulldogs with 13 points.

Grover said the three practices during the week really helped prepare his team for Madison. “There’s a seriousness about us but we’ve been having a lot of fun too, and I think we carried that positive energy into the game tonight,” he said.

Grover said Boothbay was able to close out the game with composure, and capitalized on “put-back” points from offensive rebounds, something the team struggled with earlier in the season. Grover also acknowledged Boothbay’s defensive pressure, which has provided a lot of points in transition from forced turnovers.

“To have a truly great defensive game, you got to do it for 32 minutes, Grover said. “I think we played a great defensive game, for half, and a good defensive game the rest of the time. I think we can do it better.”

The Lady Seahawks head into the holiday break currently in third place in heal point standings behind Madison and Monmouth Academy. Waynflete, the team that eliminated Boothbay in the tournament last February is in fourth place. The Lady Seahawks will have the opportunity to play Waynflete during the Capital City Classic tournament held at the Augusta Civic Center. Their first matchup will be against the Class A Cony Rams at 12:30 p.m., December 28, followed by Waynflete at 6 p.m.

The Lady Seahawks will resume their regular season against Mtn. Valley at 7 p.m., January 2 in Rumford. Grover said he expects a tough match up with the Class B Falcons (1-3).