DIXFIELD — Boothbay made things count at the right moments Thursday night in an important Mountain Valley Conference showdown.

Boothbay guard Sara Durgin scored a team high 16 points and the Lady Seahawks scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter behind a multitude of plays to bust open a competitive girls’ basketball game in an impressive 61-47 win against previously unbeaten Dirigo at Defoe Gym.

The game between two of the top teams in the conference figured to be extremely competitive and it certainly lived up to expectations. Dirigo (8-1) is second in Heal Points and Boothbay (9-1) was third. The Seahawks lost their previous game to Oak Hill. The stretch of the contest was a test — both physically and mentally — but the Seahawks battled through it.

Boothbay entered the fourth quarter trailing 43-40, but it proved to be short-lived. Freshman forward Page Brown (14 points) scored two baskets in the paint and Cagney O’Brian (eight points) added three more baskets. The Seahawks made eight of 11 free throws — all by Morgan Crocker (10 points). Dirigo was shut out until Sabrina Daoud made a free throw with 1:31 left to play and Emma Lueders made the lone basket.

“That was a big run,” Boothbay coach Tanner Grover said. ”Credit the girls for it. They executed and played smart basketball. But it’s a long season and we will see Dirigo again.”

Dirigo had actually taken a lead in the third quarter, with a mini-run. Jessica Conant (13 points) made two free throws to tie the score at 37, and a turnaround basket by Kelsey Hutchins (16 points) put the Cougars ahead. Conant made two baskets and Lueders finished with a driving layup.

”We couldn’t get the stops,” said Dirigo coach Karen Magnusson, who saw the Cougars out-rebounded, 2-1. ”In the third quarter, we had success pressuring them,” she said. “But in the fourth, the game went to half-court and they made their free throws. Then they went to a spread offense.”

Boothbay was the aggressor in the fast-paced game and out-hustled Dirigo, which was burned for several easy baskets. Late in the third quarter, the Cougars led 41-37, but turned the ball over and Durgin buried an uncontested three-pointer. Lueders scored at the buzzer, to lead 43-40.

”Boothbay made shots when it counted,” Magnusson said. ”We had runs, but short ones, whereas Boothbay had longer runs. In the third, we could have gone ahead by six points, but (Durgin) hit that wide-open three and we only led 41-40.”

Boothbay elected to pass over the Cougars trapping defense and the ploy worked. ”We made some adjustments during halftime,” Grover said. ”We needed to (combat) their pressure and found that we could open up the game.”

Dirigo had gone on an 8-2 run, started by Lauren Henderson (eight points) in the second quarter, and trailed by one point on two occasions. The Cougars made six of 10 shots, but shot themselves in the foot by missing five of six free throws in the second quarter.

Durgin scored on a fast break to give Boothbay a 29-26 lead at halftime.

”The girls are working toward a bigger goal,” Grover said of the teams cohesiveness and unselfish play.

Boothbay shot 49 percent and committed 21 turnovers. The Cougars shot 39 percent and turned the ball over 11 times.