DIXFIELD — When Lauren Henderson’s 3 swished through the net to end the third quarter, it did more than bump up the lead.

The shot not only excited the spirited crowd at Defoe Gymnasium, but it also sparked the Dirigo Cougars themselves.

“Lauren’s 3 at the end of the third quarter erupted everyone,” senior forward Jessica Conant said. “Our huddle right before the fourth quarter, we all were having great communication and positive thoughts. It was just amazing.”

Dirigo took that five-point lead and kept the momentum going in the fourth. The Cougars ran off eight straight points to break the game open as Dirigo secured an important 50-31 win over Oak Hill.

“I think the turning point was the end of the third,” Dirigo coach Karen Magnusson said. “When Lauren hit that 3 and put us up five, that momentum going into the fourth, it was like, ‘We’ve got it.’ The confidence on the girls was different. That helped get our rally going in the fourth.”

The Cougars (11-2) produced an energized and dominant final quarter. Dirigo put together some efficient offense with its stellar defense. In the process, the Cougars held the Raiders to just one field goal.

“Energy, energy, energy, it gets us hyped up,” junior guard Emma Lueders said. “We knew energy was going to win this game. We needed to be motivated and ready to go. We just needed to have the energy.”

Henderson finished with 13 points while Conant had 12, including 10 in the second half. Lueders finished with eight points, five assists and five rebounds. Kelsey Hutchins added seven points and eight rebounds while Sabrina Daoud had seven points, six in the second half, to go with six rebounds.

The Raiders (10-3) were led by Jamie Prue with nine. Sadie Goulet and Danielle Samson each had six.

“They got on a roll,” said Oak Hill coach Charlie Castonguay, whose team has now lost two straight. “They scored a few hoops. They just raised the energy level.”

It was a key MVC showdown for both teams. The Raiders are ranked third in Western B while Dirigo is third in Western C. Playoff positioning and a chance at the MVC Championship game were on the line.

“That was a big, big win for us, especially against a good opponent,” said Magnusson, whose team plays at Oak Hill next Tuesday. “We had the same record. They beat Boothbay. For us, to know who they beat and what kind of program they are, to be able to pull out a win like that, is awesome.”

The game had been tied six times in the third quarter. It wasn’t until a basket by Conant in the post gave Dirigo the lead with 40 seconds left. Then Henderson hit her 3 in the final seconds, making it 34-29.

The Cougars maintained that momentum in the fourth and quickly had the lead into double digits. Conant scored off an inbounds pass to open the fourth. Hutchins then scored on a baseline jumper. After a drive by Conant, Lueders took it to the basket and the lead was up to 42-29.

The Raiders had seven turnovers in the fourth and missed its first five shots. Oak Hill didn’t score until a Prue drive with 3:05 left. The Raiders finished the quarter 1-for-9.

“We missed a couple key shots,” Castonguay said. “We couldn’t put anything on the board to match what they did.”

Dirigo hit six of its first nine shots in the fourth. After the Prue basket, Lueders scored again. Conant went the length of the floor following a steal, and Hutchins converted a three-point play to make it 49-31.

“We tried to move without the ball so we could get good cuts,” Conant said. “We’re a good cutting team. We weren’t focusing on that until the fourth quarter. Then we made our cuts and worked hard.”

Early in the game, Dirigo struggled finding space inside for Hutchins and Conant. Oak Hill did a fine job defensively with Grace Sabine, Brianna Mulherin and Meagan Crosby defending the post. Foul trouble hampered the Raiders cause. So did an early deficit.

After two free throws, Henderson hit a 3 early in the game for a quick 5-0 lead. A drive by Hutchins had the advantage up to 7-0 and 7-1 after the first quarter.

The Raiders rallied in the second. Goulet and Sara Noel each hit 3’s to spark the Raider offense. After Noel tied it, Samson gave Oak Hill the lead with 3:08 left in the half.

“The second quarter was our lull,” Magnusson said. “We didn’t get stops. When we don’t get stops, they have a hard time focusing on getting stops when our offense isn’t going. That was our lull in the second, but after that, we did a much better job moving the ball and getting to the ball in the third and fourth quarters.”

The teams traded the lead in the third, but the Cougars were starting to find some space in the post. Hutchins and Conant combined for six points while Daoud scored off a couple of drives. Then came Henderson’s 3 at the buzzer.

“They’re an excellent team,” Castonguay said. “They well-balanced. They have the three big scorers but you have to guard everybody. Their point-guard (Lueders) starting doing some penetration and that led to some easy scores for them.”

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