It’s often tough to tell how a team will come together, talent or not.

Cony coach Karen Magnusson knew she had good returning players this season, but had no illusions of them being undefeated 13 games into the season. The Rams made it 13-0 on Tuesday night in Auburn with a 65-56 win against a tough Edward Little team that took them to double-overtime last month in Augusta.

“To be honest, I knew how good each girl was individually,” Magnusson said. “I didn’t expect how well they would do together. It’s not always the talent you have. I don’t think anyone thought at this point we would be undefeated.”

Statistically, three players — Mia Diplock, Josie Lee and Melanie Guzman — stand out. All three had big games Tuesday night, led by Diplock with a game-high 23 points.

“We’re not a one-man team,” Magnusson said. “We’re not even a two-man team. At time, they ended up leaving Mia open and she got some nice looks.”

Edward Little has been a tough place for Cony to play, including when Paul Vachon was coaching. Tuesday’s win was the first there for Magnusson in four years and it was helped by a large contingent of fans from Augusta.

“We had a ton of student fans there and we had a lot of adults,” Magnusson said. “It was packed.”

The Rams needed all the support they could get. They led by 19 points in the second half only to see their lead cut to 47-46 in the fourth quarter.

“Good teams are going to make good runs,” Magnusson said. “We were able to stop that and make our run at the end.”

Diplock and Lee each scored key baskets to give the Rams some breathing room. They also held high-scoring Ashlee Arnold to three baskets, although she did score 13 points from the foul line.

“I sent everybody at her,” Magnusson said.

Magnusson is playing eight or nine players regularly and each of them understands her role.

“It not always the points,” she said. “It’s so deceiving when you look at a box score. The girls have it figured out. They all want to play and they all want to play for each other. That’s the key.”

On Friday, Cony hosts Oxford Hills, a team it beat by a point last month in South Paris.

“They play that 1-2-2 zone and they just pack (it in),” Magnusson said. “If they win, they’re locked in for a playoff (spot). A lot of teams need it more than we do.”

• • •

Richmond (11-1) lost its first game of the season Tuesday night, falling 53-41 at home to Old Orchard Beach, a Class C team.

“We might have taken them for granted,” Richmond coach Molly Bishop said. “That might have been our biggest issue.”

The Bobcats won handily last month at Old Orchard Beach, beating the Seagulls 54-33, although Bishop noted she didn’t think the Gulls played to their potential in that game. Richmond also shot poorly from the foul line Tuesday, making just 15 of 34 while Old Orchard shot 22 of 39.

“The teams went 73 times to the foul line,” Bishop said. “There was a lot of sloppy play. It was kind of hard to get in any sort of rhythm.”

Bishop also felt the Seagulls also out-hustled her team, a cause for concern as the Bobcats play at Rangeley on Friday. Rangeley has one loss, 43-41 to Richmond last month. Until Richmond’s loss Tuesday, both teams had coasted through their schedules. Bishop said the keys for her Bobcats are not getting beat to the ball and communicating better on the floor.

In the win against Rangeley, junior Jamie Plummer dominated the game with 33 of her team’s 43 points. The Bobcats have involved more players in their offense since, Bishop said, noting Alyssa Pearson has scored in double figures in several games and Sierra Lancaster and Noell Acord have also been more involved.

In Rangeley, the Bobcats face a balanced team led by seniors Emily and Chantel Carrier.

• • •

Oak Hill’s 4-9 record may not reflect it, but the Raiders have made steady progress. They’ve won three of their past five games, including an upset against Camden Hills, and Tuesday night played well in a loss to Gardiner.

“We’ve kind of turned the corner a little bit,” Oak Hill coach Tom Morong said. “The younger kids are learning to play with more intensity and we’ve got pretty good leadership with my older kids.”

Senior Darby Beaulieu is playing the best ball of her career, Morong said. She scored 16 points in the win against Camden Hills and added 14 against Gardiner.

“She’s playing 30-32 minutes a game,” Morong said. “She’s our rock right now.”

Morong is starting freshmen Haley Marshall and Sadie Goulet and both have shown improvement of late. Marshall stepped into the lineup three games ago after spending time earlier in the season with the junior varsity team.

“She has no other speed than wide open,” Morong said. “She’s learning how to play with a little more control at both ends of the floor.”

• • •

Because the Telstar girls didn’t field a team this season, Boothbay and Hall-Dale play each other three times instead of two. They meet for the third time Tuesday in Farmingdale, and Hall-Dale coach Brandon Terrill expects a close game. His Bulldogs won the first two, in overtime in Boothbay and double overtime at Hall-Dale.

“I guess we’re going to triple overtime,” Terrill said.

Although Carylanne Wolfington has dominated the scoring for the Bulldogs, others have made significant contributions. Sophomore center Allison Crockett leads the team in rebounding and plays the opponent’s top post player on defense.

“She has defended and rebounded as well as any post player in the conference,” Terrill said.

The Bulldogs (10-3) are second in the Western Maine Class C standings and would like to secure on of the top four positions.

“You want to get in the top four to get an automatic bye (in the tournament),” Terrill said. “Those top six or eight teams are all capable of winning it.”

Gary Hawkins — 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com

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