AUGUSTA — Gardiner won its seventh consecutive game, beating Maranacook/Winthrop 14-4 Monday afternoon in a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B boys lacrosse game at the Capitol Area Recreation Association fields.

After a close first quarter, Gardiner (7-0) took control. The Tigers held Maranacook/Winthrop (5-2) scoreless for the final three quarters of the game, chewing up clock with a strong passing game and limiting the Hawks possessions and scoring opportunities.

“When we get the lead, we like to keep the ball hot and pass it around,” Gardiner senior Jeff McAuslin said. “When we are passing the ball and keeping possession, it gives us a lot of confidence.”

Gardiner held a slim 5-4 lead with 2 minutes, 46 seconds left in the first quarter, in what looked to be an exciting, high-scoring affair. It wasn’t because the Tigers ran off nine straight goals.

“We didn’t come to play, we were flat,” Maranacook/Winthrop coach Jared Knowlton said. “Gardiner outplayed us. They were moving the ball around, making good passes and we panicked.”

McAuslin and Austin Moore paced the Gardiner attack, scoring three goals each while Justin Lovely, Seth Wing, Keegan Smith and Tyler Jamison each scored two goals.

“This was a game we had circled on the schedule,” Lovely said. “It was a big win and one we knew we had to have.”

Smith and Jamison gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. The Hawks answered with three straight goals from Luke Emery, Toby Smith and Dan Condon.

Condon flicked a ground ball into the net with six minutes left in the first quarter to give Maranacook/Winthrop a 3-2 lead.

The Tigers responded with three goals of their own and took the lead for good on Jamison’s goal from 10 yards out off a Dalton Sargent pass at 3:59.

Gardiner won 17 of 22 faceoffs in the game and held a 31-24 advantage in ground balls.

Gardiner goalkeeper Cody Hickey made 10 saves on 23 shots. Hickey was aided in his winning effort by defensemen Steve Sirois, Josh Moore and Mike Caliandro, who kept the Hawks from penetrating.

Hawks goalkeeper Zachary Bessette finished the game with 14 saves on 41 shots.

Zach Glazier scored for the Hawks in the first quarter with 2:46 left to cut Gardiner’s lead to 5-4.

By halftime, six different Tigers had scored and Gardiner had a 9-4 lead. In the second half, Gardiner controlled time of possession, using their patient passing game attack to control the flow of the game.