GARDINER — The halftime message was a simple one, and the Cony girls basketball team responded.

The Rams rode the hot hand of senior guard Morgan Cunningham in the second half, pulling away to a 64-57 win over Gardiner in a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference game Friday night at Bragoli Gym. Cunningham scored 19 of her game-high 29 points in the second half, including a 3 of 4 effort from beyond the arc.

Cunningham shot 8 of 13 overall from the floor after halftime, breaking open a see-saw game throughout the first 16 minutes.

“I said to them before the game, ‘There’s nothing I can say to get you more motivated for a Cony-Gardiner game,’” Cony (2-1) coach John Dennett said. “This is a huge rival, all the kids know each other, and they want to win. You’ve just got to get after it. This was a huge game.”

Cunningham said the Rams’ second half, which included a 9-2 third-quarter run keyed by a pair of Cunningham treys and a 10-2 run to open the fourth in which Cunningham hit a trio of transition layups, came down to fundamentals.

“Usually after halftime, we come out really slow and make it a really close game,” Cunningham said. “We knew we had to get out there and work harder. We just came out stronger than we usually do. It was a good win, and I think it will help us.”

Gardiner’s Megan Carver, left, and Cony’s Cale Barajas fight for a loose ball during a girls basketball game Friday in Gardiner. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“I have no explanation for (Cunningham’s second half),” Dennett said. “She’s a great kid. I’m super hard on her, probably more than the other girls. She has so much potential, but she’ll get tired and have those moments. I’ve got to learn as a coach that we’re running six girls out there and she’s going to have those times. But she’s a phenomenal kid and a phenomenal player, and I want nothing but more success for her.”

Gardiner fell to 0-3 after going unbeaten in the regular season a year ago, ending up with a trip to the Class A North regional final.

“We’ve pushed the ball really well, and we play fast defensively,” first-year Gardiner coach Britney Gero said, “But we’re struggling to find our offense a little bit. But this is an entire new lineup. I’ve got kids who are starting who were JV kids last year. This is all new. We’re trying to figure out roles.”

Abby Morrill finished with 17 points for Cony, while Morgan Fichthorn added 11.

“The offense runs through them, absolutely,” Dennett said.

For Gardiner, senior Taylor Takatsu had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Junior Taryn Nichols finished with a team-high 17 points, one of three Tigers in double figures.

But Nichols, who had 13 in the opening half to keep Gardiner within one at 30-29 at the break, was kept quiet in the second half. As a team, the Tigers were held to eight fourth-quarter points until Takatsu tossed in a three-pointer with under 10 seconds remaining.

Lydia Gero had 14 points in the defeat.

“I went with a much shorter bench, and we were a little gassed,” Gero said. “We just weren’t hitting shots in the second half like we were in the first, and (Cony) went hot. They went really hot.”

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