Madison guard Raegan Cowan (3) looks to pass the ball as she’s guarded by Corinne Androkitis (25) of Old Orchard Beach during the Capital City Hoop Classic on Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center. Dave Dyer/Kennebec Journal

AUGUSTA — The Lawrence and Madison girls basketball teams share multiple elements, from school colors (blue and white) to logo (Bulldogs).

Both are also contenders in their respective conference, and on Saturday both played in the 29th Capital City Hoop Classic at the Augusta Civic Center. In the morning session, Madison beat Old Orchard Beach, 56-31. In the afternoon, Lawrence fell, 52-35, in an exhibition against Franklin High School of Massachusetts.

A year ago, the season ended for both teams in the same round of their regional tournaments. Hall-Dale beat Madison, 49-36, in the Class C South final, while Cony topped Lawrence, 54-46, in the Class A North final.

Madison (3-2) has begun this season with slow starts before finding its groove late in games. It happened in its win over the Seagulls (1-6) on Saturday, though the Bulldogs held a firm 26-11 halftime lead. Madison saved its best quarter for last, scoring 19 points in the fourth and cruising to victory.

“Usually, when we turn it on, you can see the transition game start to pick up, the intensity really picks up, and we cause a little more havoc,” Madison coach Adam Rich said. “Then the ball moves a lot better on offense.

“We just need to get over the hump of how to start a game. Once we do that, we’ll be able to play great ball for 32 minutes.”

Madison was led by junior forward Ava Landry, who scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Seniors Raegan Cowan (seven points) and Mackenzie Robbins (five rebounds) also played key roles for the Bulldogs. Liz Kelley, another senior, added seven points.

“We’re really working well together as a team (this year),” Landry said. “We’re doing good, and I think we’re going to go far in this season together.”

“It’s amazing to see (Landry) come out of her shell,” Rich said. “You saw spurts of it last year, but she’s really been delivering for us on a daily basis. Having her and Jacey (Moody) has been really big for us this year.”

Old Orchard Beach was led by junior guard Megan Dow, who had 13 points, including four 3-pointers.

Lawrence guard Maddie Provost (1) guards Chloe Fales of Franklin High School during the Capital City Hoop Classic on Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center. Dave Dyer/Kennebec Journal

Lawrence, which entered the season as a favorite in A North, is living up to expectations, running its uptempo offense, led by junior guard Maddie Provost – the reigning Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Player of the Year – and winning the rebound battle with 6-foot forwards Lilly Gray and Nadia Morrison.

“Things are going OK,” Lawrence coach Greg Chesley said. “When we can rebound well and get out and run, we’re pretty good. If we get forced into the half court, we’re still above average, but that’s where we need to work.”

On Saturday, the Bulldogs had an early lead over Franklin, but shooting woes and struggles with ball control ultimately led to points for the Panthers. Ashley Shores, a junior, led the Bulldogs with nine points, while Provost added eight.

“We would have liked to have done some things a little better,” Chesley said. “What we really take away as a positive is, although we’ve been (at the Augusta Civic Center) for a few years in a row, it’s an opportunity for some of those younger kids who haven’t gotten a lot of minutes to get some time on the court. You never know who you’re going to meet in a playoff game, or have foul trouble, illnesses, all that.”

Franklin was on the back end of a two-day trip to Maine, after beating Lincoln Academy, 45-28, on Friday at the Varsity Maine Holiday Hoops Showcase at the Portland Expo. Though the games were exhibitions for Lincoln Academy and Lawrence, both victories count as regular-season wins for the Panthers (3-2), a member of the Hockomock League, part of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.

“It’s definitely different,” said Franklin senior Chloe Fales, who led the team with 15 points. “This year, we’re a smaller team than we’ve had in the past … Coming up here gave us a chance to work against bigger girls. (Lawrence) has two 6-foot girls. We had to work around their press and adapt. It was a great learning experience for us and very fun.”

“We want to raise challenges,” said Franklin coach John Leighton, a 1989 graduate of Winthrop High. “Iron sharpens iron. We want to play the best. When (Cony athletic director T.J. Maines) gave us the opportunity, I jumped at it.”