READFIELD — The sound blasting from the home team’s locker room after the game told you all you needed to know. 

Moments after the Maranacook girls basketball team claimed a 50-47 victory over visiting Madison on Thursday, the sound of the Black Bears singing DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win” could be heard throughout the gymnasium. The energy was fitting after a marquee win for a Maranacook team yearning for one.

“We’ve been working really hard for this game,” said Alice Ferran, who scored seven points and added 18 rebounds. “After we had a tough loss last game (against Maine Central Institute), it’s really nice to just really play hard and win this one.”

Celia Bergdahl had 21 points along with 12 rebounds for Maranacook, which also got eight points and eight rebounds from Cooper Davis. The Black Bears dominated Madison on the boards, pulling down 49 rebounds to the Bulldogs’ 29.

Maranacook’s Kayla Dubois plays defense on Madison’s Raegan Cowan during a game on Thursday in Readfield. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

Maranacook (6-2) entered Thursday’s Mountain Valley Conference showdown just three days removed from a 37-32 defeat in Pittsfield. That loss was disappointing for a team that had blown out the Huskies, 58-15, in Readfield nine days earlier.

“We played hard (against MCI) and did all the right things, but the ball just never fell in,” said Maranacook coach Karen Magnusson. “When you come back after break, that first game can be tough. So, coming into this one, we said, ‘You know what? Forget that game,’ and we came back with a focus tonight.”

It was a focus that was needed. Although Madison (3-3) shot the ball poorly, the Bulldogs’ pace and pressure prevented Maranacook from pulling away. With just under a minute left, it even looked as if Madison might force overtime or steal a win, with the game tied at 47.

Maranacook, though, came up with clutch plays when it mattered. After a free throw put the Black Bears up a point, Bergdahl grabbed an offensive rebound. Davis was fouled on the possession and sank two free throws to make it a three-point game.

“I was really nervous, but Gracie (Farrell), one of our players, talked to me before it, and I just knew that I had to do what I had to do,” Davis said. “It all started with our energy, and it started from our captain, Emerson Davis. She really brought our energy up, and our bench was huge; our bench was cheering us on.”

The past season and a half has been a big learning curve for Maranacook, which has consisted almost entirely of underclassmen. Davis was just one of two upperclassmen for the Black Bears last year, and even this year, she’s the lone senior on a junior-heavy team.

Maranacook’s Kayla Dubois looks to shoot after getting past Madison defender Mackenzie Robbins during a game on Thursday in Readfield. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

That learning curve, though, has helped Maranacook grow. The Black Bears have gone from a team with nearly no experience to one that’s been a cohesive group on the varsity stage since last December — and that experience helped them earn a win against a Madison team with Class C title aspirations.

“They came back this year, and they don’t even look like juniors; they look like seniors,” Magnusson said. “You look at their composure at the end of the game and the way they went after the ball in those last few moments, that’s leadership. That’s probably our greatest strength, the teamwork we’ve developed.”

Mackenzie Robbins scored 15 points for Madison, including eight in the fourth quarter, when the Bulldogs came back from 12 points down to tie it. Liz Kelley added 12 points and five rebounds, while Raegan Cowan had 11 points and Jacey Moody grabbed seven rebounds.