FAIRFIELD — A classic game? No — not in the way you might have expected from these two teams, anyway.

A classic Lawrence girls basketball showing, though? Absolutely, one that turned what was billed as one of the matchups of the year into a rout and affirmed the Bulldogs as the region’s top team.

Lawrence thoroughly dominated from start to finish in a 70-36 victory over Cony at Folsom Gymnasium. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Rams 55-29, remained undefeated and avenged a season-ending loss to Cony in last year’s Class A North title game.

“We just wanted to win,” said Lawrence’s Ashley Shores, who scored 18 points and added five rebounds. “All day at school, we were saying, ‘We’re going to beat them; we’re going to win — let’s lock in and win tonight.’”

Maddie Provost had 26 points and nine rebounds for Lawrence, which also got 10 points and 11 rebounds from Lilly Gray, and 15 rebounds from Nadia Morrison.

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Morgan Fichthorn, Abby Morrill and Gabby Vachon had nine points each to lead Cony.

“Just getting out and executing our game plan was the key for tonight, (and we focused on) rebounding and sticking together,” Provost said. “We knew tonight we had to rebound and that was one of the keys to the game, so we just cracked down and grabbed rebounds.”

If it felt like the whole Class A North girls basketball season had been building up to this, that’s because it had. The two teams entered this showdown a combined 27-1, with Cony’s 57-50 defeat to Oxford Hills early in the season the only loss between them.

From opening tip to the final buzzer, though, this one was never a contest. Provost and Ella Minihan’s on-ball defense limited the Rams’ shot selection, while the duo of Gray and Morrison kept Cony’s scorers from doing anything at all in the paint and generated countless second-chance points via offensive rebounds at the other end.

“When we put together our game plan, we talked about rebounding,” said Lawrence coach Greg Chesley. “Morgan Fichthorn is the leading rebounder in the KVAC, so we challenged our kids even more than normal to own the glass. We were a bit lax on the glass our past couple games, but we really hammered it home tonight.”

Lawrence’s Ella Minihan, center, is greeted by teammates as the starting lineups are introduced before Tuesday’s game against Cony in Fairfield. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Lawrence (15-0) got Cony (13-2) out of sorts early, limiting the Rams to just two field goals en route to a 12-4 advantage at the end of one quarter. A nine-point burst from Shores in the second quarter helped stretch the lead to 34-14 at the break, and Provost’s nine-point third quarter effectively put the game out of reach.

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“(My success is all because of) my teammates; we work really hard in practice, and we execute really well,” Shores said. “I just tried to focus, not listen to the crowd and not get all worked up.”

Not being affected by the crowd was particularly crucial on this night. Every seat in Folsom Gymnasium was filled, and the energy from the Lawrence student section was particularly palpable and seemed to rattle the visiting Rams.

Against a Cony team whose seven-player rotation consists of four freshmen, taking advantage of the raucous environment was one of Chesley’s goals. Putting the Rams in a hole early made the crowd even more exuberant, and from there, Lawrence’s lead only ballooned.

“This is a tough place to play even for experienced players, but when you’re a freshman coming into this environment, it’s asking a lot,” Chesley said. “Kya Douin is a heck of a player, and she had a good game, but to come and be guarded by one of the best players in the KVAC in Maddie Provost, that’s a tough night.”

Chesley and Provost both acknowledged that the win felt good after Cony had stunned No. 1 Lawrence 54-46 a year ago in the Class A North title game. Yet both were quick to point out that they can’t bask in the win too much, with the teams set to meet again next Tuesday in Augusta.

“To beat a good team like this with a statement, that’s what we were after, but down in the locker room, we said, ‘OK, celebrate it tonight, but then we’re back to work,’” Chesley said. “They’re not going to care how much we won by next week; they’re going to be ready to go.”

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