YARMOUTH — The Yarmouth boys lacrosse team is clicking at the right time.

The Clippers scored the first five goals of the game and cruised to a 16-3 win over Messalonskee in a Class A/B crossover game on Tuesday night.

It was the seventh straight victory for Yarmouth (9-1). Messalonskee falls to 8-2.

“We’re really excited, we’re going into a really good streak of games right now,” said Yarmouth’s Ian Minnihan, who finished with three goals and three assists. “I think our offense and defense are all catching a flow that we didn’t really see in the first game (of the season).”

How did they get there?

The Clippers used a relentless attack mixed with a strong possession game and outshot the Eagles 11-3 in the first quarter. George Brown scored two of his five goals in the first quarter, then added two more in the second as the Yarmouth took a 7-0 lead into halftime.

“We’ve had a couple of slow starts this year,” said Yarmouth coach Jon Miller. “Trying to emphasize energy out of the gate, we’ve been successful with that the last few games. Hopefully we can keep up with that.”

Yarmouth, ranked third in the Varsity Maine poll, poured it on the the third quarter, taking 16 shots and scoring five goals to built a 12-2 lead.

“We’ve been hot the last couple of games,” Brown said. “A lot of it comes from the chemistry. A few of us, this is the first (season) we’ve played together. Now we’re glued together and everything is kind of falling into line. We’re really coming together and getting ready for the playoffs.”

Brown was also pleased with the Clippers’ defensive effort against the fourth-ranked team in the Varsity Maine poll.

“It’s kind of expected for us to score 15 or 16 goals a game, but it’s a major win for the defense to be letting up only two or three goals per game,” Brown said. “That’s what allows us to really work on offense.”

Malachi Cusano and Tatum Doucette scored in the third quarter for Messalonskee. Peyton Henning added a goal with 35 seconds left in the game.

What does this mean?

Yarmouth is atop the Class A standings after the win, above Falmouth (8-0) and Thornton Academy (9-0). The Clippers face the Yachtsmen on Friday and the Golden Trojans on Tuesday.

“It’s just the little stuff (that can improve),” Miller said. “Off-ball movement, riding and clearing is what wins championship games. It’s not always the shots, it’s the behind the scenes possessions. I think we’re doing well with that, but we need to continue that.”

Messalonskee remains atop the Class B Heal point standings, but has a grueling final four games. The Eagles host Class A Portland on Wednesday, then play three games in four days (at 5-3 Morse, at 6-2 Mt. Ararat, at home against 3-6 Leavitt) to close out the regular season.

“When we get those (defensive) stops and we get in transition, that’s when we’re playing our best, when we’re pushing it,” Messalonskee coach Tom Sheridan said. “Today, unfortunately, we didn’t get as many transitions as we wanted to. That kind of changes how we play.”

Statistical leaders

• Yarmouth: George Brown (5 goals), Ian Minnihan (3 goals, 3 assists), Hakon Yeo (2 goals, 2 assists)

• Messalonskee: Andrew Witham (23 saves), Malachi Cusano (1 goal), Tatum Doucette (1 goal), Peyton Henning (1 goal)