High school sports coverage is proudly supported by Maine State Credit Union. 

View 8 photos

SOUTH CHINA — For a Cony girls basketball team that’s young and not necessarily deep, the 2025-26 season has often been about staying the course.

Down the stretch, the Rams have been able to do that — they haven’t been derailed by obstacles and now a season of growth has led them to the Cross Insurance Center.

Cony dominated the second half Tuesday to defeat Erskine Academy 72-59 in a Class B North preliminary-round game. The win sends the Rams to a regional quarterfinal battle with top-seeded rival Gardiner (17-1) at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in Bangor.

“We’ve grown a huge amount,” said Cony coach Alex Bessey. “It’s been a rollercoaster — we have our ups and downs — but with the schedule we played, we’ve been able to grow tremendously. I’m super proud of them.”

HOW IT HAPPENED

Ninth-seeded Cony (11-8) was in control early, getting strong first halves from sophomores Kya Douin and Gabby Vachon to take a 23-15 lead early in the second quarter. Yet both starters got into foul trouble, and Erskine was able to claw back with a 22-9 run and take a 37-32 lead at the break.

“(Coach) talked to us (at halftime), so we just knew to stay smart in the second half — keep our hands up and not get those cheap fouls,” said Vachon, who had 14 points and 11 rebounds despite battling a cold. “(We also talked about) staying poised with our physicality, passing the ball up the floor well and playing a good transition game.”

It showed early in the second half as Cony immediately went on a 7-0 run to retake the lead. Jaylynn Carver, the Rams’ lone senior, came up big in the third quarter with nine points, and the visitors took a 51-47 advantage to the fourth.

Eighth-ranked Erskine (14-5) stayed close early in the fourth, as Kinsey Ulmer converted an and-one to pull the home team back within a point. Ultimately, though, Cony ended the game on a 17-4 run, as eight points from Douin and clutch free-throw shooting from Carver (5 of 6) sealed the win.

“We were our own enemies early with our turnovers and our quick shots, but we were able to slow the game down a little bit and value the basketball,” Bessey said. “I think some of that is a young group in a tough environment, but we were able to calm down and get going.”

WHAT IT MEANS

• Cony has come a long way from the team that made just four baskets in a 58-17 loss to Gardiner at the Augusta Civic Center on Dec. 27. Even just two weeks ago, the Rams suffered a 65-42 loss to Erskine on the same floor — a result they were determined to reverse.

“(It was a matter of) staying strong, staying together and coming to practice every day and working hard,” Douin said. “Even knowing, when we have a bad game, coming back and working harder because of it has really helped.”

• For an Erskine team that returned the entirety of last year’s Class B North runner-up squad, failing to return to the Cross Insurance Center is a bitter feeling. The junior-heavy Eagles must now use a prelim defeat as motivation in 2026-27.

“Cony came out to play in the second half, and, unfortunately, we got into some foul trouble and couldn’t knock down shots,” said Erskine coach Danielle Lefferts. “We have a lot of work to still do and a big group to come back and have one more run at it.”

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

“I credit them crashing the boards to their win tonight. We did not take care of business on the boards, and on top of them shooting the lights out, them being able to do that was the difference in the game.” — Danielle Lefferts

STAT LEADERS

• Cony: Kya Douin (22 points, nine rebounds), Gabby Vachon (14 points, 11 rebounds), Jaylynn Carver (18 points), Rylin Miller (nine points, seven rebounds), 41 team rebounds.

• Erskine: Kinsey Ulmer (19 points), Kelsie Dunn (11 points, five rebounds), Lauryn Northrup (seven rebounds), 30 team rebounds.