GARDINER — For more than three quarters on Thursday, the girls lacrosse game between Cony and Gardiner/Hall-Dale was another classic slugfest in a longtime rivalry.

But Gabby Vachon, Rylin Miller and Casey Monson tallied goals in the final nine minutes to secure an 11-6 victory for the Rams in a Class B matchup at Hoch Field.

“It’s great to get a win over your rival school, and we have battles with them every year,” Vachon said.

Vachon led Cony (5-5) with four goals, while Miller recorded three goals and two assists. Kate Morin added two goals and Monson and Katelynn Dutil scored one apiece. Monson, a senior, now sits at 99 career goals.

Gardiner/Hall-Dale (5-5) was led by Maggie Blais, who scored twice.

How did they get there?

Cony was up 6-3 at halftime, then the Tigers fought back in the second half with goals from Kaitlyn Davidson, Avrey MacMaster and Catherine Mansir to cut the margin to 7-6 with 11:26 remaining in the fourth.

But the Rams regained control with four unanswered goals. Vachon went coast-to-coast for a goal that gave Cony an 8-6 advantage with nine minutes left. Miller added another goal less than two minutes later, finding space in front of the net.

“It’s nice when we’re using each other (on offense) and getting open looks, instead of being selfish,” Miller said.

Vachon added another goal with 6:47 remaining, and Monson scored with 1:48 left.

“The poise that we were able to demonstrate (was big),” said Cony coach Gretchen Livingston. “(Gardiner/Hall-Dale) started knocking on the door and coming back, and we were able to stall that and say, ‘All right, we’re strong enough, let’s go down and put some (shots) in.’ Really, it was winning the balls in the midfield that determined the outcome of that game — that we were letting them win earlier on.”

Gardiner did well in setting up its offense and cutting in front of Cony’s net but struggled to finish at times.

“Our girls worked so hard, every tick of the clock,” Gardiner/Hall-Dale coach Jess Prince said. “We try to hit the right angles and we try to push the envelope a little bit. We’re trying to play high-level lacrosse, and sometimes we beat ourselves a little bit by doing that.”

Cony goalie Avery Maxim was excellent, making 10 saves.

“Our defense has really worked hard all year,” Vachon said. “To see them step up today was really impressive. I’m really proud of them.”

What does this mean?

With the win, Cony gains some traction in the Class B Heal point standings, moving to the No. 5 seed. The Rams are trying to catch No. 3 Camden Hills (6-5) and No. 4 Brunswick (6-4).

“Our defense has been pretty solid. From the get-go, we’ve been pretty comfortable with that,” Livingston said. “We’ve definitely worked on that transition, getting it out of our defensive zone and being productive with it up in the offensive zone. … The transition has been something that’s come a long way for us.”

Cony has four games left in the regular season, with contests against Morse, Mt. Blue and Bangor/John Bapst/Orono before wrapping up the regular season against Erskine Academy.

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Gardiner/Hall-Dale, which is ranked seventh. The Tigers could make a jump in the standings if they’re able to beat Camden Hills at home on Tuesday.

“We’re just waiting for that final piece to click into place,” Prince said. “What I love about this group is they always do the work to try to get it back, going with a fast break the other way (in transition), defense helping the offense. It’s a great group that we have.”

Statistical leaders

Cony: Gabby Vachon (5 goals), Rylin Miller (3 goals, 2 assists), Avery Maxim (10 saves)

Gardiner/Hall-Dale: Maggie Blais (2 goals), Leah Shepherd (9 saves)