Down early, the Westbrook girls basketball team fought back Friday against visiting Kennebunk, even taking the lead in the final quarter. The Rams (2-2), however, came back in the end, delivering a 49-44 loss to the Lady Blazes (1-4).

“It really all happened within the last two or three minutes of the game,” said Westbrook forward Cynthia Wescott. “We ended up losing grip, but overall we played very well.”

The Blazes had a rough start, scoring just eight points in the first period. Despite controlling the boards, the hosts couldn’t seem to make their shots.

Kennebunk dominated early in the game, posting 17 points in the first period alone. Laura Thompson emerged early in the game as the Rams’ leader, and she finished with 13 points and some key rebounds.

“Laura Thompson’s play inside was huge. Her rebounding was key,” said Kennebunk coach Rob Sullivan. “Westbrook has some really big girls, and she answered for us.”

Going into the second half, the score was close, with the Blazes trailing the Rams by just two. Erin Murphy led the recovery for Westbrook, sinking eight points in the run, including a long three-point basket.

In the third period, the Blazes continued chipping away at the Rams’ lead. The score was knotted at 25-25 midway through the third, and both teams continued to attack. Kennebunk’s Jenna Nagy had six of her game-high 20 points in that stretch.

Wescott (eight points) and teammates Audrey Shutts (eight points) and Lauren Sawyer (seven points) worked together to keep Westbrook on par with their guests, and the game was tied going into the last period.

Despite valiant efforts by Murphy, a freshman, and the sophomore Wescott in the fourth quarter, the Blazes came up short.

Mike Murphy, Westbrook’s coach, is happy with the progress of his young team.

“I’m very pleased with our big kids, and at times the decision-making that’s going on out there,” he said. “With youth you’re going to see physical and mental mistakes. But overall I’m ecstatic, compared to where we were last year. This year we’re in games.”