KENNEBUNK – The Kennebunk girls’ lacrosse team got a big lift from freshman Jennifer Bush in the faceoff circle Wednesday afternoon,

Bush won 11 of 14 draws to spark the fourth-seeded Rams to a 9-6 win against No. 5 Thornton Academy in a Western Class A girls’ lacrosse quarterfinal.

Kennebunk will go on the road Saturday to play top-seeded Scarborough in a regional semifinal. On May 24, the Red Storm cruised to a 13-8 victory against the Rams.

It was Kennebunk’s second win of the season over the Trojans. The Rams opened the season on April 24 with an 8-7 triumph at Saco.

“The last time we played them the game was won or lost in the draw circle,” Thornton Coach Craig Agreste said. “They were better than us in there today, and that was the difference.”

Bush, who also scored three goals, was the key to the Rams’ success in the circle.

“She’s a freshman, and she’s stepped up so big, especially today,” said Kennebunk midfielder Rose Bryant, who scored two goals. “She won all of the draws, and that kicked butt.”

Kennebunk held a 5-3 lead at the end of the first half.

The Rams, with Bush winning seven of nine draws, scored four goals during a span of 3:40 to open a 5-2 lead less than 10 minutes into the game.

Neither team could mount much offense for the rest of the half.

Kennebunk had problems working the ball out of its defensive zone following changes in possession, while the Trojans had problems hanging onto the ball when on the attack.

The Rams (8-5) took better care of the ball during the second half and gradually pulled away, building a 9-3 with less than nine minutes left.

“We really possessed the ball when we had it, and we took good shots when we took a shot,” Kennebunk Coach Annie Barker said. “(The players) were patient, and they were composed.”

“The bottom line is we played a good team today,” Agreste said. “They do everything right, and they don’t make a lot of mistakes

“I thought there were times where we dropped the ball a lot, and we haven’t done that much. Hats off to them, they outplayed us.”

Kyra Schwartzman had a goal and an assist for Kennebunk. Allie Truman and Haley Fecko also scored.

For the Trojans (8-5), Chloe Eisenhaur scored twice, and Hannah Wuerthner, Katelyn Peirson, Amanda Cook and Carly McKenna each had a goal.

Paul Betit can be contacted at 791-6424 or at:

pbetit@pressherald.com

Twitter: PaulBetitPPH