BIDDEFORD — The Biddeford girls basketball team got its first win of the season on Friday night, as the Tigers took down Massabesic 37-23, and head coach Liz Bell earned her first coaching victory in the process.

“It felt great. The girls have been working really, really, really hard the entire preseason up until now,” said Bell. “I think they really deserved a win; they grinded it out and worked really hard for it.”

The Tigers (1-2) stormed out of the gates, as they led 12-3 after one quarter and 24-8 at halftime.

The Biddeford defense held the Mustangs to just eight points until late in the third quarter, when Massabesic scored five points in the final minute of the period to get into double digits.

“We work really hard on defense in practice in general. We preach defense all the time as a focus in practice, as a focus in games,” said Bell. “I was really proud of our defensive effort for sure.”

The Tigers had a balanced scoring attack, led by Charlotte White’s team-high nine points. Brittany Roy and Kendra Cote each chipped in with eight points, while Brook Davis and Abby Hale both had five.

Massabesic was paced by a game-high 11 points from Hannah Lundrigan. Haleigh Couture added five points for the Mustangs.

Bell’s first victory came on the Tigers’ home floor after opening the season with a pair of losses against heavyweights Scarborough and Gorham. Bell said getting the victory lifted some weight off her ”“ and her players’ ”“ shoulders.

“It was great. The girls coming into here were really nervous. They knew that it was going to be a competitive game; it always is with Massabesic,” said Bell.

The Tigers travel to Westbrook on Tuesday looking to even up their record, while Massabesic will be seeking its first win of the season when it hosts Cheverus the same day.