Hannah Sawyer of Cape Elizabeth did her best Thursday to debunk the idea that shooting in the Cross Insurance Arena can be challenging.

With baskets a good distance from the seats, players have to adjust their depth perception, even if they’ve played several games there.

So what does Sawyer do? In her first game in the CIA, she drilled seven 3-pointers, finishing with a career-high 28 points to lead ninth-seeded Cape Elizabeth into the Western Class B girls’ basketball final with a 61-47 victory against fifth-ranked Lincoln Academy.

The Capers (12-9), who knocked off top-ranked and previously unbeaten Spruce Mountain 32-20 in the quarterfinals, will take on third-seeded Greely (18-2) for the regional title at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Cross Arena.

It will be Cape Elizabeth’s first appearance in the regional final since 1996.

So how did Sawyer, even though a senior, compose herself on the big stage and get quickly acclimated to the wide expanse of the CIA?

“I pretended I was shooting in the Cape Elizabeth gym,” she said. “I forgot about the depth perception. I guess I used muscle memory.”

Sawyer’s free-flowing shot was uncanny. She hit Cape’s first basket from beyond the arc and didn’t stop nailing 3s until this one was in hand.

Sawyer’s seven 3s set a Western Class B tournament record, eclipsing the previous mark of six set by Haylee Cote of Gray-New Gloucester in 2012.

Sawyer’s favorite spot on the court was the side, and it didn’t matter if it was on the left or right.

“She’s our 3-point shooter,” said Cape Coach Chris Casterella. “Hannah can hit them from all over. She’s a catch-and- shoot player, 1, 2, step and shoot. She was in a nice rhythm.”

Sawyer said her pervious career high came as a sophomore when she scored 21 against York.

With Montana Braxton running the point, Cape got its offense in gear from the start. Leading 6-5, the Capers ran off seven unanswered points.

Carter Harvey scored, Sawyer hit a 3 and Maddy Bowe made two from the line. Defensively, the 5-foot-9 Braxton deflected passes. Twice in a row in the second quarter, she stole a Lincoln Academy pass at the top of the circle and drove for layups.

Those baskets completed an 11-0 run and gave Cape a 24-9 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the half.

Sawyer had five 3-pointers in the first half and 18 points. Leading 13-9 after one quarter, Cape outscored the Eagles 22-13 in the second for a 35-22 lead. Sawyer had 12 points in the quarter.

Sawyer opened the third quarter with her sixth 3 of the game and hit her final one, from the side of course, later in the quarter. She was 7 of 7 from the line, including 4 of 4 in the fourth.

Lincoln Academy (14-6) cut it to 10 early in the final period, but the Capers, with only two seniors, maintained their poise.

Cape was 8 of 12 from the line in the fourth. The Eagles had some good looks and a chance to make it tighter, but Cape gobbled up rebounds, holding Lincoln to one shot.

Braxton finished with 10 points and Harvey had nine. Leslie Sandefur led Lincoln with 11 points.

“This is an unbelievable team,” said Sawyer. “We came out flying. It was awesome.”

Casterella said her team’s ability to stay loose has been a key.

“I don’t think anyone saw us in the Western Maine final,” she said. “These kids aren’t fazed by anything. They’ve had success in other sports. Our last seven games in the regular season were against some of the best teams in the Western Maine Conference. We lost five of them but I feel it prepared us for the tournament.”

Two of those games were against Greely – a 63-30 loss on Jan. 31 and a 35-25 loss on Feb. 5. Cape beat eighth-seeded Fryeburg Academy in the preliminary round to reach the quarterfinals.

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