The Lisbon High School gym was louder than usual during Thursday’s South region Unified basketball semifinal game against Kennebunk.

For the first time all season, the Greyhounds were trailing at the end of the first two quarters, and the there was a certain tension in the air — a feeling of danger that Lisbon and its fans haven’t felt all season.

But, like they’ve done time and time again, the hosts responded at exactly the right time, firing off a 9- 2 run to begin the third frame and distance themselves from the Rams. The visitors pushed back, but a 10-5 advantage in the final quarter gave the Greyhounds a 45-33 win, and propelled them into the regional final next week.

“They have not felt any kind of feeling of defeat this year,” Lisbon student-coach Jonah Sautter said. “That’s the first time we’ve been down at all. I told them at halftime that this is new for us, and they were all mad. No, we can’t be mad, we’ve just got to keep playing. And they did. They just dug deep, and it’s something I’ve never seen before.”

The chippy nature really picked up just before halftime, when in the span of just a couple minutes, Devin Libby dove on the court for a loose ball, Tyler Halls blocked the shot of Noah Hyde, another student helper from Kennebunk, and Ryley Austin slid across the court and kept a ball from going over the end line. By this time, Sautter had taken over the coaching duties, and was in command of the huddles during timeouts.

The short, five-minute halftime break was all his team needed to get things going.

“We were just getting them riled up,” Sautter said. “Our bench was going nuts and the athletes were loving it. They just got into it and went for it.”

Wesley Lucas started the third quarter with two quick buckets for Lisbon (11-0), followed by Brock Vachon splashing a 3-pointer and hitting two clutch free throws during the stretch. The crowd erupted at the the 2:28 mark, when Kennebunk (9-2) called a timeout after the Greyhounds had built a 33-24 lead.

Vachon even surprised himself.

“I felt like we were going to lose, but then we came back. We tried to focus on winning,” he said.

Amanda Mason, who earned the game’s first bucket after being accidentally knocked to the floor by a teammate, finished with a team-high 10 points on five field goals for Lisbon. She said the deficit and the atmosphere were both things the team hasn’t felt before.

“It was pretty nervous,” Mason said. “It was harder than other teams we’ve played.”

Kennebunk was paced by Evan Warren, who finished with a team-high 10 points. Joshua LaRoche chipped in with nine points for the Rams, and hit one of the team’s three treys.

Despite being on the road, the loudest cheers of the game came in support of Kennebunk’s Cole Hansen, who wears a brace on both of his legs. When Hansen came on in the second half, the otherwise intense, high-pressured playoff game was halted as players from both teams huddled around the basket while he attempted a shot. The home crowd clapped and cheered him on as the clock was stopped for multiple minutes while each rebound was handed back to him.

When one of his shots finally rolled in, the crowd stood up and cheered, and Hansen raised his hands up and moved down the court smiling. Even with play resumed on the other end of the floor, Lisbon’s Jake Patenaude walked over to give Hansen a high-five. The second time he was given a chance as the fourth-quarter clock was expiring, the ball fell through the net on just his second attempt.

“It’s great,” Sautter said. “Seeing these athletes, this is their time of the year. Everybody’s watching them, everybody’s clapping for them and they love it. Seeing them score, it’s wonderful.”

Patenaude hit two late buckets and split 12 points down the middle with Lucas. Vachon finished with five points and Dawson Martel split eight more with Michael Farrington. In all, 11 different Greyhounds scored.

Lisbon 45, Kennebunk 33

at Lisbon High School

Kennebunk — Connor Archibald 1-0- 2, Joshua LaRoche 4-0-9, Hallie Schwartzman 0-0-0, Michael Maloney 1-0-3, Evan Warren 5-0-10, Kyra Schwartzman 0-0-0, Carlton Robie 0- 0-0, Thomas Wildes 0-2-2, Noah Hyde 0-0-0, Kathryn Ross 0-0-0, Isaac Zahares 1-0-3, Mallory Burchill 0-0-0, Bronson Welch-Thompson 0- 0-0, Mia Murray 0-0-0, Cole Hansen 2-0-4, Courtney Ames 0-0-0. Totals — 14-2-33. Greyhounds — Brock Vachon 1-2-5, Amanda Mason 5-0-10, Wesley Lucas 3-0-6, Austin Fournier 1-0-2, Ryley Austin 1-0-2, Jake Patenaude 3-0-6, Tyler Halls 1-0-2, Dawson Martel 2-0-4, Brandon Bartlett 1-0-2, Nathan Havlicek 0-0-0, Devin Libby 0-0-0, Tanton Mattson 0-0-0, Michael Farrington 2-0-4, Hannah Martel 1-0- 2. Totals — 21-2-45. 3-point field goals — (L) Brock Vachon; (K) Joshua LaRoche, Michael Maloney, Isaac Zahares. Records — Greyhounds 11-0, Kennebunk 9-2. Up next for Lisbon — South region final against No. 3 Portland/Deering (7-4) Tuesday, 4 p.m. at Lisbon High School.