LISBON — There have been times this season where the Richmond and Lisbon girls basketball teams were on the cusp of winning that first game, only to suffer another loss.

On Saturday, the winless Bobcats and Greyhounds met in Mountain Valley Conference play, knowing someone was going to leave Lisbon with that initial victory of the 2018/19 season.

Behind a balanced attack, visiting Richmond was able to get it down, capturing a 36-29 win, giving the Bobcats a 1-6 mark as 2018 nears its end.

“It feels good. A monkey off our back,” said Richmond coach Mike Ladner. “We are starting to find our roles, along with the chemistry.”

It was the start of both halves that kick-started the Bobcats. Richmond ran out to a quick 5-0 lead just a minute into the game, forcing a timeout by Lisbon coach Julie Petrie. The Bobcats added another bucket for a 7-0 start, and used an 8-0 run to open the second half, extending a 20-17 halftime lead to double digits.

“We had some time off to work on some things, and a lot is just confidence in the girls,” Ladner said.

For Petrie, it was a tough performance offensively that led to her team’s fifth loss.

“We are inconsistent right now and we haven’t put together a whole game yet,” said Petrie, whose Greyhounds head to Telstar for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday. “Defensively at times we’re right there, but offensively we need to hit those easy shots. Today we didn’t do that. We didn’t execute, and we’re working so hard defensively. You can’t win a game on one possession and we’re rushing in the offensive end.”

Quick Bobcats

Hannah Moholland started the visitors off on the right foot, scoring her team’s first five points. After Lisbon’s timeout,

Bryanne Lancaster scored inside for a 7-0 edge before the Greyhounds received a bucket each from Carly Drischler and Mallory Fairbanks.

Lancaster’s 3-pointer and a tough inside basket by Macy Carver gave Richmond a 12-4 edge before Drischler pulled down an offensive rebound and scored to close the opening quarter.

A key for Richmond was the play inside of forwards Carver and Lindsie Irish, along with guards Moholland and Lancaster. Each used their long reach to disrupt Lisbon shots as the Greyhounds were just 3-of-15 from the field in the opening quarter.

“We look to slow it down and get the ball inside to Macy, either for a touch or a post move,” said Ladner. “When Macy and Lindsie are out, we like to press defensively.”

Lisbon pushed back in the second quarter, drawing to within a point on two occasions. Charlee Cox scored inside to get the ’Hounds to 15-14, and Valerie Doucette answered a Caitlin Kendrick trey with one of her own to bring Lisbon to 18-17 before a pair of free throws by Lancaster staked the Bobcats to a 20-17 halftime lead.

Richmond again started a half strong, with Carver converting inside, followed by three points from Moholland and a 3-pointer from Irish for a 28-17 advantage.

This time, Lisbon’s offensive struggles continued throughout the entire half, with Richmond owning a 32-24 lead after three quarters.

In the fourth, neither team shot well, with Richmond making just 1-of-8 shots and Lisbon 2-of-14. For the Greyhounds, the loss of standout Giana Russo prior to the season with an injured knee has hurt.

“We miss her leadership and ability to score, but we can’t use that as a crutch anymore being five games in. We need everybody to step up,” said Petrie.

Ladner hopes the win will lead to more success for his squad.

“I hope this is a confidence booster. We have been in every single game. It is just getting into a rhythm,” the Richmond coach said, whose Bobcats are home Wednesday against Mt. Abram (7 p.m.).

“We worked well as a team, together. It feels amazing. We worked hard for this,” said Moholland, who finished with eight points and three steals.

Lancaster picked up eight points and 10 rebounds in the win, while Kendrick added six points, eight boards, four assists and three steals, and Carver four points and two blocked shots. Bryannah Shea came off the Richmond bench to score five points, while Marybeth Sloat finished with five rebounds.

Drischler, Cox, Valerie Doucette and Kiley Merritt paced Lisbon with six points apiece. Cox added seven rebounds and four steals, while Destiney Deschaines pulled down six caroms and had three steals.

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