Medomak Valley’s Kytana Williamson grabs a rebound from Erskine Academy’s Oryanna Winchenbach during Tuesday's game in South China. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel

SOUTH CHINA — The deep breath Danielle Lefferts let out after the final buzzer was emblematic of the kind of victory this was.

The Erskine Academy girls basketball coach’s team faced a tall task against Medomak Valley’s Kytana Williamson, one of Class B’s best players, and 6-foot-1 Chloe Fox, a matchup nightmare. Yet while those players’ strengths were on display, the Eagles’ own strengths made this showdown a runaway.

Erskine claimed a momentous 57-39 victory over Medomak Valley in a matchup of top Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B teams. The Eagles’ shooting, crisp passing and hustle were too much for the Panthers, and Erskine earned a vital result in the North playoff picture.

“The key to this win was just being us, playing our game and not conforming to their game,” Lefferts said. “We played our fast transition game, and we did a good job of not letting their great moments affect our great moments. It’s a huge boost for morale for us, and it’s definitely a huge boost seeding-wise.”

Kelsie Dunn drained five 3-pointers in a 21-point effort for Erskine, which rallied from a 6-0 deficit in the opening minutes thanks to 12 first-half points from Lauryn Northrup (14 points overall).

Williamson had 20 points for Medomak Valley, while Fox (four points) pulled down 19 rebounds.

With the exception of Medomak’s 46-30 rebounding advantage, Erskine (10-2) really did it all. The Eagles repeatedly beat the Panthers to loose balls, committed just nine turnovers, prevented Fox from getting clean looks near the basket, and generated open looks that they buried.

“Passing, we’re just amazing at it,” said Dunn, who scored 16 of her 21 points in the second half. “We know how to find each other; we’ve been playing with each other forever, so we can just find each other anywhere.”

Medomak Valley’s Kytana Williamson crosses over in an attempt to get by Erskine Academy’s Kelsie Dunn during Tuesday’s game in South China. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel
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Erskine’s passing was made that much easier by the Eagles’ success against Medomak’s 1-3-1 zone defense. Lefferts said her team hadn’t faced a similar defense this season, but noted that her players were able to break down the Panthers (9-3) precisely the way they had prepared in practice.

“We knew that the 1-3-1 was something we hadn’t seen, so we just worked on it practicing and stressed not panicking with it,” Lefferts said. “We knew that if we could get their zone to shift a little bit, we could look for open spots and take advantage, and I feel we did a really great job of that.”

Those shots routinely came at big moments. After Williamson made two 3-pointers to cut Erskine’s lead from 18 to 12 late in the third quarter, Dunn hit a 3 of her own to stop a potential swing in momentum. In the fourth, Olivia Childs made three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt.

Before that, though, Northrup did her part to spark Erskine’s offense after Medomak opened up its 6-0 lead. Her seven points in the first quarter powered the Eagles to an 11-8 advantage entering the second, and from there, the home team never trailed again.

“I just kind of dug deep,” said Northrup, a sophomore transfer from Mt. Blue. “I knew we had to push (and be) our best.”

The cherry on top? The play of Kinsey Ulmer. The freshman outworked everybody else on the floor, beating Medomak to numerous rebounds, cutting to the rim for one layup and another attempt that led to two free throws, and aiding the Eagles’ strong effort on defense.

“Kinsey came off the bench for us and just made some amazing hustle plays when we needed it,” Lefferts said. “It’s really hard to beat that kind of energy.”