BANGOR – The Cony of Augusta girls basketball team plays a simple game. They shoot from everywhere on the court and they try to break a team down defensively before their opposition can get into their offense.

The system worked so well Thursday night at the Bangor Auditorium that the game was basically over at halftime and the top-seeded Rams went on to a 74-38 win over fifth-seeded Mount Ararat of Topsham in an Eastern Maine Class A tourney semifinal.

The Rams led 21-11 after the first period and had built the lead to 42-19 at the half.

They did so with a combination of slashing moves to the basket by Miss Maine Basketball candidate Ashley Underwood, the outside and inside game of senior Karen Sirois, and the dominating inside play of 6-foot-2 sophomore Katherine Rollins.

“We knew we had to come out strong, and we knew we had to put pressure on their guards because they have very good guards,” Sirois said.

The pressure worked and resulted in a number of layups and easy baskets for the 20-0 Rams.

The Eagles turned the ball over 24 times, particularly in the second half when they had 15 turnovers.

“I don’t know if that was just because we were pressing so hard to try to get back into it. [But Cony is] just that good,” Mount Ararat coach Kelly LaFountain said.

The Rams scored in bunches. During a one-minute stretch in the second quarter when the Rams were in the process of putting distance between themselves and the Eagles, Cony scored nine points.

“Our offense comes from our defense, so we concentrate on that,” Sirois said.

And the Rams are not shy about putting the ball up from long distance, even when the ball is not going in. Cony shot 5-for-18 from behind the arc, including several from NBA 3-point range.

“Coach always tells us if we don’t shoot those, then we’re going to sit the bench. We just shoot them. He says they’re our shots. If they don’t go in, hopefully we’ll get the rebound,” Underwood said.

Underwood had 18 points to lead the Rams. Sirois had 17 and Rollins had 15 on 6-for-10 shooting.

Cony makes it difficult for its opponents to make a run at the Rams because they take care of the ball so well. The Rams had just five turnovers for the game.

“They’re great ballhandlers and great shooters. They just got into their game tonight and we got caught up in it,” LaFountain said.

Senior Ashley Nesbit and junior Erika Stupinski had eight points apiece to pace 16-5 Mount Ararat.

RAMS 74, EAGLES 38

Mount Ararat (15-5) Cony (20-0)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Emerson 1 4 0 0 2 Underwood 5 18 6 8 18

Eiane 2 5 0 0 4 Mason 2 3 7

Stupinski 3 7 0 0 7 B. Rende 2 5

Johnson 2 9 4 4 8 Albert 0 0 0

Sirois 2 4 0 0 5 Piselli 0 0 0

Jes. Mayo 0 0 0 0 0 Nimon 0 3 0

Jen. Mayo 0 0 0 0 0 Lapointe 0 0

Nesbit 3 3 2 4 8 Morang 1 2 2

Rogers 0 1 0 0 0 Cloutier 0 0

Woolford 1 2 0 0 2 Dumont 3 4 6

Haggerty 1 1 0 0 2 Sirois 7 16 17

M. Rende 2 3 4

Rollins 6 10 3 15

Totals 15 36 6 8 38 28 64 13 19 74

Mount Ararat 11 19 30 38

Cony 21 42 65 74

3-pt. goals ? Mount Ararat (2-8): Sirois 1-1, Stupinski 1-4, Eiane 0-1, Emerson 0-2; Cony (5-18): Sirois 2-4, Underwood 2-9, Mason 1-2, Nimon 0-2, Morang 0-1