AUGUSTA – The Lee Academy girls basketball team knew about Rangeley center Krysteen Romero. And the Pandas were ready to stop Laker forward Sarah Schrader.

But when Rangeley started draining 3-pointers in a key third-quarter span of Saturday’s Class D state championship game, the Eastern Maine champions were at a loss.

The Lakers hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter to take a lead and eventually roll to a 63-47 victory at the Augusta Civic Center.

Rangeley, which finished its season with a 21-0 record, won its first state crown since 1993 and third overall. The Lakers were state runners-up in 2001 and 2002 and fell in the semifinals of last year’s Western Maine tournament, all of which made Saturday’s win even sweeter.

“We just weren’t going to let that happen again,” said Schrader, who played as a freshman in 2001 and scored 14 points Saturday. “This is awesome.”

Rangeley set a state championship game record with nine 3-pointers, blasting away the old record of seven set in 1998 by Wisdom of St. Agatha. Justine Frost-Kolva hit four long-range shots, tying a mark set by Wisdom’s Tricia Cyr that year.

The Lakers found plenty of chances against the Pandas’ 3-2 zone.

“[Lee coach Randy Harris] was calling my number all night, saying ‘Get on her, get on her,”‘ said Sabrina Clark, who scored 11 points and hit three of her four perimeter attempts. “So when the zone shifted so that I was open, I was going to shoot because I knew I could shoot with a little bit of pressure on me. I knew I had to do it.”

Clark kicked off Rangeley’s perimeter attack. Lee standout Shelby Pickering (28 points, nine rebounds, four steals) had scored to cut Rangeley’s lead to two points, but Clark answered with a 3-pointer. After Pickering made two free throws and the Lakers had a timeout, Clark hit again from outside for a 32-26 lead.

The Pandas kept pace and narrowed the lead to two again, but two Frost-Kolva 3-pointers and two Romero baskets helped Rangeley take a 42-35 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Pickering opened the fourth with an offensive rebound basket and drew a foul, but missed the free throw. But Frost-Kolva hit another 3-pointer.

Pickering kept at it, pouring in four points to cut the lead to four. But after Frost-Kolva drained another perimeter shot and Schrader flung up a baseline shot that fell, the Lakers had a nine-point edge from which Lee couldn’t recover.

Rangeley hit nine of 19 3-point attempts. Rosie LaPointe made two, Clark finished with three, and Frost-Kolva had four.

“I was in the middle [of the zone] to stop Schrader from driving and we knew the other two could shoot, so we tried to pop out on them, but I guess we couldn’t get out quick enough,” Pickering said.

The Lakers stayed in man-to-man defense with Schrader on Pickering and Frost-Kolva guarding Lee senior Kristen Hersom, a 6-footer who had been one of the team’s best shooters. The Pandas made only 19 of their 54 field-goal attempts. Hersom had 11 points.

“Justine knew she had a big job,” Clark said. “She had to stop [Hersom] from shooting on the outside and penetrating inside.”

Romero led the Lakers with 18 points, including 14 in the second half, to go with 12 rebounds despite late foul trouble.

The Pandas had an 11-9 lead after the first quarter and went up 13-11 early in the second period, but Clark’s first 3-pointer of the game gave the Lakers a 14-13 edge. Lee didn’t lead again, although the game was tied at 21-21 early in the third.

LAKERS 63, PANDAS 47

Lee (20-3) Rangeley (21-0)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Worcester 0 0 0 0 0 Brooks 0 1 0

As. Jndreau 0 0 0 0 0 LaPointe 2 6

J. Moors 0 1 0 0 0 Clark 4 10 11

Pickering 12 25 4 5 28 Frost-Kolva 5 11 0 0 14

Hanscom 0 0 0 0 0 Quimby 0 0 0

Am. Jndreau 0 0 0 0 0 Romero 8 10 18

Maxwell 0 1 0 0 0 Morton 0 0 0

M. Moors 0 4 0 0 0 Madeira 0 1 0

Hersom 5 13 1 2 11 Brackett 0 0

Cole 0 3 3 4 3 Schrader 4 11 14

Ham 0 1 1 2 1 Golub 0 0 0 0

Gifford 2 6 0 0 4

King 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 19 54 9 13 47 Totals 23 52 12 63

Lee 11 19 35 47

Rangeley 9 21 42 63

3-pt. goals ? Lee (0-7): Gifford 0-1, Pickering 0-1, M. Moors 0-1, Hersom 0-4; Rangeley (9-19): Frost-Kolva 4-7, Clark 3-4, LaPointe 2-5, Brooks 0-1, Schrader 0-2