The Pilgrim girls basketball team is off to a strong start and tipped its season off by earning three wins in its first three league games of the year.

The team beat Lincoln 54-44 on the road last Friday night and was led by senior Faith Meade, who scored 18 points and paced the Pats from start to finish.

“I have her playing a few roles. She likes playing the 2-guard but sometimes I need her to step up and be the point guard. She’s just that good of a player and leader to step up and take this team to where it needs to be. She’s an all-around solid player and gives 100 percent every time she’s out there,” said Pilgrim coach Kaitlyn Rachiele.

“This gives us the big confidence boost that we needed, our team is gelling well together and we’re starting to get to know each other better. I have a lot more confidence in myself this year compared to my freshman and sophomore years, even (my junior) year,” added Meade. “I have a lot more confidence in my ability. We’re well on our way if we keep playing like this.”

The Pilgrim and Lincoln offenses would trade shots throughout a close first half, but the Pats would go into the break with a 23-16 lead. The Pilgrim offense would take off in the third quarter, scoring 20 points and extending the advantage to 43-26 heading into the fourth.

“Our message (at halftime) was to keep it going because we knew (Lincoln was) going to come out just as hard in the second half,” said Rachiele. “Our defense stepped up and worked really hard. It is something that in previous years we were really good with so to keep it going is huge. This is a huge game because (Lincoln) put up 50 points last game. We needed to play defense, hit our shots, and they did that. I am very impressed with these girls.”

The Lions would hit some big shots in the fourth to narrow the deficit to just eight points, but the Pilgrim defense would make the stops necessary to hold onto the win.

Jenna Madden scored 13 points, including nine in the third for Pilgrim while Gianna Ramos added 11.

The Pilgrim program is looking to get back on track after two down years and Rachiele has already seen some good chemistry in the early going.

“We have a few new players in our system that are familiar with basketball. Our passing is much better and I have been telling them to slow down, they need to be patient. To have that connection is huge, they work very well together,” said Rachiele.