If Thursday’s game had been played in December or early January, the Cranston East girls’ basketball team probably would have lost it.

But the ’Bolts have come a long way since then, and they weren’t going to lose this one.

In the kind of game that slipped away from them early in the season, the ’Bolts squandered a lead but made some crucial plays down the stretch to beat Exeter/West Greenwich 54-46. It was East’s second win of the week – they beat Classical 55-50 on Wednesday – and it improved their record to 4-9.

“This was the type of game that slipped away from us a couple of times at the beginning of the season,” said East head coach Lauren Brown. “This week, we’ve been able to hold on. We’ve gotten two wins, and that really has meant a lot to us.”

The ’Bolts got off to a roaring start in the victory over EWG. Julia Maguire was lights-out from mid-range and scored 15 points in the first eight minutes of the game. Leah Davis and Brittany Murchison added buckets as East raced to a 20-7 lead.

The rest of the half, every time EWG threatened to get closer, the ’Bolts had an answer. After four quick points trimmed the lead to nine, Davis drilled a three to get it back to 12. A jumper by Erinn Reilly pushed the lead to 18 before the Scarlet Knights cut it to 14 at halftime.

For the half, East shot better than 50 percent and had only five turnovers. Maguire led all scorers with 19 points.

The second half wasn’t quite so perfect. After a runner by Davis pushed the lead to 16 with 10:48 left, the ’Bolts didn’t score again for six minutes.

The culprit was EWG’s full-court press, which seemed to catch the ’Bolts flat-footed. They turned the ball over 12 times in the first seven minutes of the half, and the result was a 15-0 run by the Scarlet Knights.

But just as the ’Bolts reached the breaking point, they found their grip. EWG had the ball and a chance to take the lead with five minutes left, but East forced a turnover. On the ensuing possession, Maguire navigated the full-court press and got fouled on a drive to the basket. She hit both free throws to put East up by three.

On the Knights’ next possession, Davis blocked a shot. The ’Bolts couldn’t convert at the other end but forced another turnover as soon as EWG got the ball back. Davis then hit a deep three to stretch the lead to six. After two missed free throws by EWG and a big rebound by Murchison, Davis hit another three, putting East up by nine.

The ’Bolts couldn’t quite breathe easy yet, but the cushion was there. Maguire made five of six free throws in the final minute and Jesse Handler hit two to clinch the victory.

“We’ve been in tight situations enough times,” Brown said. “We should know how to do it. We struggled with the press for awhile, but we were able to maintain our composure after that, and that was big for us down the stretch.”

But the ’Bolts didn’t just maintain their composure; they built on it. Limiting their turnovers – they had just one in the final five minutes – set the stage, but some key plays stole the show. In particular, the three-pointers by Davis and some crucial rebounds by Murchison changed the tenor of the game. It wasn’t about not losing; it was about winning.

“We had a great rebounding effort late in the second half by Brittany Murchison and Leah and Julia hit some key shots,” Brown said. “Plays like that turn the game around. It elevated our intensity on the floor. When you have something good happening in a big moment, you’re ready to play defense. It makes a huge difference.”

Maguire led the ’Bolts with 26 points, and Davis added 18. Handler and Murchison each scored four. They all delivered in the clutch, too, a sign of how far the ’Bolts have come. Before a two-point win over Coventry on Jan. 28, they were 0-4 in games decided by five points or less. With three wins in their last four games, they’ve found a way to turn that statistic around.

“They’ve gotten a lot of experience in close games and they know when to turn it on,” Brown said. “Even though it should be turned on throughout the game, they kind of get that sense of urgency down near the end. They know what they have to do.”

Now the ’Bolts will see how far that knowledge can take them. Their goal from the beginning has been to make the playoffs. In the midst of a 1-8 start, that didn’t look possible, but with their recent surge, the ’Bolts are now in line to grab one of the final playoff spots.

“We’ve got some confidence now heading down the stretch,” Brown said. “We don’t have any seniors, so we’re looking to the next game, we’re looking to the playoffs, we’re looking to next season – it’s a continual process for us. We’re young, but we don’t like to use that as an excuse. We’re growing together and we’re learning as a team. I think we’ve made progress, but I think we’re still on the road. It’s game by game for us. Our goal is the playoffs, but we’re not there yet.”

The ’Bolts have four regular-season games remaining. They’ll host Cranston West on Feb. 18, before games with Toll Gate, Bay View and Classical to close out the season.