Everything seemed to be going Coginchaug's way in the first half of Friday night's Shoreline Conference title game against Cromwell at Valley Regional.
Then it all started to fall apart.
When the final buzzer sounded Cromwell had pulled out a 59-56 win, a comeback effort that ended with the Panthers cutting down the nets for the second time in three years.
The Blue Devils led 23-11 after eight minutes, a stretch during which the Panthers were outscored by Shoreline MVP Audrey Biesak (14-11).
Using a fast-break tempo, Coginchaug pushed its lead to 16 twice, including a 33-17 advantage with just under two minutes left before halftime.
But in the second half Cromwell picked up the pressure and started getting the ball inside to Lindsey Langenauer and Janelle Harrison. The pair combined for 28 points, most coming from within a few feet of the basket.
By the end of the third quarter - a period that saw the Blue Devils score just six points - the Panthers had capitalized on a 15-0 run by turning it into a 41-39 lead, Cromwell's first of the game.
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle, much in the way the two teams split a pair of regular season games.
Biesak, who led all scorers with 23 points, dropped two three-pointers to put Coginchaug back up 46-43.
Cromwell then pounded the ball inside to Langenauer and Harrison while the Blue Devils missed shots and second chances.
Lauren Esposito's three-pointer with :37 seconds left pulled Coginchaug to within one, at 55-54, but the Panthers (21-2) scored on the other end and stopped the Blue Devils on defense to put the game away.
Coginchaug (21-2) will host a Class S state tournament game next Friday.
