EAST PROVIDENCE — The final score was a tad generous to the visitors, but for the host East Providence High School girls' lacrosse team it was just another solid early season performance by the Townies in defense of their Division III title.

Wednesday afternoon, April 12, reigning league champion East Providence wound up defeating guest Rocky Hill by a 16-12 score. The four-goal margin, though, didn't necessarily reflect exactly how the contest went for much of its 50 minutes.

The unbeaten Townies, who improved to 3-0 at the time, eased in front of the Mariners by the middle of the first half. EPHS eventually built a seemingly comfortable 9-4 lead at intermission.

Out of the break, East Providence only increased its edge, eventually holding a 16-5 lead on the six-and-last goal of the afternoon by senior star Ryleigh Grant. It was the second game in a row Grant tallied six times. She did the same in the Townies' previous outing, an 11-8 win over Cranston East. Grant netted a hat-trick (3 goals) in each half Wednesday.

It was about that time when the Townies subbed out a good number of their starters, including keeper Ava Williams (3 saves). And it wasn't a coincidence that Rocky Hill, which dropped to 1-3 in its first season down in D-III after spending the last few years in D-II, began to chip away at its deficit.

In fact, the Mariners tallied seven unanswered goals over the final nine minutes of the game to make things appear more interesting than they actually were. Rocky Hill's final score came with 44 seconds remaining, but the visitors would get no closer.

The Townies won the ensuing face-off and junior Kenna Wigginton just about maintained possession, give or take a dropped ball here or there, the rest of the way to run out clock.

Wigginton finished with four goals. Emma Nordquist also scored four times, twice in each half. Dylan Flynn added one, actually East Providence's initial goal of the game just 57 seconds into the contest, as did Abigail Leddy, who was fouled and converted the attempt with about 10 minutes in the opening period to put the Townies up 6-2 at the time.

EPHS never trailed after Flynn's goal. The Mariners tied it just seven seconds later, then the Townies went back in front on Wigginton's first of the afternoon just under five minutes in. Again, though, Rocky Hill answered almost immediately. But when Grant potted her first, it started a four-goal East Providence spree.

Wigginton, Grant again and Leddy followed. The Mariners got one back to make it 6-3 before Nordquist put a pair in the back of the next in quick succession to give EPHS a five-goal margin. The sides traded goals prior to halftime, Grant accounted for the last of the Townies with 1:39 left in the opening period.

East Providence used a 7-1 run over the first 12:32 of the second half to build its commanding 11-goal lead before some of the Townie starters were removed and the Mariners made their late response.