Stonington — Stonington coach Paulla Solar was being asked about how well her team shot the ball on Tuesday night given that, of late, the Bears have been shooting well south of 40 percent.

“Usually, it’s around 15,” Solar said jokingly.

Officially, the Bears shot 53.7 percent as they blitzed Bacon Academy 54-25 in a matchup of Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II girls' basketball leaders.

Stonington made shot 22 of 41 from the floor and made five of six 3-pointers.

“That’s not normal for us at all,” Bears senior Aliza Bell said. “At practice, we shoot phenomenal. We’re really good shooters. I think the biggest thing is confidence. It’s all confidence.

“As soon as someone comes on us (on defense), we just kind of pop up a shot and hopes it goes in. We’re praying every time we shoot. I think today we were picking and choosing what shots would best fit our players and what would work for us.”

Bell made 7 of her 11 shots and scored a game-high 15 points, including 10 in the first quarter for Stonington (11-3, 5-0). She also had six rebounds and two steals.

Seniors Kate Johnson (10 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals) and Miranda Arruda (12 points, four rebounds) and junior Zoe Ribeiro (12 points, seven rebounds) added to the Bears' scoring barrage.

“Believe it or not, we spend a certain amount of time each practice on shooting, so maybe it’s actually starting to fall into place,” Solar said. “I constantly say, ‘why are we shooting so low when we shoot every day?’ Maybe there must be a point where you turn the corner. You hope. Well, it’s taken us a long time.

“I totally think it’s a confidence thing.”

Sophomore Caitlin Shea and freshman Valerie Luizzi both scored eight points for the Bobcats (10-4, 4-1). Senior Bridget Anderson, one of their starting guards, missed the game due to illness.

Stonington led almost the entire game with Bell as an early catalyst. She scored eight during the team’s 12-0 first-quarter run.

“Aliza is a phenomenal athlete and does a lot of things,” Solar said. “Her plays are so beautiful that it almost energizes (the team). When my other players see her make a play, it’s usually an outstanding play. I think it really does energize the rest of the players to get into the game. She’s a huge factor on our basketball team.

“She has an uncanny sense of reading the ball off the rim. A lot of girls are still watching and she’s already there.”

Ribeiro ended the Bears’ first-quarter outburst with a 3-pointer to give them a 14-2 lead with 46 seconds left in the period.

Stonington shot 15 of 22 in the first half and led 36-15.

The Bears’ Tori LoPresto, a reserve sophomore, scored the game’s final points — a 3-pointer.

“When you’re thinking positive, things seem to fall in place better,” Solar said. “I thought (my team) was able to switch up their defense and knew what was going on. I’m so proud of them because it’s just from hard work.”

n.griffen@theday.com