ATTLEBORO – With her team in a close game with St. Mary’s of Lynn, senior Madelyn Steel of Bishop Feehan knew she had to execute some difficult shots.

The captain sank two three-pointers in the final minutes to keep her Shamrocks on top and lead the team to a 60-57 Catholic Central League victory.

“It’s just really fun,” Steel said. “I honestly don’t remember how many points I get in a game, it’s really just about the next one. I don’t really think about the pressure or how much time is left in the game. I think that the next one is going in and I just focus on the shot at hand.”

The teams traded points for the majority of the opening quarter, with Madelyn Steel and Bella Owumi leading the charge for the Shamrocks and Spartans, respectively. It was St. Mary’s which had the edge following the quarter, 18-15, and they carried this into the second.

The Spartans held the lead for about six of the eight minutes in the frame, cruising to a 29-23 lead after strong play at the rim by Reese Matela. However, the final two minutes belonged to the Shamrocks, who finished the quarter on a 7-0 run powered by Mollie Mullen.

“My message was to take it to the basket,” Bishop Feehan head coach Amy Dolores said. “We know St. Mary’s is a great team and a really good rival of ours. We knew they were going to match us and this game didn’t disappoint at all.”

The Shamrocks continued the positive play early in the third quarter, with Charlotte Adams-Lopez wreaking havoc on the defensive side and drawing some Spartan fouls. However, a late charge led by Owumi and Jillian Roberts allowed the Spartans to tie it in the final minute and take a lead via a buzzer-beater three-pointer from Roberts.

After quickly losing the lead, the Shamrocks knew they needed to flip a switch.

“Coach was just like ‘stay in it, don’t let this get in your head,’ ” Adams-Lopez said. “We just tried to keep pushing the tempo and keep the energy up.”

St. Mary’s Lily Norton, right, drives into Bishop Feehan’s Samantha Carlson during a girls basketball clash. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)

Bishop Feehan quickly retook the lead and held the Spartans scoreless across the first several minutes. Owumi and Roberts were able to bring some scoring back but the Shamrocks would get out to a 54-51 lead.

“We are really good at adjusting as a team,” Steel said. “We are able to get open and figure out what is working well.”

That’s when Steel and Owumi traded deep threes but in the end Feehan was able to hold onto the slight lead.

Steel led all scorers with 21 points while Adams-Lopez had 14 and Mollie Mullen had 10. Owumi led the Spartans with 20 while Reese Matela had 12 and Lily Norton had 10.

Adams-Lopez reflected on the tournament-like atmosphere and how that will help the team going forward.

“These are the types of teams we want to play to get better,” Adams-Lopez said. “Especially being so early on, it sets the tone for the rest of the season.”