Brittany Ross of Scarborough High will head to Providence next fall and play field hockey.

But after the Red Storm defeated two-time Class A state champion Deering 37-34 Saturday night for their first regional girls’ basketball championship, she received a prestigious basketball honor.

Additional Photos

Sarah Moody gestures after sinking a key foul shot Saturday that helped Scarborough put away a 37-34 victory over Deering in the Western Class A girls’ basketball final. John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Ross, a senior guard, was awarded the Edward ”Red” McMann Award, presented to the outstanding player/sportswoman in the Western Class A tournament.

Ross didn’t expect the honor. ”Basketball is not really my best sport,” she said.

But Scarborough Coach Jim Seavey wasn’t surprised.

”Brittany energizes the whole team,” he said. ”Looking at the whole tournament, it was Brittany. It was well deserved.”

Ross led the Red Storm with 13 points in the quarterfinals and 11 points in the semifinals, then had six points against Deering.

”It speaks volumes about the balance on our team,” said Seavey.

SARAH MOODY, who scored eight points in the final 1:38 to rally Scarborough to its victory over Deering, said she sensed her team had a chance to win when Rams star Kayla Burchill fouled out with 2:35 remaining and the Red Storm trailing by six.

But Deering Coach Mike Murphy said another fifth foul played as big a role, the one on Ella Ramonas with 6:55 left.

Ramonas, one of Deering’s top defenders and its primary ball handler, picked up her fourth foul five seconds earlier. As Murphy and his coaches discussed changing her defensive assignment, she picked up her fifth foul while guarding Ross.

”We were talking about moving her off (Ross) when she picked up her (fourth and fifth) fouls,” said Murphy.

Without Ramonas, Deering committed eight turnovers in the final quarter.

”We have struggled all year when the ball has not been in her hands, and it happened again,” said Murphy. ”We made unforced turnovers. We made mental mistakes.”

Claire Ramonas, Deering’s senior center, said Scarborough’s defense down the stretch was the difference.

”We definitely lost our composure and let their defense get to us,” she said. ”We made silly turnovers, which cost us. They proved they were the better team down the stretch.”

Losing Burchill, who had 15 points, didn’t help either.

”She got us this far,” said Claire Ramonas. ”She single-handedly won some games for us. To lose her was difficult.”

SCARBOROUGH WILL face Eastern champ Skowhegan in a state championship game for the third time. They’ve played for the last two Class A field hockey championships, with the Red Storm ending the Indians’ eight-year reign last fall.

Ross said the Red Storm wanted this game for senior forward Jenn Colpitts, who broke her right wrist in the quarterfinals.

”We knew we didn’t want our season to be over (Saturday night),” she said. ”We wanted to do it for Jenn. We’ve all been playing together since the sixth grade, so we knew we had to do it.”

MIKE MURPHY had a connection to all four schools playing in the Western Class A boys’ and girls’ regional finals Saturday at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Murphy, the Deering girls’ coach, teaches at Scarborough Middle School and used to coach the Red Storm.

Murphy’s son, Sean, is a starting forward for Westbrook, which played Cheverus in the boys’ final. And Murphy is a graduate of Cheverus, where he was a standout player in the late 1970s.

Murphy’s alma mater beat his son’s team, 56-46.

”It was not a good day for the Murphy household,” Murphy said as he left the Civic Center.

WAS THAT Dave Halligan wearing a sports jacket and tie on the bench of the Falmouth boys’ basketball team Saturday afternoon in the Western Class B final against Cape Elizabeth?

Halligan’s coaching attire has included a blue windbreaker for years. Why the change?

”The last time I wore a sports jacket we won a state championship,” he said.

That was in 1999, when Falmouth won its last Class C state title. The next year, the Yachtsmen moved up to Class B.

The good karma seemed to work, as Falmouth won its first Western Class B title with a 53-40 victory over Cape Elizabeth. The Yachtsmen play defending state champion Camden Hills on Friday night at the Bangor Auditorium.

YORK HIGH’S Andrea Mountford played a memorable stretch to help her team maintain a lead over Greely late in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Western Class B final.

Mountford, who is listed at 5 feet, 4 inches tall, got an offensive rebound, missed the shot, got the rebound, missed that shot, and got a third offensive rebound, all against Greely’s taller inside players, including 6-foot center Abby Young.

Mountford passed the ball out after her final rebound, then was left uncovered by the Rangers.

Nicole Taylor fed her a pass for a layup that gave the Wildcats a 48-36 lead.

”Wasn’t that something?” said York Coach Rick Clark.

Mountford said: ”I just wanted to beat them so badly, I was playing as hard as I could.”

She finished with seven rebounds.

GREELY’S COMEBACK effort was hindered by foul trouble to Abby Young and Megan Grondin and an injury to Karlee Biskup, who missed the fourth quarter with a concussion.

But senior guard Nicole Faietta did her best to get the Rangers back into the game. She had a game-high 19 points, 12 in the third quarter, and hit four 3-pointers from NBA distance.

”Those were amazing,” said York standout Nicole Taylor.

”I’ve been saying for two years that she should be an all-star,” Greely Coach Billy Goodman said. ”It’s amazing that she’s not.

”I’ve been telling her for the last month it’s OK if you score more. She has more talent and doesn’t get any credit.

”She’s the best defensive player I’ve got. I’m very glad in the playoffs she got her due.”

WHEN BRUNSWICK and Skowhegan played Friday for the Eastern Class A girls’ basketball title, it was a tense game with neither team able to take control. But there was at least one light moment.

Skowhegan was going to put the ball in play and Brunswick was setting up its defensive coverage. Skowhegan guard Whitney Jones tried to shake her defender, Becky Champagne, running around the court. But Champagne stayed with her, step for step.

It was all for nothing because the referee was still holding onto the ball. Jones and Champagne finally stopped moving, looked at each other and laughed.

”It really showed that we were out here to have fun,” Jones said.

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