SCARBOROUGH — With only one senior, the Scarborough High senior celebration was quick and to the point Tuesday night.

And Carly Rogers made the most of the moment.

Rogers scored a season-high 12 points to lead the Red Storm to a 52-41 victory against Thornton Academy in a Southern Maine Activities Association girls’ basketball game.

“It means a lot to have a game like this,” said Rogers, who was loudly razzed by her teammates prior to emerging from the locker room for her first postgame interview. “The team helped me a lot because obviously I wouldn’t have scored so many points or done anything without the rest of the team, but it definitely feels good.”

Rogers scored the first and last basket of the opening quarter as the Red Storm (16-1) used a balanced offense and full-court pressure to bolt to a 15-4 lead.

Scarborough’s start kept the Golden Trojans (9-8) off balance and gave Thornton Coach Eric Marston a moment of deja vu.

“I want to say the first-quarter score was the same exact score the first time we met (a Jan. 6 home loss),” said Marston, who remembered correctly.

“It was the same hole we dug ourselves in and we didn’t do a lot to help ourselves in the second quarter. We just weren’t very fundamentally sound in the first half.”

The Red Storm continued to build a lead in the second quarter, using an 11-0 run in the first four minutes to go ahead 26-4.

The Trojans finally enjoyed some offensive success in the closing moments of the half. Meghan Agger scored a pair of 3-pointers, resulting in six of her game-high 15 points, to lead a 10-5 run that left Thornton behind 31-14 at the break.

Also similar to their previous meeting, Scarborough allowed the Trojans back in the game in the second half. Thornton outscored the Red Storm 15-9 in the third period to move within 40-29.

“I think sometimes kids, regardless of gender and age, take things a little bit too easy,” said Scarborough Coach Tom Maines.

“I thought in the second half we were a little soft in the passing lanes. I think Thornton made some nice adjustments, but we knew what they were and we just didn’t take care of business very well.”

The Red Storm could have made things easier on themselves in the second half with a little more success from the foul line. They made only four of their first 13 attempts to allow the Trojans to hang around.

Lauren Leskowsky and Agger scored back-to-back baskets in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to get Thornton within 40-33, but Maria Philbrick got the next five points for Scarborough to restore a 12-point cushion.

The Trojans made one last push when Agger and Olivia Shaw scored to move Thornton back within eight, only to see the Red Storm find their free-throw range.

They hit four of their last six attempts to finally close out the game.

Scarborough played without its leading scorer, Mary Redmond, who missed the game due to a mild concussion suffered Friday night against Bonny Eagle.

Maines said he hopes Redmond will successfully complete the concussion protocol and be available Friday night for the regular-season finale at Kennebunk.

 

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