The Gorham Rams were still able to earn themselves a playoff spot after losing star point guard Rachele Burns early in the year, but their run through the tournament ended before it could begin, as the seventh-ranked Tigers of Biddeford dispatched the Rams 51-25 on Thursday in the preliminary round.

The Tigers outscored the Rams 17-3 in the third quarter and used a suffocating double-team defensive press all game to shut down the Gorham offense.

With the win, Biddeford advanced to face the second-ranked South Portland Red Riots on Monday at the Portland Expo. The Tigers lost to the Riots 50-39.

Biddeford had three players reach at least 10 points. Junior point guard and team captain Aimee Mortensen scored 13 points with three rebounds for the Tigers. Keila Grigware, a freshman guard, had 12 points with four rebounds, and Shannon Grebin had 10 points with three rebounds.

Sophomore guard Kayleigh Ballantyne paced the Gorham offense with seven points. Sophomore Jill Russell worked the boards, pulling down eight rebounds.

“It’s a good win for us, and we get to move on to the next round,” said Biddeford coach Ron Cote.

After taking a 29-12 halftime lead, Biddeford immediately took control of the game. Mortensen hit a three-pointer to open the third quarter and the team didn’t look back, holding Gorham to only three points in the quarter, a three point shot from senior Chantel Tijssen.

Grigware scored 10 of her 12 points during the third, extending Biddeford’s lead to 46-15 going into the fourth quarter.

“(Grigware) was sick all day today, and she struggled through the game,” said Cote. “Emily (Rousseau) had a tough week, and I think both of them played below their skill level.”

“In the second half of the season, we’ve had a tough time scoring,” said Gorham coach Laughn Berthiaume. “The girls are going to have to make a commitment in the summertime to get into the gym and do some shooting. We have some athletes that are all-state caliber athletes in other sports that haven’t really made a commitment to basketball yet. Being a first-year coach, I’m hoping we can turn that around.”

The Tigers used a consistent full court press against Gorham, and double teamed whoever had possession of the ball to stop the offensive attack of the Rams before they could use it. By the end of the game, Biddeford’s defense had created 28 turnovers.

“That’s what Biddeford does,” said Berthiaume. “They were really over-aggressive in that first quarter. I thought at times when were able to get it over that first wave of a press that they have, we had some good opportunities, but it goes back to having the shots and needing to finish them, because if we do, it changes the game a little.”

“That’s been the heart of our team all year, our defensive press,” said Cote. “We try to get easy baskets off it, and we get turnovers and create some offense that way, and if we do that against South Portland, we’ll be in pretty good shape.”

While Biddeford advanced to the quarterfinals to face South Portland, the Rams have already begun preparing for the next season. With Burns returning, along with six sophomores and two freshmen, coach Berthiaume is optimistic about his team’s chances next year.

“I’m really high on a lot of these girls. There’s a lot to learn, and again, there’s going to have to be a commitment to work in the offseason to get better individually with their skills,” said Berthiaume. “I think if we can do that, and add Rachele (Burns) to the mix, we’ll be getting open shots instead of contested shots, and we’ll have those skills to incorporate in the games.”