South Portland 50

Biddeford 39

The South Portland girls’ basketball team survived a second half Biddeford run to move into the semifinals with a 50-39 win at the Portland Expo Monday night. Brianna Hawkins had 12 points for the Red Riots, who pulled away in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Jessica Aceto chipped in with 11 and Erin Stilphen had 10 points.

The game was a seesaw battle in the first quarter with each team spending time out front. But the Red Riots scored seven straight midway through the first to take the lead for good. At the end of the quarter, South Portland held a 14-7 lead.

The Riots increased their lead quickly in the second quarter. Hawkins scored four points as South Portland opened the second with an 8-0 run. Aceto and Stilphen chipped in on the run with two points each. The Riots were able to break Biddeford’s full court press and get some points on the transition. The run helped the Riots open up a 22-7 lead.

“We struggled with (the press) against them the first time,” said South Portland head coach Mike Giordano. “We wanted to make some corrections and we went a different way with that. I thought we were successful breaking their press, which didn’t allow them to score easy, then allowed us some easy transition baskets.”

But the Tigers weren’t done yet. Lauren Rousseau took over for the Biddeford in the closing minutes of the first half. She scored nine points in the second, including a three pointer. The Tigers finished the first half with a 12-5 run. At the break, the Riots still led 27-20.

“(Rousseau) got them back in the game with some runners in the lane,” Giordano said. “We know they are all guards and they can all shoot. And we did a pretty good job with that.”

Things were back and forth in the third quarter as the Tigers tried to claw their way back even with South Portland. But they could make no headway as the Riots matched them basket for basket. Late in the third, Aisha Jones hit a jumper to pull Biddeford within six points. But Danielle McCusker hit a jumper at the buzzer that made it a 38-30 score.

“Those are momentum shots,” said Giordano. “They had one at the end of the half that had me concerned. Then we had one at the end of the third that put us up eight. Those are momentum shots. She is a 60 percent shooter. We try to get her to shoot more but it’s just not her personality. But she can score.”

Armed with an eight-point lead, the Riots pulled away in the fourth. They began the final quarter with six straight points. McCusker and Hawkins accounted for the six points and suddenly the Tigers found themselves down by 14. The Riots dominated in the paint and were able to get second chances because of their size advantage.

“We’ve been bigger than most teams in the league,” said South Portland senior Kelsey Flaherty. “It’s not very often someone can match up. If we can keep getting the ball down low to them they will either get fouled or finish.”

The Tigers could only manage to get within nine points down the stretch. The Riots made sure they would get no closer with another 6-0 run that gave them a 50-35 lead. The Tigers scored the final four points of the game but it didn’t matter.

The Tigers finished the regular season with a 12-6 record to earn the seventh seed.

“I’m very proud of our season,” said Biddeford coach Ron Cote. “I think the girls work. One thing about this team is that they work extremely hard. My expectations are high. I motivate them to try to get the most out of them. We pressed all year, every single game and they worked their tails off.”

The Red Riots will play in the semifinals on Friday against Noble at the Cumberland County Civic Center as they continue their quest for a state title.

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