There are big shakeups on both the boys and girls sides after an eventful week of high school hoops action in the SMAA. The Cheverus boys usurp the No. 1 slot after defeating Westbrook, the previous No. 1, early in the week. But the bigger story is on the girls side, as two-time defending state champion Deering lost not once, but twice on the week after going undefeated for some 23 months. The Rams were shocked by Sanford on Tuesday to snap a 37-game win streak, then squandered a double-digit lead in the second half and fell by two to Scarborough, which takes over the top position.

In other moves, Deering enters the boys rankings at No. 5, taking Windham’s place. Biddeford moves up a spot on the girls side, where Cheverus and McAuley crack the top five as Thornton Academy and South Portland fall out.

For games played through Dec. 12.

Boys Basketball Front Five

1. Cheverus (3-0): With only one starter back from last year’s team that went undefeated in the regular season before getting knocked off in the tournament semifinals, there were questions about the Stags’ youth, chemistry and physicality. They were answered on Tuesday, when Indiana Faithfull (the lone returning starter) lifted the Stags past Westbrook, 50-48, with a tough driving bank shot in the waning seconds. There are new players in new positions for Cheverus, but the Stags already appear to be in mid-season form. They smoked Kennebunk 70-29 on Friday. They are slated to host Portland and Windham this week.

2. South Portland (4-0): The Red Riots capped off a three-win week with a 61-38 road win over Gorham. It was the second contest in a row in which South Portland had three players score in double figures. With top player Keegan Hyland out for at least a few more weeks, the rest of the Riots have stepped up to pick up the scoring slack. The schedule is relatively light through the rest of the month. South Portland could be unbeaten when Hyland does return, which would put the Riots in prime position for the stretch run.

3. Westbrook (2-1): The Blue Blazes bounced back well from Tuesday’s road loss to Cheverus, clobbering Windham 66-51 on Friday night without leading scorer and starting center Dominic Borelli, who was resting a lower-body ailment. Reserve Trevor Bates got the starting nod and filled in admirably, working hard on the blocks for 14 points. The Blazes have an excellent inside game and point guard Jose Nouchanthavong is averaging over 12 points a night while creating opportunities for everyone else. Sean Murphy, a 6-foot-5 forward with NBA 3-ball range on his jumper, hasn’t heated up yet. If he’s on from behind the arc, Westbrook’s offense is going to be awfully tough to slow down.

4. Thornton Academy (3-0): In Andrew Shaw and James Ek, the Golden Trojans have two players that can put up 20 or 30 points on a given night. Thornton got a scare this week from Gorham, needing to go to overtime to get past the Rams, 80-73. The schedule heats up just before the holiday break and gets very challenging to start the New Year. Defensive consistency and rebounding will be key if the Trojans want to make a bid to repeat as Class A state champs.

5. Deering (3-0): The Rams have won all three of their games by at least 13 points and have scored at least 63 points each time out. While lacking size, Deering has some athletes and scorers. The early schedule is favorable for the Rams. It should allow them to build chemistry and confidence before facing the top contenders. This is a team that cannot be overlooked. Remember, Thornton’s closest game in last year’s championship playoff run came in the quarterfinals against Deering.

The rest of the pack: Portland (2-1) has won two straight after dropping its opener to Thornton. … Biddeford, too, stands at 2-1 after winning two games during the week. … Scarborough (2-1) split during the week, defeating Massabesic before falling to Deering. … Gorham (1-3) has perhaps the toughest first-half schedule. The Rams have been close in all but one of their first four games. … Bonny Eagle, Sanford and Windham are all 1-2 two weeks into the season. … Kennebunk, Marshwood, Massabesic and Noble (all 0-3) enter the third week in search of their first win.

Girls Basketball Front Five

1. Scarborough (3-0): While Friday’s showdown between the Red Storm and Deering lost some of its luster after Sanford stunned Deering earlier in the week, the game itself wasn’t lacking in excitement as Scarborough rallied from 12 down to edge the Rams 52-50. With its overall talent and depth, Scarborough looks to be the most complete team in the league this year. The Storm is the team to beat, at least for now.

2. Biddeford (3-0): The Tigers sent Sanford – coming off its huge upset over Deering – back to earth on Friday, pounding the Redskins 50-27. Biddeford enters a challenging four-game stretch starting this week, with Windham, Deering, Scarborough and Cheverus on tap before the New Year.

3. Deering (1-2): The Rams are no longer invincible. Sanford showed that on Tuesday when it upended Deering and its 37-game win streak, 38-33. But Deering is still pretty good. The Rams took Scarborough to the wire on the road on Friday. Deering gets to try out the role of semi-underdog for a while now.

4. Cheverus (4-0): The Stags graduated a load of seniors from last year’s playoff team, but have quietly started off with four wins, all by a dozen points or more. Sophomore guard Alexandra Palazzi-Leahy is leading Cheverus scorers with 17 points a game and has already made 14 3-pointers.

5. McAuley (2-1): The Lions have yet to break 40 points, but their opponents have yet to crack 35. After close wins over Marshwood and Thornton Academy to start the year, McAuley fell to Windham 35-26 on Friday. If the Lions can get their offense in gear, they’ll be in for a nice season.

The rest of the pack: Gorham (1-3) got its first win on Saturday, edging South Portland (2-2) in a rollercoaster thriller, 38-37. … Thornton Academy and Marshwood are 2-1 entering the season’s third week, while Kennebunk and Sanford are 1-1. … Noble, Bonny Eagle, Massabesic and Windham stood at 1-2 as of Saturday. … Westbrook (0-2) and Portland (0-4) were winless after two weeks.

Each week during the regular season, Tom Minervino will compile his SMAA Power Rankings based on results, performance, observations and conversations. The rankings will be posted on keepmecurrent.com each Monday and will run in Current Publishing’s six weekly papers later in the week.

Agree? Disagree? Think Minervino has gone mad? Let him know. Send comments and questions to tminervino@keepmecurrent.com.

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