PORTLAND – South Portland got a start it couldn’t have imagined, then did what it had to do the rest of the way Thursday night to beat Deering 50-39 in an SMAA boys’ basketball game.
The Red Riots (8-1) jumped to a 7-0 lead and soon led 14-2 before Deering (5-3) recovered somewhat. Vukasin Vignjevic hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter and had 10 of the Riots’ 16 first-quarter points.
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It was the second straight game that South Portland held its opponent in the 30s.
“This was a great win against a good Deering team,” said South Portland Coach Phil Conley, a former Deering player. “We played very good defense and rebounded the ball very well. We had great ball movement and were patient.
“We have very good athletes. They were inexperienced on the varsity level when the season began but they’re getting better with each game. Our guys hung tough.”
Deering got it down to a five-point deficit three times in the third quarter, but no closer.
It was a disappointing performance for the Rams, who last week played their best game of the season, beating Thornton Academy, 50-48.
“South Portland got off to a quick start with Vignjevic and we were playing catch-up the rest of the way,” said Deering Coach Dan LeGage.
“You have to give South Portland credit. They hit their shots. We didn’t attack their zone defense like we should have. We settled for jump shots and then we turned it over. We’re trying to get a consistent, high-energy effort in every game.”
After Vignjevic’s great start, the Riots got big boosts from Logan Gaddar and Jordan Muller.
Gaddar got loose inside for easy baskets, scoring twice on layups on out-of-bounds plays.
He finished with a game-high 15 points and played what Conley called his best game of the season.
“Gaddar was unbelievable under the hoop,” said Conley. “He got open and his teammates found him.”
Vignjevic finished with 13 points and Muller added 12.
Muller, a 5-foot-10 junior, is listed as a guard on the roster but often finds himself positioned on the foul line in certain alignments.
“Jordan shot the ball very well,” said Conley.
The Riots controlled the boards with Vignjevic, Gaddar and 6-7 center Matt Russell.
Vignjevic and Gaddar each had eight rebounds. Russell added seven.
Leading 36-27, South Portland put the game away by outscoring the Rams 9-2 early in the fourth quarter.
After Vignjevic hit his third 3-pointer of the game, Russell and Muller followed with a foul shot apiece around a basket by Rico Augustino of the Rams.
Then Gaddar and Muller scored baskets to give the Riots a 47-30 lead with just over three minutes remaining.
South Portland has been working on improving its ball movement in practice and it paid off.
“Staying together as a team was a key,” said Gaddar.
“We just ran our offense and took our time. They had some bigger kids than we’re used to so we knew we had to rebound. We worked hard on defense.”
While the Riots were patient on offense, Deering rushed its shots, couldn’t get its normal production from 3-point range and turned the ball over.
Deering had only three points for much of the fourth quarter.
The Rams were 1 of 8 from the foul line.
Jon Amabile led Deering with 10 points. Labson Abwoch added eight.
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
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