Kayla Burchill stood in the tunnel leading from the Deering High girls’ basketball team’s locker room minutes after the Rams beat Sanford 51-45 in the Western Class A semifinals Saturday night. As she spoke, warm-ups had already begun for the other semifinal between McAuley and Gorham.

Burchill, the leader of the Rams’ young club, was asked which team she preferred to play.

“Oh, I don’t care,’’ she said.

Really?

“Well, preferably McAuley,’’ she said. “Because they were picked to be No. 1 and we would like to prove everyone wrong.’’

Well, McAuley won, and tonight we’ll find out just who is No. 1 among Western Class A girls.

Top-ranked Deering (19-1) will play No. 2 McAuley (18-2) at the Cumberland County Civic Center at 6 p.m. The Western Class A boys’ final at 8 p.m. is also a 1-vs.-2 matchup: No. 1 Cheverus (20-0) against No. 2 Bonny Eagle (17-3).

Deering and McAuley split their two games during the regular season, each winning on the other’s home court. McAuley prevailed 47-43 in overtime on Feb. 3, and Deering won 38-35 on Feb. 10. They also played in the finals of the Capital City Hoop Classic in December, a game won by Deering, 52-48.

The common thread in all three games was that the team that imposed its will on the other won.

“What it comes down to,’’ said Deering Coach Mike Murphy, “is having that second, third and fourth effort on the same possession. And keeping them from getting that second, third and fourth effort. Loose balls, rebounds. We’ve got to control (freshman guard Allie) Clement, (all-state forward Rebecca) Knight and (shot-blocking center Alexa) Coulombe. They’ve got a nice squad.’’

As does Deering, with Burchill, Ella Ramonas and the emerging Chelsea Saucier.

“I think (the game) is what people have been talking about and looking for this whole season,’’ said Amy Vachon, the first-year coach at McAuley. “Obviously, they’re No. 1. And there are no secrets. They know what we’re going to do and we know what they’re going to do.

“It comes down to a matter of execution.’’

Defenses will be vital. The Rams won at McAuley by holding the Lions scoreless for the final five minutes McAuley’s success revolves around its defense.

“We’ve got to be patient,’’ said Murphy. “Their defense is effective when they take you out of what you want to run.’’
In each of their meetings so far, McAuley has gotten off to a quick start – leading by 10 in the Christmas tournament, up 13-1 at Deering, and leading by 14 in the third quarter at McAuley. And in each instance, Deering has fought back.

The Rams have experience in big games. This is their fourth consecutive trip to the regional final. Burchill will be playing her ninth game on the Civic Center floor. The Lions will be playing their third.

“That being said,’’ said Vachon, “once the ball goes up, it’s just a game.’’

WHEN THE No. 1 and No. 2 seeded teams in a tournament end up squaring off for a regional title, like tonight’s boys’ game between Cheverus and Bonny Eagle, it can be something special.

It doesn’t happen as often as you might think. Defending state champion  and top-ranked Cheverus is seeking its third Western Class A title in four years, while Bonny Eagle is trying to end a 16-year drought.

Tonight’s winner will play for the state championship Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center against either Bangor or Edward Little, who play tonight for the Eastern Maine title.

Cheverus and Bonny Eagle were originally slated to play Saturday night, but Friday’s snowstorm pushed the Western Class A girls’ semifinals back to Saturday, forcing both the boys’ and girls’ finals to be played tonight.

The Stags and Scots last played on Wednesday, when Cheverus rallied past Portland and Bonny Eagle beat Deering in the semifinals.

Coaches Bob Brown of Cheverus and Phil Bourassa of Bonny Eagle don’t feel the wait will have an effect.

“No, we are who we are,” said Brown. “The kids don’t care about the delay. They’re just going to go out and play.

“Hopefully, we’ll be better than we’ve been in our first two tournament games. We haven’t played well offensively yet, but we’ve acquitted ourselves well on defense.

“If we have another game like the last two, we won’t beat Bonny Eagle. They’re a nice team. Phil Bourassa had done a wonderful job with them.”

The Scots lost to Cheverus 63-34 at Bonny Eagle on Jan. 13. Four days later, the Scots lost to Sanford. They’ve won 10 straight games since.

“We’ve gotten better each game,” said Bourassa. “We’ve tweaked a few things.

“I don’t think the extra two days will matter. We’re used to dealing with the weather. It just means two more days of practice. The kids love being around each other. I think the fans are going to be treated to a great game.”

Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:
mlowe@pressherald.com

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com

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