SCARBOROUGH — The Scarborough High girls’ basketball players are still learning how to play Coach Tom Maines’ sometimes-demanding system.
Imagine how good the Red Storm will be when they finally grasp all its intricacies.
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No. 1 Scarborough remained unbeaten in Western Class A on Tuesday night, using relentless defensive pressure and clutch shooting from Mary Redmond to beat No. 2 Windham 46-44 at Alumni Gymnasium.
Redmond scored 22 points, 18 in the second half, including the final five of the game. Scarborough’s defense harassed Windham’s guard-oriented offense into 28 turnovers.
“We’re still learning how to play,” said Maines, in his first season at Scarborough – and his first time coaching girls. “We’ve made a lot of changes Every day they’re learning something new. We’ve only had 17 practices but they’ve come so far.”
“One thing that we’ve built our team around is guard play,” said Eagles Coach Jessie Cummings. “And it wasn’t there tonight. Credit Scarborough and its defense. Their pressure got to us. But our guard play wasn’t what it usually is.”
Scarborough (4-0), which was missing 6-foot-3 senior center Brittany Bona, trailed by eight points early in the second half before its defense – and Redmond – really took over. Redmond, who transferred to Scarborough this year from Gorham, scored 12 points in the third quarter, hitting two long 3-pointers to help the Red Storm pull within 37-36 entering the fourth.
There, the teams exchanged the lead five times, including three changes in the final 2:35.
Freshman Ashley Briggs (10 points) gave Scarborough a 41-40 lead when she hit two foul shots with 2:35 remaining.
Meghan Gribbin, who scored a game-high 23 points for Windham, dribbled right through Scarborough’s defense to score five seconds later and the Eagles (3-1) led 42-41.
Gribbin hit a pull-up jumper from the foul line with 1:47 left for a 44-41 lead, but Redmond pulled the Red Storm even. After Briggs missed a foul shot, Courtney Alofs grabbed the offensive rebound and tossed it back out to Redmond. She swished her third 3-pointer of the game to make it 44-44 with 1:16 left.
“She’s got a shooter’s mentality,” said Maines of Redmond. “The next one is always going in. And she proved that tonight. She had missed a couple before she took that last one.”
Windham couldn’t penetrate Scarborough’s defense and held the ball outside. Finally, Redmond stepped in front of a Gribbin pass and intercepted it.
“Her head was looking to the post the whole time,” said Redmond. “I just got over the side (of the player she was defending) and got the ball.”
She was immediately fouled with 27.7 seconds left. Redmond calmly hit both free throws and Scarborough had the lead at 46-44.
Was she nervous? Nope.
“I was just thinking that the ball was going to go in,” she said.
Carly Rogers blocked a Gribbin shot with just under 10 seconds left and Scarborough held on.
“This was a big game for us,” said Maines. “Looking at the Heal point standings, we were 1 and 2. I wanted to see how they would respond. And they responded well.”
Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at: mlowe@pressherald.com
Twitter: MikeLowePPH
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