If you were looking for any over-the-top excitement or jubilation from the Greely girls’ basketball team Saturday afternoon, you weren’t going to find much of it.

The third-seeded Rangers won their first Western Class B championship since 2004 by throttling ninth-seeded Cape Elizabeth 53-28 at the Cross Insurance Arena. There was celebration, but it was somewhat muted, almost businesslike.

“They want one more,” Greely Coach Joel Rogers said of his players. “For us to get over the hump as a program, it’s a big deal … we’ve got a bigger plan.”

Greely (19-2) will play Eastern Class B champ Presque Isle (19-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at the CIA. Greely’s last state title came in 2004; Presque Isle won back-to-back titles in 2012-13.

Senior center Ashley Storey led the Rangers with 14 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. She earned the Mike DiRenzo Award as the tournament’s outstanding player/sportsperson.

But as always, this was a team effort. The Rangers hit seven 3-pointers, by six different players, and played the trademark defense that has allowed them to shut down any offense. Twelve times this season Greely has held opponents to 30 or fewer points. They’ve given up an average of 31 in three tournament victories.

It was Greely’s man-to-man defense – not the 2-3 zone it plays most of the time – that turned this game around. The Rangers used it a little in the first half, then switched to it full time when the Capers pulled within 24-17 with 5:23 left in the third quarter after uncontested foul-line jumpers by Hannah Sawyer (her only basket after scoring 28 in the semifinals) and Carter Harvey.

As the Rangers brought the ball upcourt, Rogers simply shouted, “man-to-man.”

“The kids are athletes and really smart, so I don’t have to burn a timeout to tell them to change,” he said. “You just tell them what to do and they go out and do it.”

Greely, which had lost in the regional semifinals the last two years and last reached the regional final in 2012, closed out the quarter with a 17-3 run to take a 41-20 lead into the fourth. They smothered Cape’s shooters and didn’t allow any open looks.

Moira Train started the run with two foul shots, then a steal and layup, and Haley Felkel hit a short jumper the next time down. Then the Rangers dropped in three of their 3-pointers – by Storey, Isabel Porter and Molly Chapin – as they finally got into a rhythm.

“I think when our defense comes through, our offense will definitely come through,” said Storey.

Cape Elizabeth (12-10), which lost three times this season to Greely, would get only three field goals the rest of the game.

“Their defense is what they do,” said Cape Coach Christine Casterella. “I think they pride themselves on defense. Unfortunately they took us totally out of the game. All three games with them have been a struggle.

“We couldn’t get into a flow, we couldn’t set up our shooters, we couldn’t get good ball movement. And nothing fell.”

Cape Elizabeth, which was led by Maddie Bowe with 17 points, stayed in this one early with its 1-3-1 zone, which collapsed on the 6-foot-1 Storey and got out quickly on Greely’s shooters.

But when Greely’s Sarah Felkel – who rarely shoots – hit a jumper and then a 3-pointer, the Rangers were up 18-9. More importantly, said Rogers, it told the others Rangers “that everybody’s got to step up.”

And they did.

Haley Felkel had 12 points, Train finished with nine and Chapin scored eight.

And now the Rangers are looking for one more title.

“It’s exciting,” said Sarah Felkel. “We want more. We’re not done yet.”

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