CUMBERLAND — Greely’s high-powered offense wasn’t connecting in the first quarter of a girls’ basketball showdown Friday night against South Portland, but the Rangers showed everyone that they’re quite capable of playing good defense as well.

Greely didn’t hit a 3-pointer until just seconds remained in the first quarter, but that shot, from Camille Clement, put the defending Class A champions on top for good.

The Rangers then rained down 3s in the second quarter, and after holding just a five-point lead at halftime, they gradually pulled away in the second half and downed Class AA South Portland, 66-50.

The Rangers were led, as usual, by their stellar triumvirate of Clement, Anna DeWolfe and Brooke Obar, and they also got a big contribution off the bench from Katie Fitzpatrick as they improved to 3-0.

“Our defense really showed up,” said Greely Coach Todd Flaherty. “We did a nice job, especially in the half court.”

DeWolfe scored eight quick points in the first quarter before having to sit after picking up two fouls. South Portland then opened up a four-point lead on a Jena Leckie jumper, but five late points from Clement put Greely ahead 13-12 after eight minutes.

The Rangers then got their long-range shooting going early in the second quarter, as Obar made three 3s and DeWolfe added another before a DeWolfe runner made it 29-18.

“We stepped up on defense,” said DeWolfe. “We know we can shoot and score. We don’t care who scores. We feed off everyone else.”

The Red Riots battled back before halftime, as Leckie’s three-point play capped a 6-0 run to cut Greely’s lead to five.

The Rangers pulled away in the third, as DeWolfe, Obar and Clement all made 3s. The lead grew to 51-33 before a Bela Cloutier 3 gave South Portland a little momentum heading into the final quarter.

DeWolfe finished with 29 points, to go with seven rebounds and three steals. Clement and Obar added 15 points apiece, and Fitzpatrick, who played for the Rangers as a freshman and returned to Greely after one year away when Maine Girls’ Academy closed, scored six points and grabbed eight rebounds.

“My personal goal is to outrebound everyone, and I also try to create steals for my teammates,” said Fitzpatrick.

South Portland (2-1) got 19 points and nine rebounds from Leckie. Maggie Whitmore, who played a big role in South Portland’s win over the Rangers last year, was held to nine points, all in the second half.

“Brooke challenged Maggie today, and I think it’s the best defensive game she’s played in three years,” Flaherty said.

Cloutier and Kaleisha Towle each finished with eight points for South Portland.

“We got beaten by a really good team,” said Red Riots Coach Lynne Hasson. “(Greely) shot the ball really well and we didn’t close out, so they got a lot of open looks.

“I’m glad we played Greely, because they’re great competition, but we have to start taking advantage of our size and we have to do better executing our offense.”

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