SOUTH PORTLAND — South Portland’s girls’ basketball team had Friday night’s matchup against defending regional champion Gorham circled since the schedule came out.

After being upset by the Rams in last year’s semifinals, the Red Riots were eager to get another shot and they took out their lingering frustration with a 55-43 win at Beal Gymnasium.

South Portland rode a 21-0 run over the first and second quarters and never let Gorham get closer than eight points to win its 13th straight game.

The Red Riots’ defense was smothering, highlighted by Kaleisha Towle holding Gorham standout Mackenzie Holmes to 22 points, which is below her scoring average.

Maggie Whitmore scored 23 points for the Red Riots (15-1), who also got 18 points from Jena Leckie and forced 17 turnovers.

“This is a good measuring stick for us,” Whitmore said. “But February vacation is when we want to beat them.”

The Red Riots got off to a great start, closing the first quarter on a 13-0 run to take a 15-3 lead. Whitmore had eight point and Leckie five in that run.

Gorham was scoreless the final 6:12 and turned the ball over 11 times.

The Red Riots didn’t relent in the second quarter, capping their 21-0 run with a Leckie layup to make it 23-3.

With 4:39 to go in the half, Holmes scored her first point, a free throw, to snap the 9:33 drought. The Rams closed the quarter on a 10-3 run, capped by Adele Nadeau’s 3-pointer to make is 26-13 at the half.

Gorham (10-6) got closer midway through the third quarter when Brittany Desjardin’s 3-pointer cut South Portland’s lead to 31-23, but Leckie regained the Riots’ momentum with a steal and pass to Whitmore for a three-point play, then Leckie hit a 3 to help spark a 13-4 quarter-ending surge.

“Coach (Lynne Hasson) tells me to keep shooting and I do and sometimes the shots start falling,” Leckie said. “We just kept our composure and played as a team.”

Down the stretch, the Rams twice got within nine points, including 52-43 on a Holmes putback with 1:29 left, but Whitmore made two free throws and Leckie added one.

“The kids believed and executed the game plan,” said Hasson. “We’re a confident team. We have kids who have been around awhile. If we see (Gorham) again, we know we can beat them.”

Towle, with some help from her teammates, limited Holmes’ damage.

“Mackenzie is a really good player and she’s physical and can score, so I decided to match her intensity and just give my all,” said Towle.

The Rams also got 11 points from Nadeau and 10 from Desjardin, but fell short.

“It was encouraging the way we finished,” said Gorham Coach Laughn Berthiaume. “I’m not leaving here disappointed. I wish we started better, but a lot of positives came out of this game.”

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