WINDHAM — Cheverus High’s girls’ basketball team treated its final regular-season game as its first playoff game.
If the Stags keep playing the way they did through most of Thursday’s 54-38 Class AA North win against a quality Windham team, their postseason run could be lengthy.
“This is a big court. So if you advance, you’re going to play on a big court like this. I consider Windham one of the top teams. So, when you add all that up and playoffs start next week, I wanted to see how my girls would do,” said Cheverus Coach Bill Goodman. “This is a good start.”
Cheverus is also back to full strength. Sophomore Maddie Fitzpatrick, the team’s top scoring threat, and senior 3-point shooter Hayley Jordan are both recovered from injuries. In the first quarter, Fitzpatrick scored Cheverus’ first eight points, with a pair of 3s, and Jordan came off the bench and hit two 3-pointers.
“We’ve had this theme all year of being like a family and we’re all back together and I think it’s really translating into how we play, on offense and defense,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick finished with an economical 22 points, making 7 of 11 shots from the floor and 5 of 5 at the free-throw line. Jordan added 11 points.
Cheverus (14-3) appears locked in as the No. 2 seed behind Oxford Hills.
Windham (11-7) expects to finish in the fifth slot, which will mean a quarterfinal at Bangor.
Windham and Bangor split in the regular season, both teams winning at home. Against Cheverus, Eagles senior guard Sarah Talon scored 24 points, but Windham made only 2 of 16 3-point attempts. Its next high scorer was freshman Stella Jarvais with six points.
“It looks like we’re going up to Bangor, so for us, it’s making sure we’re getting off the bus ready to compete,” said Windham Coach Brody Artes. “We’ve got to hit some outside shots and get some secondary scoring.”
One of Cheverus’ losses is a forfeit. Cheverus chose to not play a Feb. 2 game at Hampden Academy, a team it had beaten 46-29 on Jan. 26 in Portland. Goodman said he could not comment on why Cheverus skipped the game.
On Wednesday, MPA Executive Director Mike Burnham also declined to give a reason but did say a forfeit was warranted because it was neither COVID issues nor weather related.
If the seeds hold as expected – and both teams win home quarterfinal games – Cheverus will face No. 3 Hampden in a regional semifinal.
Cheverus showed several traits of a winning team against Windham. It can vary its defensive approach and covers the half court well. Off rebounds and steals, the Stags are dangerous in transition, particularly when senior Lillian Singleton (12 points) gets loose. They also have a versatile seven-player rotation, and an inside scoring threat in sophomore Emma Lizotte.
“I’m proud of them that we can change defenses on a dime,” Goodman said. “We’ve been working on that since November.”
After falling behind 44-22 on Fitzpatrick’s third 3-pointer, Windham picked up its defensive intensity in the third quarter.
Powered by Talon’s 16 second-half points, the Eagles cut the lead to 46-35 with three minutes to play. Cheverus responded as it started with a three-point play from Fitzpatrick and 3-pointer from Jordan on successive trips.
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