YARMOUTH—Spruce Mountain’s girls’ basketball team couldn’t have asked for a better start in its inter-conference game at Yarmouth Saturday afternoon.

In the first minute, sophomore Maddie Grimaldi sank three 3-pointers to put the Phoenix ahead to stay and they led, 15-8, after one quarter.

Spruce Mountain’s defense then stole the show in the second period, pitching a shutout, and by the halftime break, the advantage was 20 points, 28-8.

The Clippers drew within 16, 35-19, after three quarters and even crept within 13 on a 3-pointer from sophomore Rory Tompkins early in the fourth, but the Phoenix were able to go on and close out a 40-22 victory.

Grimaldi led all scorers with 13 points and Spruce Mountain stayed perfect on the season, improving to 4-0, while dropping Yarmouth to 2-3 in the process.

“It was a tough start for us,” said Clippers coach Tom Panozzo. “I think games like this are very important. Games like this make us tougher.”

Early test

Spruce Mountain got to the Class B state final in 2023 (losing by a point to Ellsworth), then reached the regional final last season before losing to Oceanside.

This winter, the Phoenix are viewed as one of the favorites and they started fast by beating Hall-Dale (50-46), Madison (36-27) and Winthrop (48-36).

Yarmouth began with a 41-34 home loss to York, then defeated host Cape Elizabeth (37-14). After a 55-50 overtime setback at Lake Region, the Clippers handled visiting Waynflete Thursday, 38-12.

The teams didn’t meet a year ago in the regular season, but they did produce a memorable Class B South quarterfinal, as a late Yarmouth rally fell a point short, 47-46.

Saturday, the Clippers hoped to hang tough again, but an early Spruce Mountain surge proved to be too much to overcome.

The ball goes up for the opening tip in Saturday’s Spruce Mountain 40-24 win at Yarmouth. Hoffer photos.

Just 29 seconds in, Grimaldi set the tone, burying a 3 to put the Phoenix in front to stay.

The next time down the floor, Grimaldi got a pass from senior Avery Bessey and sank another 3.

Then, with 6:56 to go in the first quarter, Grimaldi sank yet another 3 and the lead was 9-0 before the fans could settle in.

“That was certainly a great start for us,” said Spruce Mountain coach Zach Keene. “A good start was a focus for us.”

Senior Riley Small added a jumper, then Small scored on a putback and with the game a little over three minutes old, the score was 13-0.

With 1:53 left in the frame, the Clippers broke the ice, as Tompkins took a pass from senior Julia Brown on the press-break and made a layup.

Bessey got two points back at the line for the Phoenix, but Tompkins came to life in the final minute, taking a pass from sophomore Giselle Jabar and driving for a layup before draining a long jumper and making a layup after a steal to cut the deficit to a manageable 15-8.

But Yarmouth wouldn’t score a single point in the second quarter and Spruce Mountain pulled away.

Freshman reserve Aisla Armandi began the frame with a spinning layup, then she got a pass from freshman Lily Bellrose and made a layup with her left hand.

After Bellrose sank a free throw, sophomore Zoe Groomes did the same, then Bellrose made a layup after a steal.

Grimaldi then set up Bessey for a 3 and another Armandi layup made the score 28-8 at the half.

Grimaldi led the way with nine points while the Phoenix forced 17 Clippers’ turnovers in the first 16 minutes.

Yarmouth sophomore Rory Tompkins fires a 3-pointer.

Yarmouth began the second half with a 3-ball from sophomore Evangeline Hagerty, ending an 8 minute, 50 second scoring drought in the process.

Bessey countered with a 3 from the corner, then Grimaldi drove for a layup to make it 33-11.

After Hagerty made a layup, from Tompkins, sophomore Marian Pitney made a jumper in the lane for the Clippers, then Pitney was fouled and sank both free throws to cut the deficit to 16 points, 33-17.

Grimaldi countered with a finger roll off the glass, but a late putback from senior Julia Brown made the score 35-19 heading to the fourth.

There, Tompkins began with a 3 to make things interesting, but Armandi made a free throw, then Bessey sank a jumper to essentially salt it away.

With 3:26 to go, two Pitney free throws accounted for Yarmouth’s final points, then a layup after a steal from Armandi brought the curtain down on Spruce Mountain’s 40-24 victory.

Grimaldi led all players with 13 points. She also had three steals. Bessey also finished in double figures with 10 points (to go with four rebounds). Armandi contributed nine points (and four steals), Small had four points (to go with a game-high 11 rebounds and four steals), Bellrose three and Groomes one.

The Phoenix overcame 20 turnovers and made 5 of 8 free throws.

Yarmouth got 11 points from Tompkins, who also had four rebounds and two steals.

Pitney added six points, Hagerty had five and Brown two.

The Clippers had a 30-28 edge on the glass and shot 4-of-7 from the free throw line, but turned the ball over 24 times.

Hitting their stride

Spruce Mountain has three games remaining before the calendar flips. Monday, the Phoenix go to Boothbay. After meeting Wells next Saturday, Spruce Mountain is home versus Monmouth Academy Dec. 31.

“We can get better,” said Keene. “We want to be our best in February.”

Yarmouth goes to Oceanside Friday in its 2024 finale.

“It’s just finding that energy and intensity,” Panozzo said. “We’re young. We’re learning our offense and how to adjust to that.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.