PORTLAND—Megan Rumelhart never had a doubt.

In her team’s ability to come back.

Or her ability to hit the biggest shot of the season to date.

Monday afternoon at Keegan Gymnasium, Rumelhart, a senior captain, and her Scarborough girls’ basketball teammates were giving the reigning Class AA state champion Cheverus Stags all they handle in a midseason showdown, but it appeared as if they were going to fall just short.

Until the Red Storm pulled off an unforgettable comeback that propelled them into the discussion of the state’s top contenders and staggered the Stags in the process.

Cheverus, which hadn’t lost a game in nearly two years, got off to a sluggish start, but four late points from sophomore Addison Jordan produced a 10-6 lead after one quarter.

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The teams traded big shots in the second period and after a late 3 from Rumelhart, Scarborough was within three points, 22-19, at the half.

The Red Storm took a momentary lead in the third quarter but five quick points from junior Anna Goodman allowed the Stags to cling to a 36-31 advantage heading to the fourth period.

And there, on three different occasions, Cheverus pushed its advantage to seven, the last at 44-37 on a Jordan putback with 2:13 remaining.

But Scarborough would save its best for last and turn its season around.

Two free throws apiece from senior Isabel Freedman and Rumelhart, sandwiched around a runner from sophomore Eva Alvarez, cut the deficit to one, but time was running out and the Red Storm needed to get the ball back.

After turning the Stags over with 13 seconds to play, Scarborough got its chance and with 6.1 seconds showing, Rumelhart got the ball from senior captain Emerson Flaker and drained an open 3 to give her team the improbable lead.

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After a Cheverus turnover, Rumelhart added one more foul shot and the Red Storm prevailed, 47-44.

Alvarez scored a game-high 15 points, Rumelhart added 11 and Scarborough snapped a two-game skid, improved to 4-3, handed the Stags their first loss in seven outings this season, snapping Cheverus’ 27-game win streak and its nearly five-year, 37-game home win streak in the process.

“It’s so big to come to Cheverus and beat a team that won the state championship,” said Rumelhart. “We didn’t have any doubt. The whole team stepped up. We just had a lot of energy this game and came out strong. We knew we could do it.”

Out of nowhere

Scarborough was a regional finalist in 2023-24 and had been up and down so far this season.

The Red Storm started with a 54-14 victory at Bonny Eagle, then downed visiting Portland (48-31), before dropping a 51-32 decision at South Portland. After a 53-35 win at Thornton Academy, Scarborough lost at home to reigning Class AA South champion Gorham in a regional final rematch (43-32), then fell at Sanford (54-52).

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Cheverus, meanwhile, rolled to the 2024 Class AA title behind Miss Maine Basketball Maddie Fitzpatrick and postseason standout Ruth Boles and hadn’t missed a beat in the early going this winter, thanks in large part to the addition of prolific scoring junior point guard Kylie Lamson.

The Stags opened by downing visiting Deering (59-16), then defeated host Bonny Eagle (68-29), host Portland (59-36), visiting South Portland (57-47), host Bangor (61-35) and visiting Windham (61-41), in a game which saw Lamson tie Fitzpatrick for the program’s single-game scoring record (36 points).

Last year, the Red Storm gave the host Stags a scare before Cheverus prevailed, 46-37.

Monday, the Stags expected to keep the good times rolling and were seconds away from doing just that before  Scarborough came alive late and beat Cheverus for the first time since Jan. 21, 2022 (45-40 at home), handing the Stags their first home setback since Feb. 13, 2020 (49-44 to Windham in the Class AA North quarterfinals).

Cheverus junior Kylie Lamson goes up for a shot Monday afternoon as Scarborough senior Emerson Flaker defends. Flaker held Lamson to 10 points and the Red Storm beat the defending state champion Stags, 47-44. Photos courtesy Kneka Smith.

The Red Storm were short-handed for this one, as senior Ellie Rumelhart, a captain and Megan Rumelhart’s twin sister, wasn’t able to play due to an ankle injury.

“We expected Ellie to be able to play and when she couldn’t after warmups, everyone on our team had to step up,” said Megan Rumelhart, who missed a game earlier this season with an ankle injury of her own.

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“They’re twins, do I have to say any more?” said Scarborough coach Mike Giordano.

Alvarez set an early tone that Red Storm came to win by driving for a layup 46 seconds in to break the ice.

After Goodman tied the game with a layup, off a feed from senior Rachel Feeley following an offensive rebound, Rumelhart banked home a shot on the run.

Sophomore Abby Kelly tied the score again with two foul shots before a driving layup from Freedman gave Scarborough its last lead of the first half, 6-4.

With 2:41 to go in the opening stanza, Jordan scored an old-fashioned three-point play, making a layup after an offensive rebound, getting fouled, then adding the free throw.

After Goodman took a feed from senior Evelyn Rush and made a layup, a Jordan free throw with 18 seconds to go put Cheverus in front, 10-6, after eight hard-fought minutes, which included a combined 13 turnovers.

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While the Stags had the early lead, Lamson had been held scoreless by Flaker, one of the elite defenders in the state.

“I was a little nervous to play against her, but I love to play tough defense and I like when I get to guard someone who is really good,” Flaker said. “Megan helped me out. We doubled her sometimes when she had the ball so make sure she couldn’t get easy baskets.”

Junior Helena Bukarac knocked down a 3-ball for the Red Storm 20 seconds into the second period, snapping a 4 minute, 9 second scoring drought, but after Feeley was sidelined with her third foul, Lamson set up Goodman for a 3.

Alvarez countered with a runner on the baseline, but with 5:47 left in the half, after Jordan kept possession alive with an offensive rebound, she found Lamson and Lamson had enough room to knock down a 3 to make it 16-11.

Scarborough hung tough, as Flaker hit a 3, from Freedman off an inbounds set, but Jordan set up sophomore Emilie Umland for another 3.

After Alvarez scored on a runner in the lane, Umland sank two free throws, then she hit one more with 1:11 to go.

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With 18.8 seconds showing, in a sign of big things to come, Rumelhart took a pass from Flaker in transition and knocked down a 3-ball to pull the Red Storm within three points, 22-19, at the break.

There would be little separation in the third quarter as well.

Scarborough senior Isabel Freedman and Cheverus sophomore Addison Jordan battle for the ball.

After Alvarez went coast-to-coast to cut the deficit to just one, Jordan found Umland for another corner 3.

Freedman then set up Alvarez for a 3 before a layup after a steal by Flaker gave Scarborough a 26-25 lead with 6:20 on the clock.

The Red Storm’s momentum was then thwarted, as Alvarez picked up her fourth foul and had to sit.

Cheverus answered, as Lamson pulled up and knocked down a 3 before a driving bank shot from Freedman tied the score, 28-28.

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The Stags retook the lead on a three-point play from Kelly, but with 3:42 to go in third, Flaker set up junior Avery Murphy for a transition 3 to tie the game for the fourth and final time.

With 2:41 to go in the frame, after a Murphy 3 for the lead at one end went in-and-out, Lamson set up Goodman on the fastbreak for a layup at the other.

Ten seconds later, Lamson found Goodman for a 3 and Cheverus held a 36-31 advantage into the fourth quarter.

But the Stags couldn’t hold on.

After Lamson opened the period with a pullup jumper after a steal, Feeley was called for her fourth foul.

With 6:17 left, Freedman made two free throws, ending a 5:25 drought.

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Jordan then set up Lamson for a jumper in transition and while Alvarez countered with two free throws, Umland set up Jordan for a layup with 3:44 to go and Cheverus was up, 42-35.

After Flaker made two free throws, Jordan got an offensive rebound, missed a shot, tried again, missed again, then finally put it in on the third effort and with 2:13 remaining, the Stags were again in front by seven and on the brink of victory.

But Scarborough refused to fold.

First, with 1:48 left, Freedman hit two free throws.

After Bukarac missed a 3, the Red Storm got the ball back and as the clock ticked under a minute, an Alvarez runner, which was her team’s first field goal of the quarter, rolled home to make it a one-possession game, 44-41.

Cheverus then turned the ball over and with 32.2 seconds remaining, Rumelhart went to the line. She sank both attempts and the deficit was down to just one.

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While many Stags fans in attendance were making it well known that the foul count in the fourth quarter was 8-0 Cheverus, the flip side to that was that Scarborough needed to foul quickly to get the ball back and have a chance to complete the comeback.

The Red Storm did manage two fouls, but clock ticked down to 13 seconds in the process.

Then, out of a timeout, with Scarborough primed to foul again, the Stags weren’t able to get the ball in against the physical Red Storm defense and a five-second violation was called, giving the visitors life.

“That five-count was huge,” said Rumelhart. “It turned the game and gave us the ability to go down and score.”

“That was a big five-second call,” Giordano said. “We would have continued to foul with the hope there would be some time left on the clock. That was the negative to not having any fouls. I wouldn’t trade that because we had played really good defense and we were not fouling.”

Scarborough then inbounded the ball to Flaker, who raced into the frontcourt. When the defense shifted to her, she spied an open Rumelhart and Rumelhart didn’t hesitate, soaring for a 3-pointer with Jordan lunging at her too late and with 6.1 seconds on the clock, the shot found nothing but net for the lead.

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Scarborough senior Megan Rumelhart knocks down the go-ahead 3-point shot over Cheverus sophomore Addison Jordan late in regulation.

“I saw I was open,” said Rumelhart. “I saw (Jordan) come at me, but I knew I had time to get the shot off and I just shot it and hoped for the best. It did feel good. I had shot well in warmups, so I had confidence going into the game. It wasn’t over, but that fully boosted our energy. I was just so happy.”

“I was just going to drive to the basket and look for an open person, then Megan was at the top of the key wide open,” Flaker said. “I had a good feeling it was going in.”

“We were just looking for an open shot,” added Giordano. “(Megan) was a leader today and she stepped right into that with confidence. We tell the kids in practice every day to shoot with confidence and she did. She’ll never forget it and you know who else will never forget it? Me. I knew it was in.”

After a lengthy discussion, 5 seconds were put on the clock, leaving Cheverus time to answer, but the Stags’ inbounds pass was long and came to Rumelhart, who was fouled with 2.1 seconds to go.

“That steal was big,” Rumelhart said. “Izzy had a lot of pressure on the front, so they had to throw it in and it allowed me to go get it.”

“In that situation, we knew who could beat us and we wanted to make someone else do it, then we got the steal,” Giordano said.

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Rumelhart calmly sank the first free throw.

“After the first one went in, I felt good,” Rumelhart said. “I knew if I missed, it will kill more time, so I wasn’t too worried.”

Rumelhart did miss the second attempt and Kelly got the rebound, but before Cheverus could attempt a miracle bid to force overtime, Flaker intercepted the pass and at 3:57 p.m., the Red Storm rushed the court and celebrated their 47-44 victory.

Scarborough senior Isabel Freedman, left, freshman Ella Herzberg, senior Emerson Flaker and sophomore Eva Alvarez celebrate the victory.

“That (steal at the end) was great,” Flaker said. “That was when I realized that we really did it. Last year, we were pretty close (against Cheverus) and we knew if we played with enough energy today, we could break them down. I love basketball. The sound echoes in the gym. You can hear all the fans yelling and cheering. Everybody was so excited. It was just a great feeling.”

“We had bursts of points, so we had total confidence,” Rumelhart said. “It’s so much fun. There was so much energy in the gym. The crowd boosted it.”

“Yes, it’s a special win,” Giordano added. “I told the girls that people will open the newspaper tomorrow morning and wonder how we won. The only people that expected us to win are right here. The girls accomplished it. We just fought back. This was a nice win for Heal Points. We play them again and we’ll know what to expect.”

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Alvarez played with poise and tenacity throughout and led the way with 15 points. Rumelhart added 11, to go with five rebounds. Freedman, who stands 5-foot-6, was a force in the post and finished with eight points and eight rebounds.

“Izzy was huge in the middle,” Rumelhart said. “We needed someone to body up in the middle.”

Flaker tallied seven points, nine steals, five rebounds and four assists, but of greatest importance, prevented Lamson from having a huge game.

“Emmie really locked up on Kylie and kept her to minimal points,” Rumelhart said. “That was huge.”

“I told the kids that I don’t think (the Stags were) as good as they were last year,” Giordano said. “They’re good and of course, Kylie’s off to a great start, but I thought we had an answer for Kylie today and you know who she is. We gave (Emmie) some help at times, but for the most part, it was her call. She matched up really well with (Kylie). She matches up well with everybody. She’s so quick.”

Bukarac and Murphy each added three points. Junior Avery Bastian and freshman Ella Herzberg didn’t score, but provided some key minutes off the bench.

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“We played from behind the whole way and we got contributions from a lot of kids,” Giordano said. “Without Ellie today, the kids stepped up.”

Scarborough made 11 of 14 free throws (all coming in the fourth quarter) and overcame 17 turnovers.

Stunned

Cheverus got 12 points and six rebounds from Goodman. Lamson added 10 points (to go with four rebounds, three assists and two steals), Umland finished with nine points, three rebounds and three steals, Jordan had eight points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and two steals and Kelly tallied five points, to go with a game-high dozen rebounds.

“I thought Anna had her best game and Emilie Umland stepped up,” said Cheverus coach Billy Goodman. “I’m proud of them.”

The Stags had a 47-31 edge on the glass and made 8 of 12 free throws, but were doomed in part by 20 turnovers.

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“It’s my fault,” said Billy Goodman. “I didn’t teach my team how to handle pressure. They did a good job on Kylie, but we had the lead. We just didn’t handle it well. I should have done something different. I’m still trying to learn my team.

“It’s not that we lost, it’s how we lost. Everything happens for a reason.”

On to 2025

The teams will meet again Jan. 28 in Scarborough.

Cheverus, which hadn’t lost a game in 2024 until Monday, hopes to bounce right back Thursday at home versus Edward Little. The Stags then go to Gorham for a state game rematch Saturday.

“We have to watch the film and learn from it and hopefully we’ll get better,” said Billy Goodman. “We have a lot of good games coming up. The more of these games we play, the better we’ll be. We have to figure out our weaknesses and work on them.”

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The new year for Scarborough begins Thursday when South Portland pays a visit.

“It’s definitely a confidence-booster going into South Portland Thursday,” said Flaker. “We’ll have a lot of energy going into that game.”

“I think we just need to come out strong in the first half,” Rumelhart said. “A couple games we’ve come out slow to start. If we start strong, we have a chance to beat everyone.”

“This is huge for our confidence,” Giordano added. “The games are going to get bigger and bigger. The girls know that the coaching staff believes in them. We just have to get them to believe in themselves. If they do that, there isn’t anyone we can’t beat.”

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

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