The basketball regular season has hit its midway point and both South Portland squads are looking strong, while Cape Elizabeth has some work to do to punch its ticket to the tournament.

Red hot

South Portland’s Manny Hidalgo shoots in traffic during Tuesday’s win at reigning Class AA champion Windham. Ben McCanna / Portland Press Herald

South Portland’s boys basketball team extended its win streak to six games with home victories over Scarborough (78-47) and Portland (70-48) and a dramatic 55-54 win at reigning state champion Windham Tuesday night. In the win over the Red Storm, Manny Hidalgo went off for 31 points. Against the Bulldogs, in a game South Portland never trailed, Hidalgo led the way with 23 points, Tom Maloji added 13 and Gabe Jackson finished with 11.

“Last game, I was pretty hot, so I wanted that to carry over to this game and hopefully carry over the rest of the season,” said Hidalgo.

“It’s just us communicating, starting on defense,” said Maloji. “Once we get that part, the offense starts rolling and everyone gets in a rhythm and gets more engaged. When we kind of slow it down and go one-and-one, it’s hard to move the ball, but when we’re unselfish, it makes it hard for other teams.”

“I’ve always told the kids that when we’re moving the ball, it’s like a symphony,” added Red Riots coach Kevin Millington. “It’s really hard to get kids to share the ball, but these guys are great. They’re really buying into sharing it. We’re trending in the right direction and I appreciate that.”

Against the Eagles, Hidalgo had 25 points, including the winning basketball with just four seconds left.

“I’m just Manny,” Hidalgo said. “I just do it. I don’t know. I wanted to score and I wanted to win and I did it. I’m not that tall. I’ve got heart and bounce, so that’s what matters. It’s based off skill and just being strong.”

”I don’t think Windham shot as well as they normally do,” said Millington, a longtime teacher at Windham High School. “They missed some shots and Manny is an incredible player and made some big shots for us. He’s very efficient and he makes a lot of creative shots. I always use the word electric and part of that is his size. He does things that make you go, ‘Wow.’”

South Portland (ranked first in the Class AA South Heal Points standings) goes to Oxford Hills Saturday and travels to Thornton Academy for a playoff rematch Tuesday of next week.

South Portland’s girls were 8-2 and third in Class AA South after recent wins at Scarborough (47-25) and Portland (53-30) and Tuesday’s 35-33 home loss to Windham. Emma Travis and Annie Whitmore scored 11 points apiece as the Red Riots outscored the Red Storm, 30-11, in the second half. In the win over the Bulldogs, Caleigh Corcoran led the way with 16 points, Destiny Peter added 12 and Whitmore finished with 10. Against the Eagles, South Portland’s five-game win streak was snapped despite 12 points from Whitmore and 10 from Peter.

“It was a struggle,” lamented Red Riots first-year coach Brianne Maloney. “Their defense slowed us down, which isn’t how we want to play. We weren’t looking to attack and be aggressive. It’s tough when they pack it in in the paint, but we have to keep the mindset that we’re better when we get to the rim. Shots weren’t falling and we didn’t take care of the basketball. You can’t score if the ball’s not in your possession.”

South Portland has a home showdown versus powerhouse Oxford Hills Saturday, then welcomes Thornton Academy Tuesday of next week.

“Our mindset from the beginning of the season has to get to February and that’s when we need to be at our best,” Maloney said. “Wins, losses, we’re just trying to get better each game. We’ve got to figure out a way to not turn the ball over as much as we do. That’s what we’re focusing on and that’s what will matter come February.”

Time for a turnaround

Cape Elizabeth’s Tim Fredericks shoots over a Waynflete defender during Tuesday’s contest. Fredericks scored 20 points to help the Capers prevail, 72-61. Courtesy Kneka Smith. 

Cape Elizabeth’s boys lost at home last week to York (69-51) and Yarmouth (71-49), then improved to 3-6 Tuesday with a 72-61 win at Waynflete. Finn Connolly had 16 points against the Wildcats. In the victory, Eli Smith led the way with 24 points and Tim Fredericks added 20 as the Capers built an 18-point lead and held on.

“We let up a little bit, but we finished the game off strong,” said Fredericks. “We used what we learned from past losses. The past couple games we haven’t been playing very good, so we needed a win to earn a spot in the playoffs.”

“We got a win and we badly need wins,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Jeff Mitchell. “We’re just glad to get out of here victorious.”

The Capers (11th in Class B South) hosted Lake Region Thursday and welcome Poland Tuesday of next week.

“We’re a young team and we’re all pretty new,” Fredericks said. “A lot of players are learning the offense and defense and we’re getting better every day.”

“We have to carry this momentum and learn from the mistakes that we made, which were plenty,” said Jeff Mitchell. “We talk about what we’re building toward a chance to get back to the Expo (for the tournament). We’re so volatile. We need to be more consistent. This week will tell us a lot.”

The Capers girls fell to 0-9 after losing at York (52-23) and Yarmouth (46-25) last week, then falling at home versus Waynflete Tuesday (31-25). Mei Martinez scored seven points in the loss to the Wildcats. Against the Flyers, Lila Rosu-Myles scored 16 points.

Cape Elizabeth (14th in Class B South) was at Lake Region Thursday, hosts Noble Saturday, then travels to Poland Tuesday of next week.