PARIS — On any given day, in any given season, shots just don’t fall, Even for some of Maine’s top teams. That was the case Friday for reigning state champion Cheverus in its 50-29 loss to Oxford Hills.

The last time the Class AA North rivals faced one another was at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland when the Stags beat the Vikings 48-38 to claim the Class AA North regional title.

“Last year’s team graduated, so this year’s team, we’ve had some good games and some bad games, and we’re going to see what our weaknesses are, watch the film and try to get better,” Cheverus coach Bill Goodman said. “Tonight was a bad game.”

Meanwhile, Oxford Hills senior Ella Pelletier scored 21 points to go along with 12 rebounds and a block. Big performances have become the norm for the Stonehill College commit, but mean even more in a win over the Stags.

“Cheverus is always just a big rivalry for us, it’s been since my freshman year, and ever since I’ve been growing up,” Pelletier said. “We’re both such good teams with that competitive nature, it just feels so good to get a good win.”

Goodman noted that Pelletier is a skilled all-around player who is difficult to contend with.

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“Ella is not only one of the best players on offense in the state, she’s a very good defender,” Goodman said. “She’s tough; that’s why I think, you know, she’s going to win some awards at the end of the year.”

The Stags (8-4) kept pace with the Vikings (11-2) the entire first half, as both teams struggled to make shots. Cheverus led by one after one quarter, and Oxford Hills was up 16-14 at halftime.

Goodman said the Stags’ defense was strong in the first two quarters, and Addison Jordan and Emilie Umland were grabbing rebounds on both ends of the floor. Offense was their downfall, which Goodman noted is difficult to overcome against a team as good as Oxford Hills.

“This year’s team is struggling with (shooting outside 3s). We got a lot of good looks, they just don’t go in,” Goodman said. “If they don’t go in, you’re going to lose, so we’ve just got to keep practicing shooting.”

Vikings finish strong

Oxford Hills doubled its points in the third quarter, thanks to contributions from several players. Pelletier scored 11 points in the first half, and Emma Cooper (a 3-pointer) and Maddy Herrick (two points) had the other five. But in the third quarter, five Vikings made at least a basket.

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Oxford Hills outscore Cheverus 34-15 in the second half.

“We have a good bench, we have good starting five,” Pelletier said. “Everyone knows to shoot if they are open. The confidence was just out there today, and it was really amazing.”

That level of confidence, energy and excitement for each other has has been driving the Vikings this season.

“They came in just pumped up for each other,” Colby said. “They were psyched when a girl’s diving on the ground, they’re patting each other on the back when somebody makes a rebound; it’s the way they celebrate each other that’s special to me.”

In the last half of the fourth quarter, Oxford Hills second string subbed in, which was special for Pelletier.

“It’s just so surreal, knowing it’s my last year, and knowing that I’m not going to have many more minutes,” Pelletier said. “Personally, I love being on the bench, because I love to cheer on my teammates. It’s just amazing being able to do that for them, and seeing the younger kids go in and get some varsity experience.”

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Cheverus junior Kylie Lamson finished with a team-high 14 points, which didn’t surprise Vikings coach Cimeron Colby. He called Lamson “one of the best scorers we’ve seen around in a long time.” She scored 40 points against Sanford earlier this week.

“(Lamson’s) going to get hers, and you got to be OK with it,” Colby said. “If you beat yourself up because she scores, then you got another thing coming. You’re going to be a very miserable person.”

Friday was the only meeting of the regular season between Oxford Hills and Cheverus, but should the teams face each other in the playoffs — they’ve faced off in the past three regional finals — Colby anticipates a wildly different game.

“Clean slate. I’ll tell you, next time we play them, it’ll be a five-point game,” Colby said. “This was kind of abnormal. Next time we play them — all the teams in our league are very good — so I expect a ton of five-point games. We won’t see this score again, I can promise that.”

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