SOUTH PORTLAND—After a pair of home losses, South Portland’s girls basketball team is bound and determined to defend its court the rest of the way.

And Monday afternoon, hosting reigning regional champion Gorham, the Red Riots didn’t just take care of business at home, they delivered a powerful statement in the process.

That when this team is on, no one is beating it.

Regardless of location.

A back-and-forth first quarter ended with a layup from junior Caleigh Corcoran and South Portland had a 10-9 lead.

The Red Riots then dominated the second period, as after the Rams scored 20 seconds in, the Red Riots produced 20 of the next 23 points, as everyone on the floor contributed to help open up a 30-14 halftime advantage.

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South Portland then ended any remaining doubt by opening the second half on a 9-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from sophomore Mya Lawrence, and Gorham never got closer than 19 points from there.

The Red Riots ended the third quarter with a highlight reel 3-pointer from just inside the halfcourt stripe from sophomore Annie Whitmore to go up, 47-22, then they went on to a 52-33 victory.

Senior captain Emma Travis paced a balanced attack with 13 points, Whitmore added a double-double of 12 points and 10 assists and South Portland moved up the standings, improved to 10-3 and in the process, snapped the Rams’ four-game win streak and dropped them to 11-2.

“I think we’ve had some ups and downs throughout the season, but we’re really starting to lock in and understand that a lot of what we can do offensively comes from our defense,” said Red Riots first-year coach Brianne Maloney. “We’ve learned to have a full game. It’s got to be all four quarters.”

Putting it all together

The road to glory in the region has run through Gorham the past three years and this winter, South Portland is looking to crash the party.

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Both squads have largely impressed so far.

The Rams rolled to seven straight wins to start the year, defeating Falmouth (70-15), Windham (33-25), Greely (57-24), Bonny Eagle (59-18), Scarborough (43-32), Noble (53-14) and Thornton Academy (46-38). After a last-second 41-40 loss to Windham, Gorham handled Cheverus with surprising ease in a state game rematch (62-46), then downed Massabesic (47-43), Deering (61-30) and Falmouth (60-10).

The Red Riots, meanwhile, opened with wins over host Noble (51-19) and Lewiston (63-29), then defeated visiting Scarborough in a playoff rematch (51-32). After a 57-47 setback at reigning Class AA champion Cheverus, South Portland bounced back and knocked off visiting Sanford (56-44), host Bonny Eagle (63-16), visiting Deering (58-27), host Scarborough (47-25) and host Portland (53-30) before losing at home to Windham (35-33) and Oxford Hills (34-29).

“We didn’t perform against Windham like we should have and against Oxford Hills, we had good defense, but our offense didn’t work,” Travis said.

“The girls were upset about those losses,” Maloney said. “Their goal coming into the season was to be undefeated at home. They have a chip on their shoulders now, defending their homecourt.”

The Red Riots then regrouped and defeated visiting Thornton Academy (58-27) and host Deering (58-35).

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A year ago, South Portland won both meetings, 33-31 in Gorham and 38-31 at home.

Monday, the Rams looked to turn the tide in the series, but instead, the Red Riots came out and beat Gorham for the fifth consecutive time.

In surprisingly decisive fashion.

South Portland junior Destiny Peter and Gorham junior Logan Doughty take part in the opening tip of the Red Riots’ 52-33 victory Monday. Hoffer photos.

South Portland started fast, as Corcoran scored on a turnaround jumper just 21 seconds in, then Whitmore set up Travis for a long jump shot and a 4-0 lead.

The Rams then rattled off nine straight points, as the Red Riots went cold and Travis had to sit with two fouls.

After junior Logan Doughty drove for a layup to break the ice, Gorham took the lead for the first time on a 3-point shot from senior Vanessa Walker.

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Doughty then fed junior Zoe Dellinger for a layup and senior Julia Reed tacked on two free throws to make it 9-4.

With 2:05 remaining in the frame, a free throw from junior Destiny Peter ended the run and a 4 minute, 32 second scoring drought.

Lawrence then buried a 3 and as time wound down, Whitmore set up Corcoran for a layup on the fastbreak for a 10-9 lead.

Reed began the second quarter with a putback, but the rest of the half would be all South Portland.

With 7:26 to go in the period, a Peter putback gave the Red Riots the lead for good.

After Corcoran pulled up and hit a jumper, Travis, who had just returned to action, converted an old-fashioned three-point play (layup after a steal, foul, free throw) and Whitmore added a jump shot, forcing Gorham coach Laughn Berthiaume to call timeout.

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Which didn’t help.

First, Whitmore delivered a beautiful pass to Travis for a fastbreak layup.

Then, with 3:01 on the clock, Whitmore found Travis for a 3-ball and a 24-11 advantage.

South Portland sophomore Annie Whitmore fires a 3-point shot.

With 1:47 to go, a 3 from Reed snapped the 14-0 South Portland run and a 5:53 drought, but the Red Riots scored the final six points of the half, as Peter set up Whitmore for a 3-ball, Travis hit a free throw, then Corcoran’s jumper in the lane rolled around and around the rim before dropping to make it 30-14 at the half.

“We might have gone a stretch where we missed 10, 12 shots in a row,” Berthiaume lamented. “I felt like we couldn’t buy a basket. When you’re not shooting well, you have to lock it down at the other end and we didn’t have that side of the ball either.”

Travis led all scorers with 11 first half points.

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South Portland continued to put the hammer down in the third quarter.

The second half began with Peter grabbing an offensive rebound and feeding Whitmore for a short jumper.

Then, on consecutive possessions, Whitmore passed to Peter for layups.

With 4:48 left in the frame, Whitmore set up Lawrence for a 3 and the lead ballooned to 25 points, 39-14.

The Rams snapped a 5:31 drought on two free throws from Reed, then Reed got a runner to roll in before a Dellinger runner bounced in as well.

South Portland coach Brianne Maloney addresses her players during a timeout.

Maloney called timeout and her team responded, as Travis sank two foul shots, Peter kicked the ball out to junior Stella Henderson for a 3-pointer and after Dellinger made a layup for the visitors with just 6.5 seconds on the clock, Whitmore put on a show.

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As time wound down, she raced up the floor and just before the horn, she took a step over halfcourt and fired a logo 3 that would have made Caitlin Clark proud, as the shot found nothing but net to make the score 47-22.

“I knew time was going down and I knew there wasn’t time for a pass, so I just let it fly,” said Whitmore.

“I didn’t even know how much time was left and I was confused why she was sprinting down the court all of a sudden,” Travis said. “I’m proud of her.”

“Honestly, as soon as it left her hands, I was like, ‘This has a chance of going in,'” Maloney added. “It was perfect momentum. I love seeing our bench get excited, but even more, I love seeing the other four girls on the court get excited.”

Dellinger started the fourth quarter with a runner in the lane, then Walker drove and made a layup, but after Whitmore saved the ball to Corcoran, Corcoran fed Peter for a layup.

Reed made a jumper for Gorham, but Whitmore drove the baseline for a runner.

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After Dellinger made a 3 and senior Payton Thibodeau knocked down a shot for the Rams’ final points, a foul shot from Henderson brought the curtain down on the 52-33 victory.

“This proves that we can come out in our home gym and get a win after some tough losses,” Travis said. “Tonight, we put the whole package together. We have leaders all over the court. Even when I was out with foul trouble, Annie stepped up. We came out at half knowing we had to push it even harder and we did.”

“The bench hypes us up a lot and always believes in us and that really helps,” Whitmore said. “After the Windham game, the coaches told us we need to have more fun when we’re playing and I think we did that today.”

Travis had a team-high 13 points, as well as three steals.

“Emma takes a lot of pressure off me, knowing we have a leader out there who knows what the coaches want from the team,” said Maloney. “If they can’t hear my voice, her voice is just as loud out there.”

Whitmore had one of her best performances, scoring 12 points, dishing out 10 assists and grabbing six rebounds.

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“I’m just trying to stay calm and turn the ball over less,” Whitmore said. “I just took deep breaths and saw the court. I’m really trying to get to the basket. Sometimes, I need to go a little slower on my finishes, but hopefully by the end of the season, it will come.”

“As a freshman last year, we were feeling out what role Annie was going to have on the team,” said Maloney. “Was she going to be more of a shooting guard, or more of a point guard? This year, we put the pressure back on her to define what her role will be. Now, she’s seeing she can be an offensive threat as well as a point guard. It helps when we’re knocking down shots. I love that Annie is now looking to score more. Not just from the perimeter, she’s getting inside and she makes good passes.”

Peter tallied nine points, five rebounds and three assists and Corcoran just missed a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds. Lawrence contributed six points (and eight rebounds) and Henderson finished with four.

The Red Riots had a 33-25 advantage on the glass, overcame a dozen turnovers and made 6-of-11 free throws.

Gorham was paced by Reed, who had 13 points and five rebounds, and Dellinger, who wound up with 11 points.

Walker added five points (and four rebounds) and Doughty and Thibodeau each tallied two.

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The Rams made 4-of-6 free throws and turned the ball over on 11 occasions.

“No excuses, I thought (South Portland) had more energy,” said Berthiaume. “They just beat us in all facets today. They won the little things. They moved the ball crisper.”

Fight to the finish

Gorham (which is now second in the Class AA South Heal Points standings) has another tough regional test Friday when it hosts Scarborough.

“We’ll have to lick our wounds and hopefully learn from this,” Berthiaume said. “The girls know they can and should perform better and I think we will. The last stretch for us will all be highly competitive games. That’s exactly what we need.”

South Portland (now atop the Class AA South standings) goes to Massabesic Friday.

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“We need to keep doing exactly what we did in this game,” Travis said. “I do think we can make a deep run. We have to stay positive and in practice, we have to work hard and stay competitive. We just have to believe in ourselves.”

“We have to use this as momentum and understand we can play this way every night,” Maloney added. “Offense and defense can show up every night, regardless of who is on the floor. We just have to lock in and stay focused for four quarters.”

BOX SCORE

South Portland 52 Gorham 33

G- 9 5 8 11- 33
SP- 10 20 17 5- 52

G- Reed 4-4-13, Dellinger 5-0-11, Walker 2-0-5, Doughty 1-0-2, Thibodeau 1-0-2

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SP- Travis 4-4-13, Whitmore 5-0-12, Peter 4-1-9, Corcoran 4-0-8, Lawrence 2-0-6, Henderson 1-1-4

3-pointers:
G (3) Dellinger, Reed, Walker
SP (6) Lawrence, Whitmore 2, Henderson, Travis

Turnovers:
G- 11
SP- 12

Free throws
G: 4-6
SP: 6-11

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

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