Scarborough's Ella Herzberg and Gorham's Lindy Moreland reach for a rebound during their game Friday in Gorham. The Rams won, 31-26. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

GORHAM — The race is on for the top seed in Class AA South, and after a slow start, the Gorham girls basketball team made sure to keep pace Friday night.

Logan Doughty and Zoe Dellinger had eight points apiece, and the Rams rallied in the second half to take down Scarborough, 31-26, in a hard-fought defensive struggle.

Vanessa Walker added five points and seven rebounds, all in the second half, for the Rams (12-2).

“I thought we had good energy today,” Gorham coach Laughn Berthiaume said. “We’re hoping to find our shooting stroke soon, because we haven’t really shot it great. But I thought today, when we weren’t shooting it great, we were getting back, we were playing good defense, and we weren’t giving them many second-chance opportunities.”

Eva Alvarez led Scarborough (7-7) with 15 points.

“I love our defensive effort,” Scarborough coach Mike Giordano said. “We played really well defensively. We’ve just got to find a way to score a few more points.”

How’d they do it?

After scoring just nine points in the first half, leading to a five-point deficit at the intermission, Gorham began winning the battle inside. The Rams began attacking the basket, with eight of their 11 points in the third quarter coming in the paint or at the free-throw line.

“We didn’t get down on ourselves,” Walker said. “When we went into halftime, we talked about what to do better, and it was a really productive conversation. We were all like ‘All right, let’s grind this out.'”

Gorham also won the rebounding battle, with Walker, Doughty, Lindy Moreland and Jocelyn Clark helping the Rams consistently earn second-chance looks. The Rams outrebounded the Red Storm 48-34 overall, and 29-15 in the second half.

“Recently, our motto has kind of been to play harder and more aggressive,” Doughty said. “In the second half, we really thought we have to bring that out more.”

Key moment

Scarborough’s Isabel Freedman converted a three-point play with 5:10 to go, giving the Red Storm a 23-22 lead.

It was Scarborough’s final time on top. Dellinger hit a jumper on the next trip down to put Gorham back in front, Julia Reed soon followed with a fast-break layup, and Doughty drove to the basket for a layup and a 28-23 lead with 1:51 to go.

“I think we do well at times keeping our composure,” Doughty said. “We know when we need to score and when we need to make the right plays. We have the timing down.”

What does it mean?

The win allows Gorham to keep up with South Portland, which entered the day 11-3 and in first place ahead of the Rams by fewer than three Heal points.

“The rest of our season is pretty tough,” Doughty said. “We just have to keep the aggression up, keep the team communication going and really work together.”

For Scarborough, the loss could still serve as a shot of confidence, given Gorham’s place near the top of the region.

“That’s a 12-2 team and we’re right there,” Giordano said. “I know on a given night, we can beat anybody. We were a little short tonight.”

They said it

“We have to be able to find ways to win when we’re not shooting well, so I was pleased we were able to do that.” – Berthiaume

“I think they really hurt us on the offensive glass. Getting second and third opportunities in a very close game can make the difference.” – Giordano

Stat leaders

Gorham: Logan Doughty (eight points), Zoe Dellinger (eight points), Lindy Moreland (12 rebounds).

Scarborough: Eva Alvarez (15 points), Isabel Freedman (seven rebounds), Emerson Flaker (six rebounds, three steals).

Up next

Gorham: at Thornton Academy (5-8 entering Friday), 6 p.m. Tuesday

Scarborough: vs. Cheverus (9-4 entering Friday), 5:30 p.m. Tuesday