PORTLAND—A nightmare start turned into a dreamlike finish for Cheverus’ girls basketball team Wednesday afternoon at the Cross Insurance Arena.

The second-ranked Stags found themselves down by 10 points to the third-seeded Edward Little Red Eddies, a team they had already lost to this winter, in the first quarter of the teams’ Class AA North semifinal, but Cheverus responded like the champion it hopes to become.

Not only did the Stags surrender 12 straight points to trail, 12-2, but junior standout Kylie Lamson was whistled for two quick fouls.

But instead of buckling, Cheverus responded and drew within six, 14-8, after one quarter on a late layup from sophomore Abby Kelly.

While Lamson remaining on the floor and not picking up another foul before halftime, the Stags continued to surge, taking the lead for good on an old-fashioned three-point play from sophomore Addison Jordan, who was fantastic on this day, and eventually producing a 21-4 surge to go up, 23-16, on a Lamson 3-pointer.

Edward Little was within five, 25-20, at halftime, but Cheverus would extend its lead in the third quarter, as Kelly heated up, scoring seven straight points. The Stags went up by as many as 14 on a Kelly 3, but the Red Eddies cut that deficit in half, creeping within 38-31 heading to the final stanza.

There, the Stags wouldn’t be denied, never letting Edward Little make a serious run en route to a 53-41 victory.

Jordan and Kelly each scored 16 points and produced double-doubles and Lamson added 11 points as Cheverus avenged a loss from earlier this season, improved to 15-5, ended Edward Little’s season at 13-7 and in the process, advanced to the Class AA North Final for the fourth consecutive year where it will once again take on top-ranked Oxford Hills (18-2) Saturday at 1 p.m., at the Cross Insurance Arena.

“It’s not easy and with a brand new team, I did not think we’d be here,” said Stags coach Billy Goodman. “I give the coaches and the kids all the credit.”

All hands on deck

The Stags embarked on quite an odyssey this winter, one which saw impressive triumph and some times of doubt as well.

Cheverus opened by downing visiting Deering (59-16), host Bonny Eagle (68-29), host Portland (59-36), visiting South Portland (57-47), host Bangor (61-35) and visiting Windham (61-41). After a 47-44 home loss to Scarborough, the Stags lost at home to Edward Little (45-40), then at Gorham in a state game rematch (62-46). Cheverus got back on track with a 60-32 win at Thornton Academy, then held off visiting Sanford (61-51). After a loss at Oxford Hills (50-29), the Stags got back in the win column with a 48-25 victory at Deering, then held off host Windham, 52-39. before avenging an earlier loss with a 56-42 win at Scarborough. Cheverus then couldn’t hold a halftime lead and lost at surging South Portland, 59-47, but the Stags had no trouble with visiting Lewiston, 64-36, then closed with a decisive 76-34 win at Portland.

Last Friday, Cheverus hosted No. 7 Lewiston in the quarterfinals and was utterly dominant, scoring the game’s first 33 points en route to a 62-34 victory, highlighted by 16 points from Jordan.

Edward Little, meanwhile, made quite the jump this year under new coach Frank Perry.

The Red Eddies went 6-12 in 2023-24, but this winter, they rode a six-game midseason win streak to a solid 12-6 campaign and last Wednesday, in the quarterfinals, they dispatched sixth-ranked Portland, 52-35.

In the teams’ lone regular season meeting, Jan. 2 in Portland, Edward Little sprung the surprise behind 16 points from senior Rachel Penny and 13 from senior Layla Facchiano. Jordan led the Stags with 17 points.

The Stags won the teams’ lone prior playoff encounter, 48-25, in the 2023 quarterfinals.

Wednesday, Cheverus overcame a rough start to reach the regional final yet again.

Gaining an abundance of confidence in the progress.

The Stags opened the scoring on a bank shot from senior captain Rachel Feeley, but freshman Elizabeth Galway tied the score with a jumper that rattled home, then Galway got fouled on an offensive rebound and hit the subsequent free throws to give the Red Eddies the lead.

After a steal from sophomore Hope Fontaine, Facchiano made a layup and compounding matters for Cheverus, Lamson picked up her second foul with 4:40 still to play in the opening quarter.

At that point, Goodman made one of the biggest gambles of his career, leaving Lamson on the floor, knowing if she got her third foul, she’d likely be done for the duration of the first half.

But Lamson managed to avoid a third foul and the Stags, after digging an even deeper hole, would come to life.

A corner 3-pointer from senior Violet Vincent, followed by a Fontaine 3 (set up by Facchiano) made it 12-2 Edward Little midway through the first period.

Cheverus then snapped the 12-0 run and a 5 minute, 9 second scoring drought when junior Anna Goodman drove for  layup with 1:15 on the clock.

Jordan then drove and banked home a shot for her first points and after two Facchanio free throws, Jordan found Kelly for a backdoor layup, making the score 14-8 after eight minutes.

“(Addison and I) just find each other in the flow of the game,” said Kelly.

“(Abby and Addison) really work together,,” said Lamson. “They know what to do and how to score.”

The Stags committed eight turnovers in the first, but were still within hailing distance and they needed less than three minutes to go back in front.

To stay.

Jordan started the second period with a driving layup, then Lamson finally got involved on the offensive end, hitting a pull-up jumper with 6:19 to go in the half before doing the same thing the next time down the floor, 26 seconds later, to tie the score, 14-14.

“It was definitely frustrating,” Lamson said. “I didn’t expect to have two fouls, but I knew I couldn’t get another one. I just had to let it go out of my mind. If not, I’d get in my head and I couldn’t get to where I needed to be offensively. I knew I needed to get something going.”

“We needed offense and I was hoping (Kylie) would play a little smarter, so I kept her on the floor,” Billy Goodman said.

With 5:18 left, Jordan banked home a contested shot, was fouled on the play and added the and-one free throw to complete the old-fashioned three-point play and gave Cheverus a 17-14 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Fontaine got two points back at the line, but after an Anna Goodman free throw, Jordan drove for a layup, then Lamson took a pass from Kelly and buried a 3 to make it 23-16, capping a 21-4 surge.

The Red Eddies responded, getting a jumper from Facchiano, then a jump shot from Fontaine, but in the final minute, Jordan made one free throw, then senior Evelyn Rush did the same for a 25-20 halftime advantage.

“We had the start we wanted, but we had a hard time finding the basket in the second quarter and (Cheverus) picked up their defense,” Perry said. “They had some subtle changes that were effective for them.”

Cheverus came out of the break red-hot and opened up a double-digit lead.

Just 14 seconds into the third quarter, Jordan scored on a reverse layup.

Kelly then put on a show, scoring seven points in just over two minutes.

First Kelly put home a missed shot. Then, she took a long pass from Jordan for a fastbreak layup.

After Lamson picked up her third foul, with 5:02 on the clock, Kelly drained a 3 and the lead was 34-20.

“I knew I had to step up with some teammates in foul trouble,” said Kelly. “I was so hyped when I hit that shot. That gave us energy and I felt really good after it.”

Oxford Hills then came back to life, as Fontaine banked home a shot to snap a 4:34 drought, Facchiano sank two free throws, then with 1:44 remaining, freshman reserve Charlotte Ranger drained a 3 to cut the deficit to seven.

The Stags didn’t buckle, as at the other end, Jordan found Anna Goodman in the corner and Goodman’s 3 was true.

Fontaine put home a miss for the Red Eddies, but Rush countered with a free throw.

With 35 seconds on the clock, Facchiano set up Ranger for a layup and Edward Little was back within seven, 38-31, heading to the fourth period.

Where Cheverus put it away.

Lamson started the final frame with two free throws, but with 6:46 to go, she was called for fourth foul.

She’d never register a fifth.

After taking a pass from junior Rachel LaSalle, Kelly scooped home a shot, then Jordan added two free throws after a technical foul before a Kelly foul shot with 3:53 remaining made the score 45-31.

The Red Eddies had one final run, as Facchiano banked home a shot, then Fontaine scored on a putback while being fouled and added the free throw.

The Jordan-to-Kelly connection then produced another layup to make it 47-36.

“We knew our weakness was our inside game and we asked (Abby and Addison) to work on it every day,” Billy Goodman said. “They did amazing today. Give them credit.”

With 2:22 remaining, Penny finally got on the score sheet, with two free throws, but out of a timeout, Jordan fed Lamson for a layup, then Jordan sank two free throws and Kelly did the same to account for the Stags’ final points.

With 53 seconds left, sophomore Jenna Shea hit a 3 for the Red Eddies and that accounted for the 53-41 final score.

“We knew we had to turn it around,” Jordan said. “We knew (our start) was not us and we had to figure it out. This was personal. We knew we couldn’t let them beat us again.”

“I can’t tell you how impressed I am as a coach,” Billy Goodman said. “I’m just really proud of the team handling the pressure. I have to give my (assistant) coaches, Katie Fitzpatrick and Caroline Freeman, credit. (Athletic director) Amy Ashley came in and helped us out at practice too.”

Jordan was exceptional, not only scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, but also stuffing the stat sheet to the tune of six assists, three blocked shots and three steals.

“I just tried my best, but I think it was everyone,” said Jordan. “We all worked really hard. Everyone played a role and did something we needed. The points are not what matters. You can have zero points and be the MVP of the game. You have to rebound, get steals, work hard on defense. You should be tired, tired at the end of the game.”

Kelly also had a double-double, 16 points and a dozen rebounds.

“We knew we had to step up and have energy,” Kelly said. “I knew I had to work hard and move my feet and get rebounds.”

Lamson had a quiet game by her standards (11 points, four rebounds), but was happy to see her teammates step up.

“It was a team win,” Lamson said. “We all worked together. A championship takes a whole team, not one person.”

Anna Goodman had six points, while Feeley and Rush added two apiece.

“When we lost three in a row, we worked on having a balanced team,” Billy Goodman said. “Even at 6-0, I knew we were top heavy, but now, we’re getting others involved and we’re playing a good team game. Getting the ball inside has been a weakness of ours all year, but I give Abby, Addison, (junior) Emme Peters and Evelyn credit for going outside their comfort zone and working on it. That balance helped get us back in the game. The girls off their bench did their jobs too. I’m very happy.”

Cheverus enjoyed a 39-29 rebound advantage, made 14-of-22 free throws and overcame 19 turnovers.

Edward Little was paced by Fontaine, who had 14 points and five rebounds. Facchiano added 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Ranger finished with five points, Galway had four (to go with eight rebounds), Shea and Vincent three apiece and Penny two.

“Kylie and Anna took turns on (Penny) defensively and they did a great job,” said Billy Goodman. “We were very disciplined on defense.”

The Red Eddies made 11-of-12 free throws and turned the ball over 16 times.

“We had nerves,” said Perry. “It was our first time playing here, but the girls played hard the whole game and that’s all I can ask as a coach.

“I told the girls I had three goals this year coming in as the new coach. One was to have a winning record, which we hadn’t had since 2018. We wanted to be third (in the region). To get to this game and play on our big court was the other goal.

“We obviously wanted to keep going, but it’s something to build on. We’ve changed the culture and gotten back to our old, winning ways.”

Once more, for old time’s sake

Cheverus and Oxford Hills meeting in the Class AA North Final has become a rite of winter.

The teams have split four prior playoff battles, with the Stags’ 48-38 win a year ago the most recent.

The Vikings (who had to rally in the second half to beat No. 4 Bangor, 53-41, in its semifinal Wednesday) took the teams’ regular season meeting, 50-29, at home Jan. 17.

Oxford Hills features Miss Maine Basketball favorite Ella Pelletier and has plenty of experience on the big stage.

Cheverus will be the underdog Saturday, but is up for the challenge, knowing that a win punches its ticket to the state final.

A destination few foresaw a couple of months ago.

“It’s going to be difficult Saturday,” said Lamson. “Defensively, we have to work as hard as we did tonight and offensively, we have to do what we did tonight.”

“Losing to (Oxford Hills) before fires us up and gets us going,” Kelly said. “We just have to keep working hard.”

“We need to keep working on our post offense and also, we have to get better at shooting and keep our defense up,” said Jordan.

“Oxford beat us badly our first game,” added Billy Goodman. “We have to get back to work. Ella’s one of the best player sin the state. (Gabbie) Tibbetts is great and other girls have stepped up. (First-year coach Cim Colby’s) done a great job. We’ll need to have our best game Saturday.”

BOX SCORE

Cheverus 53 Edward Little 41

EL- 14 6 11 10- 41
C- 8 17 13 15- 53

EL- Fontaine 5-3-14, Facchiano 3-4-10, Ranger 2-0-5, Galway 1-2-4, Shea 1-0-3, Vincent 1-0-3, Penny 0-2-2

C- Jordan 5-6-16, Kelly 6-3-16, Lamson 4-2-11, Goodman 2-1-6, Feeley 1-0-2, Rush 0-2-2

3-pointers:
EL (4) Fontaine, Ranger, Shea, Vincent
C (3) Goodman, Kelly, Lamson

Turnovers:
EL- 16
C- 19

Free throws
EL: 11-12
C: 14-22

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