PORTLAND—Surprise, surprise.

They’re back.

Cheverus’ girls basketball team, the reigning state champion, is going to have an opportunity to defend its title.

After pulling off a shocker in the Class AA South Final Saturday afternoon at the Cross Insurance Arena, beating top-ranked, preseason favorite Oxford Hills on the big stage.

Second-seeded Cheverus started fast, opening up leads of 7-1 and 10-3, but the Vikings closed the first quarter on a 9-2 run and a late 3-pointer from senior Gabbie Tibbetts made it 12-12 after eight minutes.

The Stags went right back in front in the second period and despite a late drought, clung to a 21-19 advantage at halftime.

Oxford Hills finally took the lead in the third quarter on two free throws from senior standout Ella Pelletier, but Cheverus immediately countered with a 7-0 run and clung to a 32-30 lead as the fourth period commenced.

Consecutive hoops from senior Maddy Herrick made it 34-32 Vikings with 5:39 remaining, but 47 seconds later, sophomore Addison Jordan made the biggest shot of her life, a 3-pointer, which put the Stags in front to stay.

Cheverus eventually went up five, but Tibbetts hit a 3 to make things interesting and Oxford Hills got the ball back with a chance to to tie or take the lead, but sophomore Abby Kelly came up huge on the defensive end, stealing the ball and that set up Jordan with a chance to ice it at the line and she made both free throws to close out an inspirational, unforgettable 41-37 victory.

Junior standout Kylie Lamson led the way with 16 points, Jordan added 10 and Cheverus improved to 16-5, ended Oxford Hills’ campaign at 18-3 and in the process, advanced to the Class AA state final for the third time in four seasons where it will take on either South Portland (17-3) or Gorham (16-4) next Saturday at 6 p.m., at the Cross Insurance Arena.

“It’s very emotional,” said Stags coach Billy Goodman. “We weren’t expecting it and that makes it that much sweeter. Whenever you’re in the away uniforms and you get a victory at the Civic Center, it’s a big deal in my opinion.”

Heart and skill

Nothing came easily this winter for Cheverus, but the Stags found a way to persevere and improve.

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 decisive 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.

“We just had to come together,” said Jordan. “We all love each other and had to play for each other. When we got down, we didn’t get mad at each other and we just had to keep working.”

“We knew the team we could be,” said senior captain Rachel Feeley. “It didn’t show in the games we lost, but we had to keep up our spirit.”

“We worked really hard for a long time and learned from our mistakes,” said junior Anna Goodman. “We all wanted to win for each other.”

“We went through one of the toughest patches any of my teams has been through,” Billy Goodman added. “All we did was get to basics and try to become a balanced basketball team.”

Cheverus then flipped the switch for the postseason.

After racing to a 33-0 lead to start the game, the Stags eliminated No. 7 Lewiston, 62-34, in the quarterfinal round. Against third-seeded Edward Little in Wednesday’s semifinals, Cheverus shook off a slow start, came alive and went on to a 53-41 victory to advance.

Oxford Hills, meanwhile, was the preseason favorite and didn’t disappoint.

The Vikings lost just twice in the regular season, at home to a Lawrence squad that went 18-0, and at Bangor (by a point) and closed on a 10-game win streak.

Oxford Hills earned a bye into the semifinals and Wednesday, surged late to eliminate No. 4 Bangor (53-41).

In the teams’ regular season meeting, Jan. 17, the host Vikings pulled away in the second half and beat Cheverus, 50-29. The Stags were within two at halftime and missed all 20 3-pointers they attempted.

And longed for a rematch.

“We had a picture of that scoreboard (from our loss at Oxford Hills) on our locker room door and that was our motivation,” Jordan said.

The rivals split four prior playoff meetings, with the Stags’ 48-38 victory in last year’s Class AA North Final the most recent.

Saturday, Cheverus played from ahead most of the way and after Oxford Hills threatened to come back and steal it, the Stags played like the champions they are and hope to become again, getting the job done in the clutch to advance.

Cheverus got off to a great start, as Jordan blocked a Pelletier shot at one end, then Lamson was fouled on a drive and made both free throws. Kelly then stole the ball and Lamson hit a jumper.

With 5:21 to go in the frame, Oxford Hills finally broke through, as Pelletier made the second of two free throws, but Anna Goodman countered with a 3-pointer from corner, which rattled around and in.

Pelletier then drove and made a layup with her left hand for the Vikings’ first field goal, but with 3:56 on the clock, Lamson drained an NBA-range 3 for a 10-3 advantage.

Oxford Hills then awakened and closed the quarter on a 9-2 surge to draw even.

After Pelletier banked home a leaner, Herrick stole the ball and raced in for a layup.

After a steal from Feeley, Jordan knocked down a jumper for her first points, but Pelletier drove again and finished with her left hand before Tibbetts took a pass from sophomore Lydia Goyette and knocked down a 3-ball just before the horn to tie the score, 12-12.

Cheverus then wrested momentum right back when the second period commenced.

Just 10 seconds in, Jordan passed to Anna Goodman on the left wing and after collecting the low pass, Goodman soared and sank a 3 to put the Stags back in front.

After a Kelly block at the defensive end, Kelly took a pass from Feeley and made a layup.

Pelletier answered with a putback, then she made two foul shots, but the Stags stayed in front on two Feeley free throws.

After Jordan made a layup with 3:30 on the clock, neither team scored for almost three minutes.

Then, with 38.8 seconds left, Pelletier set Tibbetts up for a 3 to snap a 4 minute, 4 second scoring drought.

The Vikings got the ball back and had a chance to take the lead into the half when Herrick attempted a 3 just before the horn, but it was off-target and despite 15 turnovers, Cheverus held a 21-19 halftime advantage.

Lamson paced the Stags with seven points, while Anna Goodman added six. Pelletier did it all for Oxford Hills, with 11 points, five rebounds and four steals, but the Vikings shot just 2-of-14 from 3-point range and while they got an abundance of second-chance opportunities, they couldn’t capitalize.

“If you would have told me at halftime we’d have 33 shots, I would have thought we’d walked away with it, but it just didn’t work out,” lamented Oxford Hills’ first-year coach Cim Colby.

The two game’s two biggest stars put on a show to start the second half, as Lamson stole the ball and made a layup, then Pelletier raced in and made a layup of her own.

After a Jordan free throw, Herrick drove into the lane and somehow got a left-handed finger roll to drop to cut the deficit to one.

Then, after a Cheverus turnover, Pelletier was fouled and with 5:18 to go in the third, she hit both free throws to give the Vikings their first lead, 25-24.

But instead of sparking Oxford Hills, it was the Stags who came to life.

With 4:52 remaining, Lamson drove and banked home a runner.

After Jordan set up Kelly for a layup, Lamson stole the ball, raced in for a layup, was fouled in the process and hit the and-one free throw to make it 31-25.

Pelletier got two points back with a runner which rolled around and in, but Kelly answered with a free throw.

Oxford Hills got a 3 from Tibbetts with 2:16 to go and no one scored from there, allowing Cheverus to take a 32-30 lead to the fateful fourth period.

Where the Stags put the finishing touches on their upset win.

The Vikings got a look at the lead to start, but Tibbetts missed a 3.

Herrick then took over, stealing the ball and tying the score with a short leaner, then Herrick put home a miss to make it 34-32 Oxford Hills with 5:39 left.

“What’s scary about our team is that we’ve been down a million times this year and we’ve been able to keep it close,” Colby said. “I have great players who can put the ball in the bucket.”

But Cheverus wasn’t fazed and responded.

“I looked at Kylie and said, ‘This is the only time we’ll be down. We’ll get back up and we won’t let it go again,'” Jordan said.

With 4:52 on the clock, Lamson found an open Jordan up top and Jordan hit the biggest 3 of her life to give the Stags the lead for good, 35-34.

“I just saw that I was open,” Jordan said. “The play we were doing wasn’t working, so Kylie got me the ball and I just shot it. It felt good off my hand. It was amazing when it went through. Fireworks.”

“I did see her open,” Lamson said. “I didn’t know if she’d shoot it or not, but she shot it and was confident and I’m very proud of her.”

“I got really excited for (Addison),” said Kelly. “I thought it was going in. That just gave us so much energy.”

“I trust her,” Billy Goodman added. “She’s one of our best shooters. If she’s open, I want her to take it and she took it and made it.”

Oxford Hills could only tip its cap.

“Seeing Jordan hit a 3 was not surprising,” Colby said. “She’s one of the best players in the league. She’s a leader even though she’s not an upperclassman yet.”

After the Vikings failed to answer, Lamson managed to bury a jumper over Pelletier’s outstretched arms for a three-point lead with 3:28 left.

Pelletier was then called for a charge for her third foul and seconds later, she picked up her fourth foul and things looked dire indeed for Oxford Hills.

The Vikings then got a break when they appeared to turn the ball over but were credited with a timeout instead.

Then, on the ensuing inbounds attempt, Kelly knocked the ball right back to the inbounder and the Stags took over.

Feeley then fed Kelly for a layup and with exactly 2 minutes left, Cheverus enjoyed a 39-34 lead.

But closing it out wouldn’t come easily.

After Pelletier missed a shot and Jordan got the rebound, she was fouled and missed both free throws.

Pelletier then missed a 3, but the rebound went out to Oxford Hills and Pelletier inbounded the ball to Tibbetts, who knocked down a clutch 3, ending the Stags’ 7-0 run and a 5:05 drought to cut the deficit to two with 34.7 seconds on the clock.

The Vikings then got their chance to tie it or go ahead when Lamson missed a shot and Pelletier got the rebound.

Pelletier tried to dribble in for a shot, but Kelly picked her pocket.

“I saw (Ella) dribbling the ball and I just took my chance,” said Kelly. “Instead of trying to take a charge or let her attack me, I just went for it.”

“Abby’s amazing,” said Lamson. “She’s always there and ready for a steal at any time.”

“I was very excited for Abby,” Jordan said. “That was a huge steal, a huge play for us.”

“Abby Kelly has been doing everything for us,” Billy Goodman added. “She’s probably the most improved player in the past month that I’ve ever seen. She’s a good player who is coming into her own. She has great instincts.”

Kelly then got the ball to Jordan, who was fouled with 19.4 seconds on the clock.

This time, Jordan wouldn’t miss at the line, as her first attempt hit the rim and rolled in, then her second found nothing but net to put Cheverus on the brink.

“I got a little down after I missed those free throws, but I told myself it wouldn’t happen again,” Jordan said. “I just needed to take deep breaths and I needed to do it for the seniors.”

“(Addison’s) one of our better free throw shooters and we wanted her on the line,” Billy Goodman said.

As time wound down, Pelletier missed a 3, junior Emma Cooper got the offensive rebound, but Jordan blocked her shot and the ball came to Kelly, who cradled it as the horn sounded and at 2:21 p.m., the Stags had done it, pulling off the 41-37 victory.

“It feels so great, just unreal,” Kelly said. “I was so excited at the end. I couldn’t believe it was real. It was a great celebration. I wasn’t sure we could do it, but we pushed through. We didn’t have energy last time, but today, we just worked really well together. Our team bond is really strong. We just love each other.”

“It feels amazing,” Jordan said. “They’re a big rival of ours and it was really important that we won this game. This was our revenge game. We knew we had to do better this time on defense. Our defense won the game for us. On offense, we had to calm down and do what was right.”

“It’s very special,” said Feeley. “We had confidence in our ability to perform. Last time we played them, we didn’t play well all. We just had to keep up the energy and pace and wear them down as best we could. It wasn’t easy.”

“This feels amazing,” Anna Goodman said. “There’s no words to describe it. We wanted to come out with a lot of energy and play for each other and keep going. We all love each other and want each other to succeed. We tried to stay calm and picked each other up. Next play mentality. We worked hard all week and focused on Ella and Gabby. They’re amazing players. We knew if we could shut them down, we’d have a chance.”

“The last time I was (in the regional final, with Thornton Academy in 2023), I lost to Gorham, so to get a win, especially against Oxford Hills, is a big deal,” said Lamson. “Our defense was amazing. We just kept going from there and our defense led to offense. Everyone was locked in and ready to go.”

“We’ve gotten better,” added Billy Goodman. “I knew if we could somewhat do what we’ve been doing we could at least give them a game. The girls were great. Anna’s 3s got us off to a great start. Everyone did their job. Being ahead was a big deal. We went down the other day, so we can do that too, but I just knew we had to keep it even or be in the lead. There were a lot of nerves out there, but when it counted, we kept our cool.”

Lamson, who was named the winner of the Edward “Red” McMann Award as the regional tournament’s most valuable player, paced Cheverus with 16 points. She also had three rebounds and three steals.

Jordan finished in double figures with 10 points and also had three assists, three blocked shots and three rebounds.

Kelly contributed seven points, eight rebounds, four steals and two assists.

Anna Goodman added six points (and three rebounds) and Feeley had two points and two assists.

Senior Evelyn Rush, juniors Rachel LaSalle, Emme Peters and Emily Tetrault and sophomore Emilie Umland were steady in limited time off the bench.

“It’s a team sport and it’s amazing that not just one person stepped up today, but everyone, even our bench, stepped up,” Feeley said. “Even the players who didn’t see time brought amazing energy.”

The Stags overcame an uncharacteristic 27 turnovers and made 9-of-15 free throws.

Oxford Hills, meanwhile, was paced by the sensational Pelletier, who had a game-high 17 points, to go with seven rebounds, six steals and two assists.

Pelletier, the Miss Maine Basketball favorite, was the focal point of Cheverus’ defense all game and was held scoreless in the fourth period.

“Our defense was great,” Kelly said. “We were disciplined and didn’t foul.”

“Ella’s an amazing player,” said Feeley. “We had to front her and have help in the post.”

“We’ve gone against Ella for four years and I have all the respect in the world for her,” Billy Goodman added. “She’s a special player and a class act.”

Tibbetts’ made four 3-pointers and had 12 points, to go with three rebounds.

Herrick added eight points, to go with eight steals and seven rebounds, before she fouled out.

The Vikings had a 30-25 advantage on the glass and made 5-of-6 free throws, but they turned the ball over 22 times.

“We had a chance at the end, but there’s a reason Cheverus is here every year,” Colby said. “Their coach is the most successful coach in the state. We knew we’d have to go through them to go all the way, but we came up just short today.

“If you would have told me at the beginning of the year we’d go 18-3, I would have taken it. I told the girls that when you give that much effort, you have to be proud. I know it stings now, but they should hold their heads up and be proud. We’ll go back to work and see what we can do.”

Thirty-two minutes to glory

Cheverus has won both prior state championships by beating Gorham. The Stags prevailed in 2022 (49-36) and 2024 (38-24). The teams met once during the regular season, Jan. 4 in Gorham, where the Rams rolled to a 62-46 victory.

South Portland, meanwhile, has won nine in a row entering the regional final.

The Stags and Red Riots split during the regular season, as Cheverus prevailed at home Dec. 17 (57-47), then host South Portland returned the favor Jan. 31 (59-47). The teams have no playoff history.

The Stags now turn their attention to capturing the big prize once again.

A prize few saw as attainable just a few weeks ago.

“Now we’ve got to go and get the big one,” Lamson said. “If it’s South Portland, we have to keep their top players to as few points as we can. We’re stronger than last time we played Gorham.”

“We need to just keep our heads up and keep working in practice and remember that this win was great, but there’s still one more,” said Jordan.

“It’s all about everyone stepping up and playing good defense,” said Feeley. “That will lead to offense. We’ll just have to keep up the energy and the pace.”

“It makes it so much sweeter this year because we’ve had to work so much harder,” said Anna Goodman. “Last year’s team was amazing and this year’s team is nothing different. We’re going to focus and learn from our mistakes and just play with a lot of intensity.”

“We lost to Edward Little, we lost to Oxford and to Gorham and South Portland and all of those teams beat us pretty good, so what we do have to lose?” Billy Goodman added. “We have to work on taking better care of the ball and handling pressure and we’ll continue to work on defense and rebounding.”

BOX SCORE

Cheverus 41 Oxford Hills 37

C- 12 9 11 9- 41
OH- 12 7 11 7- 37

C- Lamson 6-3-16, Jordan 3-3-10, Kelly 3-1-7, Goodman 2-0-6, Feeley 0-2-2

OH- Pelletier 6-5-17, Tibbetts 4-0-12, Herrick 4-0-8

3-pointers:
C (4) Goodman 2, Jordan, Lamson
OH (4) Tibbetts 4

Turnovers:
C- 27
OH- 22

Free throws
C: 9-15
OH: 5-6

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