South Portland’s girls’ sizzling shooting leads to Class AA South title

PORTLAND—There were times Saturday evening at the Cross Insurance Arena that it appeared South Portland’s girls’ basketball team couldn’t miss.

And the farther out the Red Riots shot, the more success they had.

Battling second-ranked Gorham, the three-time reigning regional champion, in the Class AA South Final, top-seeded South Portland set a new regional tournament record for made 3-pointers and never trailed en route to the just the program’s second regional title since 1986.

South Portland hoped for a quick start and got it, as sophomore Annie Whitmore, junior Caleigh Corcoran and sophomore Mya Lawrence all hit 3-pointers in the first period, helping open up a 15-4 lead.

The Red Riots continued their sharpshooting in the second quarter, as Whitmore made two 3s and Lawrence added another to push the lead to 19 points, but Gorham got two quick baskets off steals just before halftime to pull within 30-15.

South Portland continued to dominate early in the third period, going up by as many as 23 points behind long 3s from Whitmore and Lawrence, before taking a 45-24 lead to the final stanza.

And there, despite some anxious moments after senior captain Emma Travis fouled out, the Red Riots made it official, closing out a 50-37 victory.

Whitmore led the way with 18 points, Lawrence added 11 and Travis had 10 as South Portland won its 10th game in a row, improved to 18-3, ended Gorham’s season at 16-5 and in the process, advanced to the state final for just the second time this century to battle reigning champion Cheverus (16-5) next Saturday at 6 p.m., at the Cross Insurance Arena.

“There’s a lot of feels,” said first-year Red Riots coach Brianne Maloney, South Portland Class of 2014. “I never made it here as a player. To be here as a coach and lead them to these wins means so much. To do it for the community after the way they’ve always supported me, it’s just a special moment.”

Best team in the South

South Portland came into the season highly-touted and didn’t disappoint.

The Red Riots opened with wins over host Noble (51-19) and Lewiston (63-29), then defeated visiting Scarborough (51-32). After a 57-47 setback at 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). The Red Riots then put it all together, beating visiting Thornton Academy (58-27), host Deering (58-35), Gorham (52-33), visiting Massabesic (55-18), visiting Cheverus (59-47), visiting Portland (58-23) and host Gorham in the finale, 46-40, to earn the top seed in the region.

In the quarterfinals, South Portland dominated No. 8 Noble, 66-12. Wednesday, in the semifinals, the Red Riots eliminated No. 5 Scarborough, their longtime nemesis, in the semifinals, 46-37.

The Rams, meanwhile, 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). After falling at South Portland (52-33), the Rams edged Scarborough (31-26), then were knocked off by Thornton Academy (45-40), before downing Westbrook (48-32) and Sanford (47-33). With the top seed on the line in the regular season finale, Gorham lost at home to South Portland, 46-40.

The Rams rolled past No. 7 Bonny Eagle (60-29) in the quarterfinals, then fended off a tough third-seeded Sanford team in Wednesday’s semifinals, 47-36.

South Portland got the better of Gorham in the regular season, as Travis scored 13 points and Whitmore had 12 points and 10 assists in the first victory, then Whitmore scored 15 points, Travis had 13 and junior Caleigh Corcoran added 12 in the second meeting.

The Rams had won three of four previous playoff meetings, but the most recent went to the Red Riots (45-30, in the 2020 Class AA South semifinals).

Saturday, South Portland never trailed, shot lights out and went on to an impressive victory.

South Portland started fast thanks to a  3-pointer from Whitmore. Then, after a Corcoran steal, Whitmore fed junior Destiny Peter for a layup and a quick 5-0 lead.

Back came Gorham, as senior Julia Reed shook a defender with a nice move and got a short jumper to roll around and in, then on the fastbreak, senior Vanessa Walker set up junior Zoe Dellinger for a layup.

The next 10 points went to the Red Riots, who got some separation.

First, Peter made two free throws. Whitmore then set up Corcoran for a 3, then with 2:08 to go in the frame, Whitmore passed to Lawrence, who was well behind the NBA 3-point line, but she didn’t hesitate and buried her shot to make it 13-4, forcing longtime Rams coach Laughn Berthiaume to call timeout.

It didn’t help, as with 29 seconds left, Travis fed Lawrence for a layup and after one quarter, South Portland was in front, 15-4.

“Our mentality was to stomp on them early and diminish any confidence they had,” said Lawrence. “We had to come out strong. A quick start was important.”

“We knew we had to stay positive and that got us going in the first quarter,” Whitmore said. “I think our mindset was trying to stay confident shooting here.”

“Everyone was going to have jitters with the bright lights and big crowd, so we wanted to be the first team to settle in,” Maloney added.

The Red Riots extended their lead in the second quarter.

Eleven seconds in, Whitmore fed Travis for a backdoor layup.

The Rams then crept within single digits, as Dellinger set up senior Logan Doughty for a layup, then Dellinger banked home a runner, but Corcoran countered with a short jumper that rolled around the rim and in.

After Reed went coast-to-coast for a layup, Gorham was within 19-10, but South Portland pulled away with another run.

First, Travis stole the ball and made a layup.

Next, after milking over a minute off the clock, the Red Riots got a 3 from Whitmore.

The next time down, Whitmore took a pass from Travis and made another 3 to cap an 8-0 surge.

“People have seen what Annie can do and she went out there and proved it again,” Maloney said.

Dellinger got a point back at the line, but Whitmore found Lawrence for another long 3 and with 1:13 left in the half, the Red Riots appeared in command, up, 30-11.

“I’m not surprised,” Travis said. “I knew (Annie and Mya) could do it. They have all my confidence.”

But the Rams turned to their defense and got a couple of easy baskets before the end of the period.

First, Walker stole the ball and went in for a layup.

Then, as time wound down, Reed stole the ball and made a layup just before the horn and Gorham was back within 15, 30-15, at the break.

Whitmore led South Portland in the first half with nine points and five assists, while Lawrence added eight, but the game was far from over.

Gorham had a couple opportunities to draw closer when the second half began, but a Walker 3 rimmed out and a Walker shot in close was just off the mark.

Whitmore then buried her fourth 3, again from long distance, then Travis set up Whitmore for a layup and a 35-15 advantage.

“I’ve seen (Annie’s) confidence build,” Travis said. “She takes the right shots, makes the right passes and that’s how she’s improved the most.”

After Walker missed two free throws, Lawrence suggested to Whitmore that ‘anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better,’ and took another deep 3 that found nothing but net.

“I had a rough game the last game, so I felt like I had something to prove,” Lawrence said. “I tried to contribute what I could to my teammates. My role is to shoot well.”

“Mya had a tough game last game, but we never tell her no,” said Maloney. “It was only a matter of time until her shots started falling.”

With 4:05 on the clock, Doughty hit a 3 to end the Red Riots’ 8-0 run and the Rams’ 3 minute, 55 second scoring drought, then Reed added a free throw, but Travis banked home a shot in traffic.

After Walker drove and laid the ball in with her left hand, senior Payton Thibodeau added a free throw.

After Whitmore made a foul shots, Thibodeau sank a pair, but with 14 seconds left, Whitmore banked home a leaner for a commanding 45-24 advantage heading out the final period.

There, the Red Riots put the cherry on their regional championship sundae, but the Rams refused to go quietly.

Just 40 seconds into the fourth, Travis picked up her fourth foul and had to sit.

Dellinger then made a free throw and banked home a shot before setting up Walker for a corner 3 to cut the deficit to 15 with 4:10 to go.

But Travis, who had just re-entered, was fouled and hit two free throws.

After Dellinger knocked down a 3, South Portland broke the press and Corcoran set up Peter for a layup, but with 3:15 on the clock, Travis fouled out.

“That fifth foul was frustrating to pick up, but I had all the confidence in my teammates,” Travis said.

“We knew we weren’t going to lose the game,” said Whitmore. “When Emma fouled out, we knew we had to win it for her.”

Gorham then crept ever closer, as Reed banked home a shot and Dellinger made two free throws.

But the Red Riots were able to keep the ball and run the clock down to 18 seconds before Whitmore was fouled. She made the second of two free throws to slam the door and with reserves on the floor for both teams, the clock ran out and at 7:13 p.m., South Portland was the champion of Class AA South, 50-37.

“This has been our goal for so long,” said Lawrence. “This moment feels really surreal. It’s so nice to have another week together. My teammates are all my best friends and I see them every day. We have one common goal and having one more week together is everything.”

“It’s awesome, a great feeling,’ Travis said. “I never doubted us for a second. Gorham’s a good team. We didn’t want to give them anything easy. That was a big thing for us tonight.”

“This is a dream come true for me,” said Whitmore, whose older sisters, Katie and Maggie, played on some great South Portland teams last decade. “Ever since I was little, I would be in the stands crying when my sisters lost to Gorham, so this feels really good. They told me to stay confident and my coaches and teammates helped me do that.”

“This moment is surreal,” added Maloney. “I’m so proud of the girls. They’ve worked so hard. I feel like getting that (semifinal round) win here took the monkey off our backs. We knew we could win here and we weren’t cursed when we come here. We came back out on the same court we already won on and we just came out and played basketball. We got so much our offense from our defense and I think that’s what won us the game tonight.”

Whitmore, who received the Edward “Red” McMann Award as the regional tournament’s outstanding player/sportsperson, led all scorers with 18 points. Whitmore added six assists and five rebounds.

“(Annie’s) got so much more to come,” said Maloney. “She’s stepped into a leadership role and that’s allowed her to take on more offensively and feel confident.”

Lawrence added 11 points and was superb on the defensive end as well.

“Julia Reed is a great player,” Maloney said. “She’s the AA South Offensive Player of the Year for a reason and Mya made it tough for her tonight. Mya was right there every catch and caused issues for them. Credit to her for playing the whole game.”

Travis also finished in double figures with 10 points (to go with five assists, four rebounds and two steals).

“We’re going to miss Emma a lot next year, but we have her Saturday and that’s all that matters,” said Maloney.

Peter had six points and seven rebounds and Corcoran added five points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Red Riots hit 8-of-13 3-pointers to set a new regional tournament record.

“I know we have good shooters,” said Maloney. “Tonight, we were lucky that our shots were falling.”

South Portland enjoyed a 26-18 advantage on the glass, made 6-of-8 free throws and turned the ball over 14 times (with half of those coming in the fourth quarter).

For Gorham, Dellinger had a team-high 11 points, to go with four steals and three assists.

Reed added nine points (and five rebounds), Walker had nine points (four rebounds and two assists), Doughty five points (six rebounds and two blocked shots) and Thibodeau tallied three points off the bench.

The Rams made 8-of-14 free throws and only committed 10 turnovers, but couldn’t dig out of their early deficit.

“I liked how my kids finished the game,” said Berthiaume. “I think they showed a lot of fight. First quarter, (South Portland) came out hot. Whitmore’s grown up and she’s tough to deal with and she shot extremely well tonight. When the other team is scoring like that, you have to match them. We decided to ramp up and play as tough defense as we could, but hats off to them. They’re balanced. You take one kid away, another kid steps up.”

Gorham graduates Reed, Walker, Thibodeau and Lindy Moreland, but the Rams have plenty returning and will be in contention again next winter.

“We’ve got kids that as they come through the program, they want to play on this floor,” Berthiaume said. “We’ve had that opportunity a number of times. They’ve embraced being here. Next year’s a new year and we’ll try to figure it out. The kids in Gorham come through with a passion to play for the high school team and that’s something I appreciate.”

Reigning champs stand in the way

Cheverus stunned top-ranked Oxford Hills, 41-37, in the Class AA North Final Saturday and as a result, South Portland will have to dethrone the Stags to get to where it wants to be.

Atop the heap for the first time since 1986, when Ronald Reagan was president, the Chicago Bears were the best team in the NFL and “These Dreams” by Heart topped the music chart.

The Red Riots and Stags 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.

They’re about to make one with a Gold Ball, something that has eluded South Portland for nearly four decades, hanging in the balance.

“We need to keep playing our game and not let this be bigger than a one basketball game,” Lawrence said. “We know we can do it. We just have to have confidence in each other.”

“I think it’s going to be a tough game, but if we stay focused with our defense, I think we can win,” Whitmore said.

“We’re more of a team,” said Travis. “I think our starting five and bench can do it. It’s my last game, so I want to win. It would be even sweeter to win senior year.”

“I try not to set any expectations further than one game at a time and that’s what we’ve told the girls all season,” Maloney added. “The goal was to get to February and get better every game. To be able to come back next Saturday is everything we’ve worked for. We just have to come out and bring it with our defense, knock down shots and let everything else speak for itself.”

BOX SCORE

South Portland 50 Gorham 37

G- 4 11 9 13- 37
SP- 15 15 15 5- 50

G- Dellinger 3-4-11, Reed 4-1-9, Walker 4-0-9, Doughty 2-0-5, Thibodeau 0-3-3

SP- Whitmore 6-2-18, Lawrence 4-0-11, Travis 4-2-10, Peter 2-2-6, Corcoran 2-0-5

3-pointers:
G (3) Dellinger, Doughty, Walker
SP (8) Whitmore 4, Lawrence 3, Corcoran

Turnovers:
G- 10
SP- 14

Free throws
G: 8-14
SP: 6-8

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