KENNEBUNK – This has been the coldest New England winter in two years.

It has been the coldest Kennebunk girls’ basketball season in recent memory.

The once-proud Rams (0-11) have been batted around by the league this year, bouncing like a dodge ball from one hectic, forgettable loss to another. On Saturday they were mauled 45-28 by Thornton Academy – a team that has won three games this season – and on Jan. 24 it was South Portland’s turn to beat Kennebunk like a big, white ram-shaped pin?ata. The Riots were quick to grasp the stick and have at it.

Thanks in part to a team-high 14 points for senior Abby Hasson (a number that is rendered more impressive given that Hasson played for just one half), South Portland raced out to a 21-point halftime lead, and easily rolled to the 51-23 victory. The Riots came away from the night treating the game like the opening act of a much grander show, as they were scheduled to take on Gorham (9-1) the following night (the game was played after the Current’s deadline).

“We have another game tomorrow night, so I sat our starters (in the second half) in order to keep them fresh,” said South Portland Head Coach Mike Giordano. “That’s a big game. We have won six out of seven from Christmas break on, so we’re confident. We played them in a one-point game last year at home. They’re very talented, but I am looking forward to it.”

First South Portland would have to put away Kennebunk, although it was clear almost immediately that there was little chance of an upset. The Riots hammered the Rams for 12 unanswered points before Kennebunk finally responded with just 30 seconds left in the quarter on a layup by junior forward Katrina Gosselin. The Riots replied immediately, as freshman Brianne Maloney was fouled while attempting to shoot following a rebound, and hit both foul shots. It was 14-2 at the break.

“They are a Class A team, and we respect every team that we play,” Giordano said. “We certainly respect Coach Sullivan and his girls down here. Regardless of the score, they played really hard, and they were working really hard, and that’s all you can ask.”

But the Rams did very little to improve their situation in the second. In fact, the period was most notable for two scoring errors – one after South Portland senior captain Stephanie McDonough drained a 3 at 6:21, and a second with 1:39 left when junior Haley McCracken went 1-for-2 from the line – both of which left the Riots shy a point.

Errors like this are actually quite common in a sport where the fast-pace of the action can keep all eyes present locked on the floor (although it’s rare to see two in a game) and neither bench noticed them. As footnotes in a lopsided battle that was otherwise out of hand by the half – South Portland led 27-6 – they were nonetheless an interesting aside, and certainly would have been a major sticking point had the game been closer.

With Kennebunk neatly shelved, Giordano kept his starters in for two minutes beginning in the third, and then sent in his bench. Although this allowed Kennebunk to score more points, the Rams failed to elevate their defense, and the Riots had no problem staying out of reach.

“I think we’re all very competitive and we all want to win and we all want to be the best that we can be,” Hasson said. “So we all try to stay on each other and push each other and keep going even if we are up by a lot. Because in this league, being up by a lot doesn’t mean anything.”

There would be no late run for the Rams, who only closed the gap slightly on South Portland late in the fourth (thereby avoiding a 30-point loss) thanks to a pair of 3s. The victory leaves the Riots winners of three straight heading into their contest with Gorham, while Kennebunk continues to stagger blindly through a dark and mournful tempest.

“They (South Portland) are just very good,” said Kennebunk Head Coach Rob Sullivan. “I am just very happy that we were able to play through this and fight to the end. We are actually doing a lot of good things, but against a team like that, and Hasson… well… There were times when I thought we could have done a better job boxing her out, and there were times when I think we did box her out, and she still hurt us.”