KENNEBUNK – The Gorham High School girls basketball team collected its first win of the season on Monday night, beating Kennebunk (0-4) 48-33. Gorham’s Kristin Ross led the way with 14 points while Alexis Merrifield added 13 of her own.

Entering the game, Gorham found themselves in an unfamiliar situation under coach Laughn Berthiaume. The Rams entered the night winless following a 15-5 campaign last year.

“We got a lot of different players in new positions. We’re definitely a work in progress,” said Berthiaume following his team’s convincing win.

Gorham, which lost leading scorer Mia Rapolla to graduation last season, had yet to find a replacement for her scoring ability prior to Monday night. That changed against Kennebunk, as Gorham was able to exploit their considerable height advantage and convert defensive stops into points on the other end to jump out to an early 21-8 lead.

Kennebunk was unable to prevent the duo of Ross and Merrifield from pouncing on offensive rebounds and completing easy putbacks.

Merrifield poured in 11 of her 13 points in the first quarter as Kennebunk’s undersized front court was unable to effectively box her out down low. When Merrifield was contained, Ross gave Kennebunk fits with her paint presence and smooth shooting, which allowed Gorham to take a 36- 10 lead into the second half.

With the game fully in hand at halftime, Berthiaume was able to use his bench early in the third quarter, providing his young team with valuable playing experience in a game situation.

“You make sure you’re playing every possession the right way, still moving your feet, not reaching in,” said Berthiaume. “The tendency sometimes when you play the scoreboard is to not do those little things. We’re trying to get better and certainly if you’re not doing those things, you’re not doing your job.”

Berthiaume saw his young bench contribute productive minutes. Although Gorham’s offensive production dropped with Ross and Merrifield on the bench, Gorham’s reserves continued to play excellent defense, as Kennebunk was unable to find an effective way to penetrate Gorham’s full-court press.

The game’s one-sided nature, which allowed Berthiaume to rest his starters, was arguably the best thing that could have happened to the Rams as they move forward, as it allowed some of the team’s youngest players to get into the team’s rotation.

“(The bench) got a lot of time,” said Berthiaume. “I had three freshmen playing at the end of the game and I like to think we’d get a chance to call on them whenever we need to, but they got to get their nerves out and play in a varsity game. It was good for them to get their nerves out.”

With Ross and Merrifield on the sidelines, Berthiaume turned to Sam Doughty to fill his team’s paint presence. Doughty was able to pick up where Merrifield left off as she was able to pull down rebounds and prevent Kennebunk from creeping back into the game despite having two sophomores and three freshmen on the court.

Amongst the three freshmen that occupied the floor for Berthiaume was Kate Hopkins, who was sporting a grin every time she had an opportunity to score on the offensive end. Undoubtedly one of the team’s proudest moments came in the fourth when Hopkins, still sporting an enthusiastic smile was fouled and sent to the line for two shots.

Hopkins made one of two shots that sent her teammates on the bench into a frenzy as they watched her score her first point of her high school career. In spite of the fact that it was the first time Hopkins’ name showed up on the score sheet, after sinking her free throw she immediately wiped the grin off her face and showcased the swagger of seasoned veteran to the delight of her teammates as she raced back on defense.

Hopkins’ first varsity points were icing on the cake for Gorham, as they were able to collect their first win of the season. While the Rams’ 1-3 record indicates a team in a transition, this team has the talent to compete at a high level with Ross and Merrifield leading the way.

“We started off with kind of a hard schedule but that’s how it goes. I think night in and night out, you got to have your concentration and hopefully just continue to improve,” said Berthiaume.