SCARBOROUGH – Forgive the McAuley Lions if they didn’t pick out too many faces in the red foam-finger waving crowd that packed Alumni Gym on Friday night.

They were a little preoccupied. After all, it was a late January game between two unbeaten teams. And, of course, there was Scarborough’s relentless pressure defense. Just holding on to the ball was a challenge.

Eventually, the Lions did get their heads up. That’s when they found Victoria Lux.

Lux scored 14 of her 18 points in the second half as McAuley pulled away for a 49-37 victory over Scarborough in an SMAA girls’ basketball game.

It was a midseason marquee matchup as McAuley, the defending Class A state champion and second-ranked team in the West, moved to 11-0. Top-ranked Scarborough fell to 11-1.

“A win tonight means we beat a good team that presses,” said McAuley Coach Bill Goodman. “We gain the confidence that we can play in these games, and when things get bad, we don’t give up.”

Rather than give up, the Lions hit the boards. Molly Mack (8) Alexa Coulombe (7) and Lux (6) combined for 21 of the Lions’ 27 rebounds. That led to second and third chances, as well as open looks for a cutting Coulombe (10 points).

Early jitters — and each team’s ferocious defense — were evident in the first quarter, as Scarborough came out ahead 8-6.

Things picked up in the second quarter for the Lions, who gained the lead for good at 15-12 when Sadie DiPierro hit a 3-pointer at the five-minute mark.

It was about that time when the Lions’ height advantage began to pay dividends. With 6-2 Coulombe, 6-0 Lux and 5-11 Molly Mack on the floor, scoring on the baseline suddenly was not an option for Scarborough.

“We wanted to make sure we could handle pressure,” Goodman said. “In the second half, we did much better.

“We’ve got to be better, but to win a game like this when everyone is struggling, I’m very proud to be a part of this team.”

McAuley outscored Scarborough 12-4 in the second quarter for an 18-12 lead. The Lions’ big lineup helped hold Scarborough scoreless for a span of 7 minutes, 30 seconds over the second and third quarters.

By then, the Lions had solved the press, working the ball around the perimeter and eventually finding Lux in the paint.

Lux, who came on for 6-2 Olivia Smith (three fouls by halftime), scored eight of McAuley’s 16 third-quarter points. The Lions led 33-19 after three quarters, and it was starting look dire for Scarborough.

“She’s earned the right to be out there. She’s come on strong the last couple weeks,” Goodman said of Lux.

But the Red Storm didn’t win 11 games by leaving early. They opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 spurt to get within nine, 35-26 with 3:04 to play. But then McAuley locked things down.

Maria Philbrick led Scarborough with 11 points. Ashley Briggs and Mary Redmond each had eight.

“There’s a tournament coming up that they’ve got to get ready for,” Scarborough Coach Tom Maines of his team. “The idea that they had to play in a pressure game will benefit them later on.

“You certainly can’t celebrate long on wins or dwell long on losses. We’ll see if the kids respond. I think they will.”