PORTLAND — Sanford was up for the challenge of handing Cheverus its first loss of the season, but the Stags weren’t ready to taste defeat, as they took control early and handed the Spartans their second loss of the season by a score of 57-47 at Cheverus High School on Friday night.

Sanford came out ready to play, as Morgan Fogg made a layup while being fouled just four seconds into the game. Fogg missed the free throw, but it signaled to Cheverus that the Spartans were not to be taken lightly.

The Spartans got up to a 7-4 lead early on, but Cheverus went on a 12-0 run to take control of the game, and they never looked back.

Sanford started to come back by answering the Stags’ run with a 6-0 run of their own, but Victoria Nappi hit a three-pointer with 10 seconds to go to give Cheverus a 23-14 lead after one quarter.

“They’re pretty tough. They’re really active, and it’s hard to come out and match that aggressiveness,” Sanford senior guard Samantha Adams said of Cheverus. “But I think we did that tonight.”

Sanford made Cheverus earn their shots, but the Stags kept making them. Kylie Libby and Brooke Flaherty used their size advantage down low, combining for 14 first-half points, and Nappi hit two three-pointers and also had an old-fashioned three-point play.

Cheverus extended their lead slightly at halftime, to 34-24, but Sanford kept it close by making six of nine free throws in the first half.

Despite the deficit, Adams said the team felt like they were in the game the whole time.

“We just kept pushing. At halftime, we said we need to match their aggressiveness and we need to come out strong,” said Adams. “We just did that tonight.”

Cheverus came out of the halftime break trying to pull away from the pesky Spartans, with Nappi staying hot from beyond the arc. She hit three more three-pointers in the third quarter to finish with a game-high 18 points. The Stags pulled out to a 47-32 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but Sanford would not quit.

“It really never felt like we were down,” said Adams, who led Sanford with 13 points. “We just always kind of kept pushing, and kept trying to get those points back.”

Cheverus extended the lead early in the quarter before Sanford came back and cut the deficit to 10 with a minute to go, but just ran out of time.

Sanford head coach Kristy Parent was appreciative of her team’s effort after the game, even in defeat.

“That’s character. That’s heart,” Parent said of her team continually trying to come back. “That’s all the things you can’t coach, you can’t teach, that’s just what they’re doing. I’m very proud of them.”

Parent said that her team was able to match Cheverus’ intensity and desire, but that they execution was not the same as the Stag’s.

“Handling the ball a little bit better, as far as pressure, and less turnovers could have helped us,” said Parent. “And hitting some open shots could have changed momentum.”

For a team that suffered just its second loss of the season, against five wins, Parent said this might have been the best she had seen them play all season.

“For the first time, I think they felt that intensity, and that everybody is on the same page, everybody is clicking,” said Parent. “I think that will carry over, hopefully.”

Adams certainly gained some confidence from the way she and her team played.

“I think we can play anyone now. I think we kind of proved that tonight,” said Adams.

— Contact Wil Kramlich at 282-1535, Ext. 323 or follow him Twitter @WilTalkSports.