Gorham’s Emily Esposito and Aliza Jordan led a 52-point Rams’ charge Friday evening, hashing 13 a piece to total fully half their team’s tally and nearly match the Eagles’ entire output. Windham accrued just 28 total points in the homecourt loss.

“We were starting to put things together,” said Gorham head coach Laughn Berthiaume. “The offensive execution was better. Defensively is where we’re really going to have win these games. We’re small, so we really have to rebound the defensive backboard with five. I thought we really did that…limiting second shots for them. I think that’s who we have to be.

“Offensively, we spread it around a little bit. Three players in double-digits; that’s always going to be good for us.”

The result moved Gorham to 4-1 on the year; they hover in Class A West’s second slot at the moment, one place back from undefeated Thornton Academy and one place ahead of reigning State Champions McAuley. The Rams’ lone loss, in fact, was to the Lions, a 54-43 defeat at McAuley back on Dec. 12.

Windham, meanwhile, slipped to 1-4. Last year’s A West runners-up opened their schedule with three consecutive losses – to Cheverus, Marshwood and Scarborough – before picking up their first W, against Sanford on Dec. 16. They grabbed another victory, home versus Biddeford, on Monday, and are now 2-4 and ranked 13th.

The game kicked off with a bewildering first half, for both sides. Gorham is a solid outfit – that much seems already obvious – but they surely surprised even themselves when they piled up 22 points in those opening 16 minutes, all while holding the Eagles to just one field goal. That is, the scoreboard, as the bout slid into the break, read 22-2.

“It was really a commitment to the defensive backboard,” Berthiaume said of his girls’ keys to opening up such a huge lead. “We really didn’t give them any second shots. We played probably the best half-court defensive game we’ve played so far.”

Windham regained their composure in the third and fourth quarters – no mean feat after earlier putting themselves on track to sink just two baskets in an entire game. In fact, though the Rams continued to outpace the Eagles through that latter half, they didn’t do so by all that much. Play balanced out; Gorham added 30 more before the final buzzer, but Windham added 26 of their own.

Asked what changed from one half to the next, Berthiaume said simply: “Well, you know, they weren’t going to miss forever. They knocked down a few shots. I thought we played just as hard. We got a chance to play more kids, too. It gave me an opportunity to see a few other players in different roles.”

So the end score, 52-28, looks on paper like a substantial flaying – and it is; but had the Eagles brought their second-half intensity to the court even from the opening tip-off, the ultimate result would likely have been far less lopsided. Still, finding the focus, finesse and energy to put in four top-gear quarters – or three top-gear periods, or nine top-gear innings; take your pick – is many a team’s biggest challenge, and the failure to do so can’t be dismissed as suggesting nothing.

In addition to Esposito’s 13 and Jordan’s 13, Abby Hamilton also broke double-digits for the Rams with 10.

Esposito is just a sophomore, but was an All-State selection even as a freshman. “She’s a Division I (college) prospect,” said Berthiaume. “She’s highly talented.”

Alongside Hamilton, Jordan is team co-captain. She’s just returned to the starting lineup after an injury. “She’s worked her way back into that role. She was five of seven from the floor, she was three-for-three from the line, and she guarded the other team’s best player,” Berthiaume said, referring to Windham’s Sadie Nelson.

Jordan was extremely effective in shutting Nelson down, too, holding her to just a handful of baskets throughout the evening. “Aliza’s going to be a defensive player for us first; she’s going to guard the other team’s best player on almost any night,” Berthiaume said.

Berthiaume also had high praise for Kaylea Lundin’s defensive contributions. “She made it really hard for Windham to get in their offensive flow at all. It was difficult for them to catch the ball where they wanted to catch it.”

Gorham’s next challenge is Scarborough, on Dec. 23, and then Sanford on the 30th. Windham hosts McAuley on the 30th.

Windham’s Mya Mannette carries upcourt on the attack.Eagles standout Sadie Nelson faced heavy Gorham coverage all night.Katie Herzig keeps a step ahead of a Gorham defender Friday evening.Caitlyn Hawxwell pushes past an Eagles defender.Gorham sophomore Emily Esposito tied teammate Aliza Jordan with 13 points in a matchup against Windham Friday night.