AUGUSTA — A tipped ball here. A lost rebound there.
That’s what separated fourth-ranked Deering High from top-ranked Oxford Hills Tuesday night. That’s why the Vikings are moving on in the Class AA North girls’ basketball tournament.
Three times in the fourth quarter the Rams got within two points. Each time Oxford Hills responded and the Vikings held on to defeat Deering 45-35 in the semifinals at the Augusta Civic Center.
The Vikings hit 6 of 8 foul shots in the final 72 seconds to secure the win. Oxford Hills (16-3) will play No. 2 Edward Little in the regional championship game at 4 p.m. Friday here.
“Total composure by our players,” said Oxford Hills Coach Nate Pelletier. “It’s all them. You get out there, it’s crazy. They can’t hear me talking at all. I’m screaming at the top of my lungs. Total credit to them.”
Deering (12-8) fell behind by 10 in the second quarter but slowly crept back, trailing by two entering the fourth, 29-27.
Then three times in the fourth, the Rams got within two again, the last at 37-35 when Tasia Titherington – who led all scorers with 15 points – hit two foul shots. But Deering couldn’t complete the comeback.
After the Vikings missed two foul shots, Deering had a chance to tie, but lost the ball on an unforced turnover. Oxford Hills broke the press and Jayden Colby scored on a nice drive to make it 39-35.
Titherington was then called for an offensive foul, with Tiana Sugars taking the charge, to give the ball back to Oxford Hills with 1:29 left. Sugars, who led Oxford Hills with 12 points, hit two foul shots with 1:12 left for a six-point lead.
A Deering miss led to two more Oxford Hills foul shots by Alyssa Hanley with 49.3 seconds left. Sugars hit two more foul shots with 20.9 seconds remaining for the final points.
“We were always chasing them,” said Rams Coach Mike Murphy. “It’s easy to back off but that’s why I’m proud of the kids. They battled and obviously made it a game.”
The difference, said Titherington, was simple: “Mistakes.”
Murphy said the Rams needed to be stronger. “Being strong with the ball. Being strong on defense,” he said. “I was proud of the fact that we came back but it came down to taking care of the ball and those guys making shots.”
The first time the teams played – a 44-37 Oxford Hills win on Jan. 18 – Murphy said the Vikings couldn’t hit an outside shot. In the first half Tuesday, the Vikings hit five 3-pointers to take a 23-16 lead.
The Vikings’ zone defense made it tough for Deering to drive to the basket. But the Rams slowed it down and got the ball into Amanda Brett in the second half and she responded with eight of her nine points.
In the end, though, Oxford Hills’ seniors – Sugars, Colby and Hanley – made the plays to secure the victory.
“When it came down to it, we were able to get what we wanted,” said Pelletier. “And the kids were composed.”
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