Scarborough seals its destiny, downs Skowhegan, 52-32, for first Class A crown

PORTLAND — A group of girls who literally don’t know how to lose, weren’t about to taste defeat in the biggest game of their young lives Saturday afternoon at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

The Scarborough girls’ basketball team, which features players who went undefeated and won a state title in softball in the spring and again in field hockey in the fall, capped a perfect, dream season with a 52-32 victory over Skowhegan in the Class A state championship.

In a delicious twist, the Red Storm also defeated the Indians to win the softball and field hockey crowns.

This time, Scarborough didn’t have to rally from a second half deficit as it did in regional wins over Biddeford and Deering. The Red Storm raced to a 19-3 lead after one period, got a strong 32-minute effort from everyone who took the floor and pulled away late, setting off an enormous celebration at the final horn.

The Scarborough Red Storm. A program that as of just a few years ago had virtually no pedigree, is now the finest in the state.

“It feels amazing to be a part of it,” senior Christy Manning said. “It’s a dream come true. We had really close games, but our team always plays to win and that showed again today. It was really a team effort.”

“The kids executed a game plan to near perfection,” added coach Jim Seavey. “It’s a great feeling. I’m so happy for this special group of kids. Winning the state championship is the ultimate prize.”

Refuse to lose

After reaching the Western A semifinals a year ago and losing a three-point heartbreaker to Biddeford, Scarborough had one simple goal this winter. The Red Storm were co-favorites with two-time defending state champion Deering entering the season, but in their third game, way back on Dec. 11, Scarborough rallied from a 12-point deficit to beat the Rams, 52-50, and the Red Storm never looked back, passing every ensuing test to finish 18-0, good for the top spot in Western A. Scarborough overcame injuries to sophomores Mo Hannan and Emily Kothman and senior Ellie Morin’s illness.

After running a defensive clinic in a 40-22 quarterfinal round win over No. 9 South Portland (a win that was marred by Colpitts breaking her wrist), Scarborough once again had difficulty with No. 5 Biddeford in the semis, but a second half surge ensured a first trip to the regional final, 39-29. Revenge-minded Deering was waiting in the Western A Final and the Red Storm trailed almost the whole way before a pair of late, clutch 3s from unheralded senior Sarah Moody capped the comeback and a layup from Manning put Scarborough ahead to stay en route to an exhilarating 37-34 victory.

Skowhegan, meanwhile, won its first regional championship in 31 years. The Indians also went 18-0 in the regular season, earned the top Eastern A seed and defeated No. 8 Oxford Hills (47-35), No. 5 Morse (57-43) and No. 3 Brunswick (38-36) to advance. In the regional final, senior Liz Noddin (like freshman Adriana Martineau, a field hockey player who was on the wrong end of the score in October) had the winner at the buzzer. Like the Red Storm, Skowhegan was seeking a first championship (it lost 80-42 to Westbrook and Lisa Blais, who happens to be Christy Manning’s mother, in the 1979 final).

The teams had no history on the hardwood, but have seen plenty of each other at other venues the past couple years.

In the fall of 2009, Scarborough’s quest for a first field hockey title was denied by Skowhegan, 2-1, in overtime, in the state game, as the Indians made it eight championships in succession. In the spring, however, after a four-day delay due to weather, the Red Storm (featuring basketball players Heather Carrier, Jenn Colpitts and Hannan) earned a 3-1 victory to finish 22-0 and the best in the state. Then, on Halloween, Scarborough’s field hockey team capped an 18-0 campaign with a 2-1 overtime win over the Indians, as Brittany Ross tied the score late and Carrier set up Morin for the winner in the extra session.

Carrier, Colpitts, Hannan, Morin and Ross then teamed with Manning and Moody to produce a basketball season to remember, one that culminated with the ultimate outpouring of joy Saturday.

Instead of playing from behind Saturday, this time, the Red Storm grabbed the early lead and held it.

Just 30 seconds in, a contested leaner from Manning found net for a quick 2-0 lead. After a Skowhegan turnover, Morin buried a jumper. The Indians missed a shot at the other end and Scarborough raced down and made it 7-0 on a Moody 3. After the teams traded missed shots, the Indians finally got on the board with 4:54 to play in the quarter, when junior Adrienne Davis made a layup.

With 3:34 left in the first, Moody stepped back and made another 3 and after a Skowhegan miss, Ross buried one from behind the arc, making it 13-2 and forcing Indians coach Heath Cowan to call timeout.

“We talked in the locker room about getting off to a good start and we had a lot of ammunition since we heard people up north weren’t giving us a chance,” Ross said. “We’re feisty as it is, that made us work even harder.”

“We knew we had to come out hard on them,” Moody added. “They were going crazy in the locker room. The Deering game was a big win for us, coming back. We knew we’re capable of shooting well here. I felt good. I wasn’t so nervous.”

With 2:35 to play, junior Whitney Jones made a foul shot, but with 45.8 seconds remaining, Manning sank a 3 and as time expired, Morin banked in an improbable 3-ball, her team’s fifth of the period, giving the Red Storm a commanding 19-3 lead after one.

Scarborough went cold in the second quarter and started turning the ball over, allowing Skowhegan to get back in it.

After a Jones free throw, Red Storm sophomore Brittany Bona, who gave her team huge minutes, hit a learner for a 21-4 lead, but Davis converted a conventional three-point play to make it 21-7. A pair of Ross free throws pushed the advantage to 16, but the Indians closed the half on an 8-2 run.

First, sophomore Amanda Johnson made a layup after a steal and after another turnover, senior Mackenzie Smith made a layup to cut the deficit to 23-11. Johnson added a foul shot with 2:36 left in the half before a Morin layup in traffic made it 25-12. A Johnson free throw and a late leaner from Smith pulled Skowhegan within 10, 25-15, at halftime.

Eight Scarborough turnovers and just two made field goals in the second period allowed the Indians, who shot just 5-for-22 in the first half, to rally.

“(The Indians) have good pressure defense,” Ross said. “We had to battle through it. We watched their game tape and knew we had to get out on them. They have good shooters.”

Both teams had trouble holding on to the ball in the third and the game stayed tight.

With 6:54 to go in the period, Davis made her team’s first 3-ball to make it 25-18. With 4:43 to go, off an inbounds pass from Carrier, Morin converted a three-point play to end a 4:46 drought and push the lead back to 10, but senior Jaimi Poland made a foul shot and with 4:11 left, Jones made a layup after a steal and it was 28-21.

The Red Storm then turned the ball over again and Seavey called timeout. It worked as Skowhegan turned the ball over and after a Carrier miss and a Manning offensive board, Moody canned another 3 to make it 31-21.

With 2:59 to go in the third, Davis missed a long 3, but Poland got the board and put it back to cut the deficit to eight. Eight seconds later, however, Carrier again found Morin on an inbounds pass for a layup and after a Indians miss, Manning buried a jumper to make it a 12-point contest, 35-23.

After Smith put home a missed 3 by Noddin, Carrier got in on the long range fun, sinking a 3 to make it a 38-25 game, which is where it stood entering the fourth.

There, Scarborough secured its destiny.

Skowhegan pulled within 10 on a Johnson 3, but with 5:49 left, Jones fouled out. The Red Storm finally ended a 4:49 drought when, after four misses in close by Smith, Smith fouled Manning and Manning made the front end of a one-and-one.

With 4:23 to go, a Davis leaner made it a nine-point game, 39-30. Ross had a chance to add to the lead, but missed the front end of a one-and-one before an Indians turnover gave the ball back to Scarborough. With 3:17 remaining, Ross cut into the lane, drew the defenders and fed Manning for a baseline jumper and a 41-30 advantage. After a turnover, Ross went back to the line and this time made the first shot. She missed the second, but Manning got the board and fed Ross for a jumper, which made it 44-30 and proved to be the dagger.

With 2:09 left, Moody fed a cutting Manning for a layup, leading to an emphatic fist pump from Seavey and the stirrings of a celebration began.

With 1:15 to play, Noddin scored on a putback, but it was much too little, too late.

Ten seconds later, showing the explosiveness and elusiveness that makes her such a dynamo in field hockey (she’ll play the sport at Providence College next year), Ross cut through the defense and drove in for a layup. She added two foul shots 15 seconds later and the lead was 18, 50-32.

Seavey cleared the bench and it was just a matter of running out the clock. A Bona leaner with 35.9 seconds left capped the scoring and at 4:16 p.m., Scarborough’s rise to the top was complete.

“The last two games we were behind so we knew what we had to do to come out on top and we did,” said Carrier. “We had a lot of turnovers. They’re a competitive group and came back. We held on. We work so well together on the court. We’re best friends. To win a Gold Ball means so much.”

“It’s amazing,” Moody said. “We’ve dreamed of it since the fifth grade.”

“I’ve always looked at (the Gold Ball), but never had one,” Morin said. “I was out for two weeks with mono. I bounced back. Coach pumped me up. It was easy coming back in since I was at practices. We thought Deering was the big game and we were more nervous for them. We’ve played Skowhegan before, so we had the feel of it. I was more excited for this one, since it’s the big one. Those of us who played field hockey wanted to beat them again even more. We hope to carry it through in the spring sports too.”

Fittingly, the Red Storm didn’t have one leading scorer. Manning, Morin and Ross all had a dozen points.

“We got the ball inside more today,” Manning said. “That helped a lot, since we could play an inside-out game. It seemed like everyone made their shots. It gave us tempo. Year after year we improved. This senior class played together for a long time and has a lot of chemistry.”

“We wanted this since fifth grade,” Ross said. “The six seniors wanted to win a Gold Ball. We accomplished what we wanted and we did it as a team. The senior composure was big. We know how the others play. We had Mo and Emily out and now Jenn. We had a lot of hardships. Ellie had mono. All of us are hard workers and good friends on and off the court. We’re like a team of sisters, not just teammates.”

“The girls made me want to come back (this year),” Morin said. “I wasn’t in love with the game, but they all convinced me over and over again to come back senior year. Our dream was to have the Gold Ball our senior year. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made to come back.”

Moody added nine points.

“Sarah’s our top shooter,” Ross said. “She’s always sticking 3s. We played here for two games and we know the atmosphere.”

Bona had four points and four boards.

“I wasn’t sure I would play, but I was hoping I would, since it’s such a big game,” Bona said. “I was nervous, but my adrenaline was pumping. I went for it and did my best. It’s the best feeling. All of our hard work in practice paid off.”

“We wanted to utilize our size,” Ross said. “We put Brittany in there and she did a great job.”

“I told Brittany to bide her time,” Seavey added. “It’s all about matchups. I knew our size would play a role today and it did. When they put the Smith girl out on the perimeter on Christy, I thought, ‘here we go.’ There’s no way they can defend us with the size we can put on the floor.”

Carrier bowed out with three points before fouling out and is now on an unimaginable personal 62-game winning streak.

“It’s awesome,” Carrier said. “It doesn’t compare to anything else. I can’t tell you how happy I am for me and my team. I don’t look at it like 62-0. I look at it at competing every game. I’m extremely excited.”

Scarborough (22-0) had a superb 19-of-36 shooting day and made 7-of-10 foul shots. The Red Storm did turn the ball over 19 times, but overcame.

“It’s so amazing,” said Colpitts, who could only watch. “It’s like a dream come true. It was really disappointing to not play. I always wanted to play in a championship game. It was a letdown, but my team helped me through it. Our shots were falling and we kept the momentum with us. Everything went our way.”

Colpitts made a point of praising Seavey for his role.

“His coaching is great,” Colpitts said. “He knows what he’s talking about. He helps us get prepared for the game and gets us to believe.”

Seavey was emotional after the game. He won a Class B state crown at Greely in 2004, but this one was unique as it was Scarborough’s first.

“We talked about being perfect,” Seavey said. “We came close in the first quarter. We jumped out to a 16-point lead and every time they made a run at us, we had the answer. They got to seven, but we outscored them by 10 in the first half and by 10 in the second half. We never hit the panic button. We regained our composure. These kids are competitors and know how to win. They’re part of history now. With this group of seniors, I knew we could do some special things. It took a lot of hard work and dedication on the kids’ part. It’s not me, it’s the kids. They believed in each other and what we were doing.

“We believe in each other. We’re resilient and put team above everything else. We believe in what we’re doing. Four years ago, I told the kids if they stuck with it and believed in each other and the system, we’d have a chance to do special things. Going into the season, the three kids we were missing would have been top eight players on the team. The kids overcame adversity all year long. Jenn broke her wrist, Ellie had mono, Mo only played three games, Emily didn’t even step on the floor. Mo and Emily played as freshmen.”

Skowhegan got a game-high 10 points from Davis. Johnson added seven, Smith six, Jones four, Poland three and Noddin two. The Indians made just 12-of-50 field goals, hit only 6-of-13 foul shots and had 12 turnovers as their fine season ended at 21-1.

Don’t write them off

The Red Storm might not be at the top of the list of favorites next winter, but with Bona and Rogers, along with freshman Maria Philbrick returning and with injured sophomores Hannon and Kothman back in action, Scarborough should be right back in the title hunt.

Looking for championship number two.

“We have to keep working as hard as we can and keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Bona said.

“We’ll get Emily and Mo back in action and those kids who didn’t get a lot of minutes are pretty good,” Seavey added. “We had an undefeated varsity and JV team. We’ll keep plugging away. We understand the target will be bigger than it’s ever been in Scarborough history, but these kids will compete. They know now that the target’s there. Everyone will want a piece of us.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net

To the victor goes the spoils. Scarborough celebrates its first girls’ basketball crown.

Scarborough senior Heather Carrier whoops it up after cutting down the nets.

Scarborough senior Christy Manning shows she can step out and hit a jumper. Manning, a Miss Maine Basketball finalist, had 12 points in the win.

Ross races in for a left-handed layup attempt while a Skowhegan defender can only watch. Ross had 12 points in her swan song.

Showing her tenacity, senior Ellie Morin goes to the floor to wrestle with a Skowhegan defender for possession. Morin shared team-high scoring honors with 12 points.

Scarborough senior Heather Carrier lofts a shot over a defender Saturday. Carrier extended her mind-boggling personal winning streak to 62 games.

Scarborough senior sharpshooter Sarah Moody fires from the outside Saturday. Moody had nine points in the victory.

Scarborough senior Brittany Ross goes up for a layup during the second half of Saturday’s Class A state final.

In a delicious twist, the Red Storm also defeated the Indians to win the softball and field hockey crowns.

The Scarborough Red Storm. A program that as of just a few years ago had virtually no pedigree, is now the finest in the state.

Refuse to lose

The teams had no history on the hardwood, but have seen plenty of each other at other venues the past couple years.

In the fall of 2009, Scarborough’s quest for a first field hockey title was denied by Skowhegan, 2-1, in overtime, in the state game, as the Indians made it eight championships in succession. In the spring, however, after a four-day delay due to weather, the Red Storm earned a 3-1 victory to finish 22-0 and the best in the state. Then, on Halloween, Scarborough’s field hockey team capped an 18-0 campaign with a 2-1 overtime win over the Indians.

Instead of playing from behind Saturday, this time, the Red Storm grabbed the early lead and held it.

With 3:34 left in the first, Moody stepped back and made another 3 and after a Skowhegan miss, senior Brittany Ross buried one from behind the arc, making it 13-2 and forcing Indians coach Heath Cowan to call timeout.

Scarborough went cold in the second quarter and started turning the ball over, allowing Skowhegan to get back in it.

Eight Scarborough turnovers and just two made field goals in the second period allowed the Indians, who shot just 5-for-22 in the first half, to rally.

“(The Indians) have good pressure defense,” Ross said. “We had to battle through it. We watched their game tape and knew we had to get out on them. They have good shooters.”

Both teams had trouble holding on to the ball in the third and the game stayed tight.

With 6:54 to go in the period, Davis made her team’s first 3-ball to make it 25-18. With 4:43 to go, off an inbounds pass from senior Heather Carrier, Morin converted a three-point play to end a 4:46 drought and push the lead back to 10, but senior Jaimi Poland made a foul shot and with 4:11 left, Jones made a layup after a steal and it was 28-21.

After senior Mackenzie Smith put home a missed 3 by Noddin, Carrier got in on the long range fun, sinking a 3 to make it a 38-25 game, which is where it stood entering the fourth.

There, Scarborough secured its destiny.

The Red Storm finally ended a 4:49 drought when Manning made the front end of a one-and-one with 4:33 to play. Skowhegan momentarily got back to within nine, but with 3:17 remaining, Ross cut into the lane, drew the defenders and fed Manning for a baseline jumper and a 41-30 advantage. After a turnover, Ross went to the line and made the first shot. She missed the second, but Manning got the board and fed Ross for a jumper, which made it 44-30 and proved to be the dagger.

With 2:09 left, Moody fed a cutting Manning for a layup, leading to an emphatic fist pump from Seavey and the stirrings of a celebration began.

With 1:15 to play, Indians senior Liz Noddin scored on a putback, but it was much too little, too late.

Seavey cleared the bench and it was just a matter of running out the clock. A Bona leaner with 35.9 seconds left capped the scoring and at 4:16 p.m., Scarborough’s rise to the top was complete.

Fittingly, the Red Storm didn’t have one leading scorer. Manning, Morin and Ross all had a dozen points.

Moody added nine points.

“Sarah’s our top shooter,” Ross said. “She’s always sticking 3s. We played here for two games and we know the atmosphere.”

Bona had four points and four boards.

“We wanted to utilize our size,” Ross said. “We put Brittany in there and she did a great job.”

Carrier bowed out with three points.

Scarborough (22-0) had a superb 19-of-36 shooting day and made 7-of-10 foul shots. The Red Storm did turn the ball over 19 times, but overcame.

“Going into the season, the three kids we were missing would have been top eight players on the team,” Seavey said. “The kids overcame adversity all year long. Jenn broke her wrist, Ellie had mono, Mo only played three games, Emily didn’t even step on the floor. Mo and Emily played as freshmen.”

Colpitts made a point of praising Seavey for his role.

“His coaching is great,” Colpitts said. “He knows what he’s talking about. He helps us get prepared for the game and gets us to believe.”

Seavey was emotional after the game. He won a Class B state crown at Greely in 2004, but this one was unique as it was Scarborough’s first.

Skowhegan got a game-high 10 points from Davis. The Indians made just 12-of-50 field goals, hit only 6-of-13 foul shots and had 12 turnovers as their fine season ended at 21-1.

Don’t write them off

Looking for championship number two.

“We have to keep working as hard as we can and keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Bona said.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net

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Scarborough senior Heather Carrier waves the net in celebration after the Red Storm won their first-ever girls’ basketball state championship Saturday afternoon, 52-32, over Skowhegan.