The senior class of girl athletes from Skowhegan High School must be wondering just who Scarborough thinks they are.

After the Red Storm battled out a win against Biddeford in Friday’s girls basketball Western Class A semifinal, they patched together a thrilling, come-from-behind win over Deering to earn the regional title last Saturday. As the last-minute rally went down on the court of the Cumberland County Civic Center, Scarborough, now 21-0, showed signs that they are a team of fate. It seems to be fate, too, that they’ll face Skowhegan for the state title Saturday at a 4 p.m. game at the civic center. In 2007, the Scarborough softball team defeated Skowhegan and captured the Class A title. That was just the start of what has turned into a budding cross-state rivalry.

On Oct. 31, the Red Storm avenged a loss to Skowhegan in the 2008 Class A state field hockey championship by grabbing a field hockey title of their own. With an exciting win in overtime over Skowhegan – ending the Indians’ eight-year field hockey state championship winning streak – the Red Storm added another chapter to the growing rivalry.

That field hockey team, led by seniors Brittany Ross, Heather Carrier, and Ellie Morin, shares many qualities with the basketball team. All three are key players for the undefeated Storm as they head into Saturday’s Class A state title game, and they know that they’re going to need another one of their gutsy performances to pull out a win over the Indians, who are also undefeated.

“The fact that it’s Skowhegan makes me want to play and beat them even more,” said Morin. “I know they know some of us from field hockey are on the team so they’ll be out to get us.”

Carrier, who played on both the softball and field hockey teams that defeated Skowhegan, says she’s bracing for another tough fight. The two basketball teams scrimmaged before the regular season, and Scarborough fell by two points.

“They’re a very tough group and very athletic and they have a couple big girls,” said Carrier. “We just have to bring our ‘A’ game because they will compete with us.”

Carrier said she’s expecting the atmosphere of the civic center to play in Scarborough’s favor. She thinks it might be too much for Skowhegan to handle at first.

“In field hockey, there were just no words to explain how great it felt,” said Carrier. “In basketball, the Western Maine game there were so many people there and it was so loud, it’s so different than field hockey and softball.”

The team will also face an uphill battle as they’ll play their third straight game without standout Jenn Colpitts, who was sidelined with a broken wrist after the quarterfinal round.

The girls basketball team at Scarborough has seen very little success, with their banner looking bare hanging in the high school gym surrounded by those from the Red Storm’s other, more successful teams. The program won the conference title in 1987, but that’s the only date embroidered on the banner so far. While this year’s team has already added a regional title, they want to put one more line on it.

“I think it’d be awesome just for our school and just for the history of Scarborough girls basketball just to win a state championship,” said Carrier.

Ross, Carrier, and Morin know what a state title does for a community. But they also appreciate cherishing the moment and getting to play together on a team that won’t soon be forgotten. Ross and Morin say that while winning a title in field hockey was great, they want their teammates on the court to experience that thrill, as well.

“Just knowing how hard these girls have worked this year, it was great to win one in the fall, but I want us to get this one too,” said Morin.

“All six seniors have been playing together since we were really little and we’ve always dreamed about going to the state game,” said Ross. “To win one state championship my senior year was just awesome and I want that feeling for basketball, too.”

“To do it would just be like, who does that? What girls have the opportunity to do that?” said Morin. “Especially having Heather and Brittany on the team with me makes it even sweeter.”

“Two is better than one,” added Morin, with a smile.

Members of the Scarborough girls basketball team hold up their trophy after winning the school’s first-ever Western Maine Class A regional title on Saturday. Pictured from left are seniors Jenn Colpitts, Christy Manning, Heather Carrier, Brittany Ross and Sarah Moody. The Red Storm face Skowhegan Saturday for the state championship. (Staff photo by Brandon McKenney)