PORTLAND — This one lived up to all expectations.

Leavitt High of Turner won its first Western Class B girls’ basketball championship Saturday, dethroning York in a game played at a frenetic pace that left players and coaches exhausted.

Sophomore Kristen Anderson scored eight of her 21 points in overtime, hitting two 3-pointers from well beyond the NBA arc, to lift the second-seeded Hornets past the top-ranked Wildcats 58-55 at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

The loss snapped York’s 42-game winning streak and sent Leavitt (21-0) to the Class B state championship game against Nokomis of Newport (19-2) at 6 p.m. Friday at the Civic Center.

This game matched Leavitt’s fast-paced offense and ballhawking press against York’s composure and half-court game.

And in the end it was the Hornets’ style that won out. York had its worst shooting game of the season and finished with a season-high 30 turnovers.

“We knew coming in that we were playing a great program. We have a lot of respect for York,” said Leavitt Coach Tammy Anderson. “We just hoped it would be a great game, and it ended up being a great game. This game lived up to everything.”

Leavitt built a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, then watched as the Wildcats (20-1) roared back to take the lead twice, the final time on a 3-pointer by Stephanie Gallagher with 42.6 seconds remaining.

“We had her double teamed,” said Leavitt senior guard Courtney Anderson. “That shot was ridiculous.”

But Courtney Anderson tied it 10 seconds later, and when York couldn’t get off a good final shot, the teams went to overtime.

After Andrea Mountford scored to give York a 49-47 lead, Kristen Anderson hit a leaner in the lane to tie it. Adrianna Newton then stole the ball on the press, and Kristen Anderson ran off a screen and hit a 3-pointer from the left for a 52-49 lead.

Nicole Taylor (23 points) came back with two foul shots, but then Kristen Anderson stepped way beyond the NBA line and swished another 3-pointer with 1:55 remaining for a 55-51 lead.

“I was just feeling it, I guess,” she said. “I like shooting.”

“Those shots killed us,” said Gallagher (16 points). “And there’s nothing you can do about them.”

“We talked about that at the half,” said Wildcats Coach Rick Clark. “I didn’t want to be in a close game in the final minutes with them chucking up those 3s. And that’s what happened.

“Obviously we played as hard as we could, but sometimes you don’t get what you want.”

Kristen Anderson, said her mother Tammy, the coach, has the green light to shoot those. “She’s the extreme kid, always has been,” she said. “She’s very competitive and she wants the ball in her hands.”

And her older sister, Courtney, who is going to Orono to play for Cindy Blodgett next year, doesn’t mind deferring to her younger sister.

“I’m 100 percent OK with that as long as we win,” said Courtney Anderson, who had 20 points.

A basket by Newton (15 points, 12 rebounds) gave the Hornets a five-point lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

“It’s incredible,” said Courtney Anderson, who was presented the Mike DiRenzo Award as the tournament’s outstanding player/sportsman. “It means everything.” 

Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:

mlowe@pressherald.com