AUGUSTA — The first 16 shots that the Deering High girls’ basketball team attempted Wednesday did not go in. Half of them never made it to the rim.

Ten minutes into the Rams’ Class AA North quarterfinal, they had only two points and were trudging to their bench after another timeout, left to ponder a 14-point deficit against Cheverus.

Guard Tasia Titherington said she never doubted her team would respond. Eventually, largely thanks to Titherington, the Rams did.

Titherington kept attacking and scored 11 of her 16 points on free throws to help fourth-seeded Deering overcome the fifth-ranked Stags 50-43 at the Augusta Civic Center.

“Coach (Michael Murphy) told me if I don’t shoot I’m getting taken out, so I knew I had to create. We knew we’d get the calls eventually,” said Titherington, who missed her first five shots.

“I believed in our team, that we could do it from the beginning.”

Deering (12-7) advances to play top-seeded Oxford Hills in the semifinals here at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Rams do so knowing that whatever happens, it can’t be worse than the opening minutes of Wednesday’s game.

Cheverus (10-9) packed in the lane in its 2-3 zone and swatted away drives to the basket. The Stags made nine 3-pointers, four in the second quarter by Abby Cavallaro, who finished with a game-high 20 points.

Emme Poulin added 12 points for Cheverus, whose biggest lead was 27-12 late in the second quarter.

But Deering cut that to 10 by halftime, then got a brief message from Murphy before returning to the court.

“You guys got back into it,” Murphy told his players. “These next four minutes are going to be huge. Where are we going to go?”

The Rams went to Cassidy Coyne, whose long 3-pointer from the top of the key gave them a boost to open the second half. It accounted for her only points, and was one of only three 3s Deering converted, but it led to a 9-0 run.

Point guard Abi Ramirez, scoreless in the first half while drawing three fouls, started darting into the lane and finished with 10 points.

Freshman Delaney Haines, nervous at the outset of her first tournament game, calmed down and scored 13 points. Fellow freshman Mandy Mastropasqua sank a baseline runner to give Deering its first lead, 36-34 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter.

The Rams never trailed again.

“Everyone contributed well and everyone put in their 100 percent, 101 actually,” Haines said. “Everyone just ran hard and did our thing.

“I didn’t have any doubts in our team, that we could come back and win that. I saw it coming.”

Titherington, just 2 of 10 from the field, made 11 of her 13 free throws to keep Cheverus at bay. She manned the point while Ramirez sat out with foul trouble.

“I’m really calm. I love going to the foul line,” she said.

“I’m relieved. I feel like I have everything off my back now. Just go to the (next) game and we don’t have to worry anymore.”