SOUTH PORTLAND – It was a basketball doubleheader day in South Portland on Friday night, as fans of the Red Riots got to see both the boys and girls teams take on Portland in back-to-back contests.

The Riot girls got the night off to a good start as they trounced the lowly Bulldogs (1-10), 49-30, on their home court on Friday night. The Riots then had a tough time of it on Monday afternoon, as they dropped to 6-5 on the season with a tight 49-44 loss to Marshwood.

On Friday night against Portland, it seemed obvious that the Riots and the Bulldogs are heading in opposite directions, with South Portland competing for a spot in the playoffs while the Bulldogs may simply be playing for pride. In cases such as this, it’s easy for the better team to become complacent and overlook their competition, but don’t tell that to South Portland coach Mike Giordano.

“When it comes to Portland and South Portland, Battle of the Bridge, it’s never a let down,” he said.

Entering the contest, the Bulldogs were looking for a building-block win on a down season against their cross-town rivals. Early on, it appeared as though they were going to give the Riots all they could handle as they jumped out to an early 6-0 lead as South Portland struggled from the field.

“We were concerned early about matching their intensity,” said Giordano. “(Portland) was pretty excited when the game started and I told the girls you’ve got to match that intensity. We didn’t and I called an early timeout to get their attention and they responded.”

South Portland’s Brianne Maloney put the team on her back coming out of the timeout. Maloney scored seven of her nine points in the first quarter while helping her team go on a 17-3 run to end the quarter, to make the score 17-9 heading into the second quarter.

Despite taking an eight-point lead into the second quarter, the Riots were unable to pull away as the Bulldog press forced South Portland into some costly turnovers, which led to transition opportunities for the Bulldogs.

Nyador Nguany lead the way for the Bulldogs in the second as she scored six points while Nyalied Deng and Sydney Levesque both added buckets for Portland. On the defensive end, the Bulldogs were able to contain Maloney, who after finishing the first quarter with seven points was only able to add one basket in the second. Still however, the Riots were able to keep pace and take a 26-19 lead into halftime.

With both teams struggling to remain consistent on the offensive end, Giordano knew his team would have to rely on its defense.

“We’ve been hanging our hat on our defense all year as we’ve struggled offensively,” he said. “What we hoped to do is give a good defensive effort every game and if we do that, I feel we have a chance to win. When the shots are going in or even when they’re not, our defense will give us a good chance to compete.”

That’s exactly what the Riots did coming out of the locker room to start the second half. They forced the defensive pressure and made it impossible for Portland to generate any momentum as the half began.

Despite not being able to score in the paint, the Riots were able to limit the Bulldogs’ opportunities by out pulling down offensive rebounds and converting on their second chance opportunities, specifically from beyond the arc.

Libby Grant, whose 11 points led the charge for the Riots, got the ball rolling by draining a 3 to stretch the Riots’ lead. Logan Neal and Jill Legere also added 3-pointers of their own while Emily Gray was able to convert on two free throws to complete South Portlands’ scoring in the quarter.

The Riots’ 12-6 scoring advantage in the third all but put the game away heading into the fourth as they led 38-25.

Grant continued her hot shooting as she knocked down another 3 early in the fourth to slam the door on the Bulldogs while Holly Block added four of her own for South Portland.

Angie Reali was the lone bright spot for the Bulldogs, as she finished the contest with nine points.

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