Heading into the final week of the high school girls’ basketball season, Western Class A appears to have four teams fighting for the final two tournament spots in the Heal point standings.

Eleven teams make the tournament. With two games left, Gorham (7-9) is ranked 11th, Massabesic (5-11) is 12th and Bonny Eagle (6-10) is 13th. South Portland (7-9) is ranked 10th, but by no means is assured a spot. Only 10 tournament index points separate South Portland from Bonny Eagle. There could be a lot of movement in the final two regular-season games.

Under the Heal point system, generally the better the opponent, the more Heal points a team receives for a win. Also, teams are helped every time an opponent they’ve already beaten wins a game. A victory over a Class A team is worth more than a win over a Class B opponent, and so on.

“It’s very tight,” said South Portland Coach Mike Giordano. “It’s 13 teams for 11 spots. I think it will come down to Friday night’s games. We might not know who’s in until Saturday morning.”

Of the four teams battling for a spot, the Red Riots have the toughest schedule left. South Portland plays No. 4 Deering tonight and No. 1 McAuley, which is unbeaten, on Friday.

Gorham plays No. 5 Windham and No. 8 Westbrook. Massabessic faces No. 3 Marshwood and No. 9 Sanford, and Bonny Eagle plays Westbrook and Windham.

“We still control our own destiny if we can win one of the two games,” Giordano said. “If not, we need help. We knew our last five games would be very tough. … It’s a very competitive league. The seven through 10 teams have competed with the three through five teams. There are no nights off.”

Although teams prefer to get in on their own and not slip through the back door, they will take a tournament berth either way.

“We want to take care of business on our own,” said Gorham Coach Laughn Berthiaume. “We finally are healthy and have a complete roster. We’re looking to put it together and make the playoffs.”

Kristin Ross, a junior, leads Gorham with 16.1 points a game, the second-best average in the SMAA. Her 10.7 rebound average ranks first.

The Rams lost 59-47 to Windham on Jan. 10, and 36-31 to Westbrook on Jan. 16.

A win in either of the last two games would likely put Gorham into the tournament. Massabesic could gain a bundle of Heal points with a win over Marshwood tonight. Bonny Eagle, one spot out, would likely need to win both of its games to have a chance.

Among the teams assured of tournament berths, Western A girls is less of a free-for-all than Western A boys, but it’s still wide open in the middle of the pack and lower. Defending Class A state champion McAuley (16-0) is the clear favorite. No. 2 Scarborough has only one loss at 15-1. Marshwood and Deering, No. 3 and 4, respectively, are capable of reaching the final.

IN WESTERN Class B, 12 teams qualify for the tournament. The lucky dozen appear to be set. It’s just a question of final positioning. No. 12 Poland (5-11) has a 13-point lead on No. 13 Fryeburg. The two teams play Friday at Poland.

“I feel we’re locked into the 12th spot,” said Poland Coach Darren Littlefield, who is in his first season as girls’ coach. Poland plays at No. 11 Freeport on Wednesday.

“We’re trying to get healthy,” said Littlefield. “We had two starters knocked out of the Gray-New Gloucester game a week ago. One suffered a concussion and I don’t know if she’s coming back. She has to pass the required tests to get back into action.”

Another player suffered a rib injury, but could return against Freeport.

The Knights have recovered from an 0-6 start. Their biggest win was 40-38 over No. 2 York on Jan. 14.

“The girls are very excited with the success they’ve had,” Littlefield said. “We have five wins with two games left. Three years ago, the team didn’t win a game. Two years ago, it was one win, and last year two wins.”

Michaela Arsenault leads Poland in scoring at 10.9 points per game, and Emily Bolduc is second at nine points.

The Knights are looking forward to playing a preliminary tournament game. Their preference would be to play an out-of-conference team in the prelims. With the three through five positions likely to change, Littlefield thinks there’s a good chance that opponent could be Spruce Mountain.

THORNTON ACADEMY standout Meghan Agger missed three games a while back because of knee problems, but she returned last week and has been cleared to play the rest of the season.

The Golden Trojans (9-7) downed Cheverus 47-40 on Friday. Agger’s return is a big boost for a team ranked sixth in Western Class A.

“Meghan is a commanding presence on the floor,” said Coach Eric Martson. “She’s a natural leader.”

Agger, a senior, is averaging 11.4 points per game, second on the team behind sophomore Olivia Shaw at 11.8 points. Agger’s sister, Jordan, is also a key player for the Golden Trojans, who play at Scarborough tonight and host Biddeford Thursday.

Agger will likely need an operation after the season to clean out debris in her knee.

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at: tchard@pressherald.com

Twitter: TomChardPPH

 

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