Anyone who has watched Gorham High’s girls’ basketball team this season knows it is a team of shooters. Lots of them.
Saturday night, they were all hitting.
The top-seeded Rams made eight 3-pointers, three each by senior Anna Nelson and sophomore Ellie Gay, and rolled to a 49-26 win over second-seeded Scarborough in the Class AA South championship game at Cross Insurance Arena.
Gorham moved into the lead with a 10-0 run in the first quarter, then used another 10-0 run at the start of the third to seize control for good.
“They’re the No. 1 seed,” said Scarborough Coach Mike Giordano. “Give them credit. They won all year and they finished the deal.”
Gorham (18-3) will play Cheverus (17-3) in the state championship game at 7 p.m. next Saturday at Cross Insurance Arena. The teams did not play in the regular season.
Scarborough (16-5) played without starting point guard Emerson Flaker, who suffered a right leg injury in the semifinals.
This will be Gorham’s fourth appearance in the state final since 2016, a fact not lost on Gorham Coach Laughn Berthiaume.
“I think this says that we’ve got some younger kids who are paying attention to what’s going on and they aspire to be part of it,” he said. “I get kids who work hard and want to be good team players and that’s really important.”
Nelson, who was awarded the Edward “Red” McMann Trophy, given to the tournament’s outstanding player/sportsman, led the Rams with 15 points, while Gay had 11. They both agreed that Gorham’s past success has influenced this year’s success.
“This is something we’ve been working on, since the preseason, even the summer,” said Nelson, who will next play at Dartmouth College. “It’s something we’ve been working on since we were freshmen. Speaking for the senior class, this has been our goal since we were in middle school, watching the kids above us.”
Gay sparked Gorham’s first 10-0 run, her 3-pointer with 5:28 left in the first giving the Rams a 4-2 lead they would never relinquish. Brylee Bishop followed with a short jumper, then Gay scored off a steal and added another 3-pointer.
“We all feed off each other,” said Nelson. “And we all have confidence that anyone can make a shot.”
And, said Berthiaume, “When we’re patient and move the ball a little bit and not take quick shots, we usually can find one of those kids who are on balance and able to get a good shot.”
The lead grew to 29-15 by halftime. Then the Rams started the third with 10 straight points – layups by Leah Woodbury and Bishop off Nelson assists, a short jumper and foul shot by Gay and a Bishop 3-pointer – and it was 39-15 with 3:32 left in the third.
“Those runs really give us confidence and get us hyped up together,” said Gay. “It’s a really fun game to play when we’re hitting shots.”
Not so much for their opponent. Giordano noted that Gorham’s 49 points were the most the Red Storm had given up this year.
“I’d look up and ‘Bang,’ said Giordano. “There goes another one. There goes another one. They shot the ball extremely well and they made it difficult on us as well.”
Scarborough was led by senior Lindsay Fiorillo and freshman Ellie Rumelhart, each with nine points.
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