Deering won its first state championship since 2004 and second overall with a convincing victory. The Rams dominated inside early in the game, built a lead, and Oxford Hills, a first-time state finalist, was never able to pull closer than nine points. Freshman Kayla Burchill scored 14 points to lead the Rams, who started two juniors, a sophomore and a freshman to go with senior Nicole Garland.

Deering 51, Oxford Hills 40, 53 seconds left

And it's down to fouls, free throws and celebrating.

Deering 47, Oxford Hills 38, 2:56 left

Oxford Hills has caused turnovers with full-court pressure to pull within nine points and truthfully should have been closer, except for three straight missed free throws and a missed layup.

Deering 45, Oxford Hills 33, 3:43 left

No appreciable difference as the teams basically trade points.

Deering 42, Oxford Hills 29, 6:15 left

Oxford Hills hasn't been able to put a sustained run together as time winds down.

Deering 40, Oxford Hills 26, end of the third quarter

Oxford Hills pulled within 33-25, the first time it was within 10 points since early in the game, before Deering used a 7-1 run to end the period. Freshman Kayla Burchill has been strong inside, scoring seven points in the period. She has 11 in the game.

Deering 29, Oxford Hills 17, halftime

Oxford Hills uses a 6-2 mini-run over the final four minutes of the half to stay reasonably close. But Deering has dominated inside, especially in the first quarter when it built its lead. Diana Manduca and Nicole Garland, both with sweet shooting, have eight points each for the Rams at halftime, and its prime inside threats, Claire Ramonas and freshman Kayla Burchill, have combined for another nine.

Kari Anna Pelletier leads Oxford Hills with five points, but was saddled with her third foul midway through the second period. The Vikings trailed Cony by double digits in the Eastern Maine final, which Deering Coach Mike D'Andrea is sure to be stressing to his team during halftime.

Deering 29, Oxford Hills 15, 1:39 left in the half

Oxford Hills starts to penetrate inside, leading to a quick Deering timeout.

Deering 27, Oxford Hills 11, 3:43 left in the half

Deering regains command, forcing an Oxford Hills timeout when Nicole Garland swishes a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Deering 22, Oxford Hills 11, 5:43 left in the half

Kari Anna Pelletier hits a 3-pointer for Oxford Hills and when the Deering offense stalls, the Rams call a timeout.

Deering 22, Oxford Hills 8, 7:02 left in the half

Oxford Hills calls time after Stefanie Saavedra scored inside on the first possession of the period.

Deering 20, Oxford Hills 8 (end of the first quarter)

After a 5-5 tie in the first two minutes, Deering went on a 15-3 run, capped when Diane Manduca hit a 3-pointer while being fouled as the buzzer sounded to end the period. She made the free throw to cap the four-point play.

As the teams continue to warm up at the Cumberland County Civic, here's the useless fact of the day. The losing team in the girls' Class A final has scored 39, 40 or 41 points each of the past five years.

Good atmosphere for the game. Both teams brought bands and cheerleaders, which is becoming more and more rare. The crowd as the game approaches is probably around 2,500.

Starting lineups:

Deering: Jessica Ruhlin, Diana Manduca, Nicole Garland, Kayla Burchill and Claire Ramonas

Oxford Hills: Kari Anna Pelletier, Lindsay Fox, Teira Durgin, Melanie Cloutier and Megan Joyce.

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