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John Ewing/Staff Photographer
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John Ewing/Staff Photographer
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John Ewing/Staff PhotographerWith about three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the Class A girls’ basketball state championship game and Deering enjoying a double-digit lead, the Rams’ student section and pep band began a chant:
“It’s all over. It’s all over.”
What? Hadn’t they been paying attention?
This was Oxford Hills, the fifth-seeded Cinderella that had knocked off three consecutive higher seeds in the Eastern regional, including top-ranked Lawrence and defending state champ Cony, and overcame a 12-point deficit in doing so.
As if insulted, the Vikings immediately launched a furious rally that put Deering on its heels. Keeping the Rams from becoming victim No. 4 was the long reach and keen anticipation of Deering’s Kayla Burchill, the only freshman on the floor.
Three times in succession Burchill grabbed the rebound of a missed Deering free throw, allowing the Rams to hold off Oxford Hills for a 55-43 victory Monday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
“I think it took the wind out of their sails a little bit,” junior Diana Manduca said of Burchill’s work on the boards. “They fouled to get the ball back, then they couldn’t get it back.”
Burchill and senior Nicole Garland each made a pair of free throws in the final 90 seconds to seal the victory and give Deering its second state title in five years.
“It was extremely frustrating,” said Oxford Hills point guard Kari Anna Pelletier, who scored a game-high 15 points.
“You think you’re going to get a chance, then they get a rebound and they can run more time off the clock.”
Deering (20-2) put itself in a position to do so by jumping out to a big first-quarter lead and continuing to apply its trademark defensive pressure. Oxford Hills (15-7) won the opening tap and worked the ball carefully inside to Megan Joyce for a basket, but that would prove to be its only lead of the night.
Garland answered with a 3-pointer on Deering’s first shot and the Rams never trailed again.
The 10-day wait between regional and state finals may have evaporated whatever momentum Oxford Hills built up during its upset run.
“It wasn’t too bad because we worked hard every day in practice,” Pelletier said. “But I guess it ended up hurting us.”
With Burchill and Claire Ramonas scoring inside, Garland and Manduca hitting from outside, and point guard Jess Ruhlin making the occasional drive, Deering opened a 16-8 lead and tried to run out the final minute of the first quarter before taking a last-second shot. It was Manduca who sprang open, and she drilled a 3-pointer just before she got flattened, the foul resulting in a four-point play that made it 20-8.
Noting the 12-point cushion that coincided with the final score, Oxford Hills Coach Nate Pelletier said, “The first quarter was the game, really. If we could have come out with a little more intensity, it might have been a different story. We were almost a little shellshocked.”
Of course, he said, Deering had a lot to do with that. The Rams poked hands in passing lanes, pushed shooters out of their comfort zones and hounded ballhandlers, double-teaming whenever the opportunity arose.
“The girls were going to make a run,” he said. “I knew they would. But if you’re not scoring, it’s going to be tough to come back.”
Deering led by 18 near the end of the second quarter after Garland converted a driving layup and a 3-pointer, and Manduca canned baseline jumper to make it 29-11.
Kyla Martin and Teira Durgin of Oxford Hills combined for the final six points of the half, however, to make it 29-17 at intermission.
The Vikings cut the lead to eight (33-25) midway through the third quarter as Joyce made her presence felt inside, but Burchill killed the...
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