enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Keila Grigware of Biddeford looks for a way to the basket while defended by Diana Manduca, left, and Jessica Ruhlin of Deering.

enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Just like a year ago, it was the Deering girls doing the celebrating Saturday night after beating Biddeford 56-33 in the Western Class A final. The Rams will take on Messalonskee in a bid for a repeat state title next Saturday.

enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Aimee Mortensen of Biddeford defends against Claire Ramonas, who finished with 14 points for Deering.

enlarge John Ewing/Staff Photographer

Diana Manduca, left, of Deering steals the ball from Biddeford's Amethyst Hersom while Kayla Burchill helps out on defense.

PORTLAND — Deering High’s defending Class A state champion girls’ basketball team has been playing with great expectations – and pressure – all season.

Saturday night the Rams took one giant step forward to achieving those expectations.

With Diana Manduca scoring 18 points and Claire Ramonas putting in 14, the top-ranked and unbeaten Rams methodically pulled away from No. 3 Biddeford 56-33 at the Cumberland County Civic Center to win their second consecutive Western Class A title.

Deering (21-0) trailed midway through the first quarter but made several defensive stands to put the game away.

The Rams will play Messalonskee for the state championship at 7 p.m. next Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center.

“This feels really good,’’ said Ramonas, a 5-foot-11 junior center. “Other than a few new girls, we’ve all been here before. And it feels better the second time.’’

Manduca, a senior guard, was named the winner of the Edward “Red’’ McMann Award, given to the tournament’s outstanding sportsperson/player, for the second consecutive year.

“She’s just a great player,’’ said Biddeford Coach Ron Cote. “She doesn’t need any motivation. She’s intense. She’s just one of the best players around.’’

Biddeford (16-5) stayed with the deep, talented Rams for most of the first quarter. With Deering leading 10-9 after Manduca hit a 3-pointer from deep on the left wing, Biddeford went ahead on an inside basket by Keila Grigware (14 points).

Mike Murphy, Deering’s first-year coach, immediately called a timeout to settle his team, especially defensively. The Rams responded with a 6-0 run, forcing two missed shots and a turnover, with Manduca scoring two baskets in the final minute of the quarter to make it 16-11.

“The baskets they were scoring at the beginning of the game, we were too concerned with playing off the ball,’’ said Murphy. “Essentially they were playing one-on-one with us and beating us.

“All of a sudden we were playing more help-side defense and they had to go through two, three kids to get to the basket.’’

Manduca said the Rams needed to “get into the flow of the game. We needed to feel them out, see what they were going to do.’’

Once they figured it out, the Rams slowly built the lead into double figures, helped by Ramonas scoring six points inside in the second quarter.

Then, leading by 14 entering the fourth, Deering scored the first seven points of the quarter to make it 49-28.Ramonas had four points, and Manduca added a steal and a layup for another.

“They get on runs,’’ said Cote. “You get down 10, 12 against them and it’s difficult to come back. I don’t know. We just didn’t get it done. They’re a good team, a very good team.’’

And one that has played under intense pressure all season, with four starters returning from a championship team.

“Everyone knew the pressure was on us,’’ said Murphy. “The kids are almost prisoners of their own success, with the expectations. But we talked about it at the beginning of the year. We stressed needing to play one game at a time.

“You can’t win 18 games in one night, I told them. We broke it down to simple terms and just played.’’

Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:

mlowe@pressherald.com