By David Harry

Staff Writer

A day after school was canceled due to flooded roads, the Scarborough High School girls basketball team swamped Skowhegan High School 52-32 to win the state Class A championship.

The Red Storm surge at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland began early as the team led 19-3 after the first period.Scarborough capped the game with a 13-2 run.

The win was balanced as seniors Christy Manning, Brittany Ross and Ellie Morin each scored 12 points. Senior forward Sarah Moody scored nine – all on three-point shots.

Red Storm defenders held the Indians without afield goal for about eight minutes in the first half. Scarborough led 25-15 at halftime and the Indians drew to within seven points before a Red Storm flurry in the fourth period.

Coach Jim Seavey said it was as close as the team got to perfection all season.

“They have been resilient, they believe in each other and the system. They couldn’t have done it any better right from the opening tip,” Seavey said. The team overcame the broken wrist sustained by senior guard Jenn Colpitts in the Western Conference tournament and the loss of two other featured players during a 22-0 season.

Without Colpitts, who also missed the Western Conference semi-final and final games, Seavey said he asked the team to spread the work load.

“Everyone had to step up and get an extra rebound,make an extra pass, get an extra steal, and that’s exactly what we did,” Seavey said. “We never want to put the pressure all on one kid, we want to do it as a team.”

Scarborough defeated a common opponent for the gold ball trophy.

Since last June, the girls have beaten the Indians for championships in softball, field hockey and basketball.

Senior guard Heather Carrier played for all three teams, and enjoyed the streak while enduring only one loss in the three seasons.

Ross and Morin formed the core of the field hockey team with Carrier. Ross tied the field hockey game with a second half goal while Morin won it on a tipped shot in overtime. The win ended an eight-year run for Skowhegan as field hockey champions.

While the three celebrated multiple championships, senior forward Christy Manning added to her family’s glory. Her mother, the former Lisa Blais, played on four championship teams at Westbrook High School in the late 1970s.

Morin, who sank a three-point buzzer beater as the first period came to a close, said the early lead was a huge surprise to her.

“I looked at the scoreboard and said ‘what the heck?’ We had just played Deering and the whole game was intense,” Morin said of the come-from-behind win Feb. 20 that put Scarborough into the state championship.

“Skowhegan is an amazing team, they are athletic and they are all competitors,” Ross said.

Carrier, who spent much of the game in foul trouble before fouling out with one minute and 43 seconds left in the game, said she knew Skowhegan players badly wanted the win.

But so did Carrier, Ross, Manning and others who have played together for at least six years, Carrier said.

Manning said her team was more frustrated than worried as Skowhegan chipped away at the Red Storm lead.

“We weren’t getting as many open looks. We weren’t moving the ball around and kind of forcing things,” said Manning, who was named a semi-finalist for the annual Miss Basketball award given by the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches. Results will be announced March 12.

Seavey said sticking to the game plan and contributions from younger players were critical for victory.

“We wanted to take advantage of our size,” Seavey said, noting Manning’s outside play depleted Skowhegan’s inner defensive strategy because of the need to guard her. Meanwhile, 6-foot-2-inch sophomore Brittany Bona added four points and provided rebounding strength.

“Bona was huge, she’s bided her time and bided her time and today she got to step into the spotlight,” Seavey said.

After the nets were cut down and the Civic Center lights were dimmed, Carrier, Ross and Morin reflected on winning multiple championships. Ross and Morin said climbing the mountain in field hockey was more difficult, and Carrier said the team aspects of basketball made the championship the most rewarding.

Morin added her summation.

“To win two in a row as a senior – not many people do that, you know? You can’t stop smiling,” she said.

Staff writer David Harry can be reached at282-4337, ext. 219