In a duel of stars, Scarborough High School’s Julia Freeman outshot Gorham High School’s Mackenzie Holmes to end the Rams’ three-year run of state title game appearances and send the Red Storm on to the Class AA South regional final.
In a game where the two teams traded leads of five points or less for most of the first three quarters, Scarborough was able to give itself some breathing room in the fourth and claim a 39-32 victory.
The junior forward Freeman scored 17 of Scarborough’s 20 first half points, including three three-pointers, to overcome a first quarter deficit and give the second-seeded Red Storm a narrow 20-19 halftime advantage. Freeman finished with 21, while senior captain Jocelyn Couture added 10 in the winning effort.
Mackenzie Holmes, a senior captain, scored 19 to lead Gorham, dominating in the paint while also showing range with a pair of three-pointers.
Scarborough’s win represented payback of sorts, after the Rams eliminated the Red Storm last year with a punishing 47-28 victory in the regional final game.
Gorham has won two of the last three Class AA state titles, winning in 2016 and 2017 before narrowly losing in the championship game last year to Edward Little High School of Auburn.
With the victory, Scarborough improves to 18-2 on the season and will play in the regional final Friday at 3:45 p.m. Gorham finishes its season with a 13-7 mark.
