The Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School girls’ basketball team had been to four regional title games and two state championship games in the previous five years, but the gold ball had eluded them.
No longer.
The Vikings defeated Scarborough High School 55-45 Saturday at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland to win the Class AA title.
Oxford Hills finishes the season with a record of 20-2, while the Red Storm ends the year with a 19-3 mark.
The Vikings lost to reigning champions in both of their previous recent title game appearances, to Gorham High School in 2017 and the now-closed Catherine McAuley High School of Portland in 2014. Oxford Hills has only played for the gold ball one other time, in 2008, when the Vikings fell to Deering High School of Portland in the championship game.
Oxford Hills claimed the Class AA North regional title this year as the No. 1 seed coming into the tournament, defeating Lewiston High School in the quarterfinals, 77-26, Portland High School in the semifinals, 47-36, and Deering in the regional final, 51-29.
No. 2 Scarborough came out of the Class AA South bracket, where it beat Massabesic High School in the quarterfinals, 41-29, Gorham High School in the semifinals, 39-32, and top-seeded South Portland High School in a regional final upset, 35-25.
