In what might go down as one of the most thrilling games of the tournament, the Oxford Hills Vikings outlasted the Cheverus Stags through two grueling overtimes to emerge with a 68-63 victory and claim the Class AA North title on Saturday at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
No. 1 Oxford Hills (20-1) advances to the Class AA state championship game, where they will play the winner of Saturday’s AA South finals matchup between No. 3 Gorham and No. 1 Thornton Academy.
The state championship game will be Saturday, March 4, at 7:05 p.m.
No. 2 Cheverus ends its season 18-3.
Sierra Carson led Oxford Hills with 29 points. Ella Pelletier also reached double digits with 17 points.
Cheverus’ Maddie Fitzpatrick led all scorers with 30 points. Emma Lizotte added another 13 points for the Stags.
The game was a rematch of last year’s AA North finals, in which Cheverus upset the two-time defending AA state champion Vikings 52-36 to advance to its first state final.
Cheverus defeated Gorham 49-36 to win the 2022 Class AA state title.
Oxford Hills defeated Hampden Academy 48-35 in the semifinals and Portland 56-33 in the quarterfinals to reach the AA North finals.
Cheverus beat Bangor 38-29 in the semifinals and Edward Little 48-25 in the quarterfinals.
