PORTLAND — The Cheverus girls basketball team has come a long way in a short time, but the Stags learned Wednesday evening just how far they still have to go.
Hosting defending Class AA champion Oxford Hills, Cheverus battled hard throughout and trailed by a single basket late in the first half, but the Stags were ultimately done in by 24 turnovers in a 50-38 defeat.
Cheverus held Oxford Hills standouts Cecelia Dieterich and Julia Colby to 10 points combined, but the Vikings made 10 3-pointers and got 19 points from Cassidy Dumont to improve to 4-0.
Cheverus is 3-1.
“We knew they’d play a zone trapping style, and at times we got a little frazzled, but we got a lot of open shots, and luckily we made enough,” Oxford Hills coach Nate Pelletier said.
Oxford Hills came out firing, as Maggie Hartnett drained a pair of early 3-pointers and the Vikings made four treys in the first quarter. Emily Bontatibus, meanwhile, came off the bench to provide a spark for Cheverus, and after falling behind by six, the Stags settled down and only trailed 16-14 after eight minutes.
Cheverus went ahead, 19-16, on an Ella Davie 3-pointer early in the second quarter, but the Vikings answered with seven straight points to go ahead for good. After Emily Huntington countered with a bank shot, the final nine points of the half went to Oxford Hills, which forced three straight turnovers in the final minute, resulting in layups each time, for a 32-21 advantage at the break.
“We want to get our hands on the ball,” Dumont said. “We want to get a deflection so the next person can get the ball and score.”
Neither team generated much offense in the third quarter. The Stags snapped a nearly eight-minute scoring drought, but their deficit grew to 38-25.
Colby and Dieterich each hit a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to help Oxford Hills maintain control.
“We started making shots and we settled down,” Dumont said. “I feel like we still have the mindset that we’re the underdogs and we have something to prove.”
Hartnett finished with nine points, and Sierra Carson scored seven off the bench. Though Colby only scored seven points, she had five rebounds and three assists. Dieterich grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Stags were paced by 10 points from Bontatibus, and got seven points, 12 rebounds and four assists from Lauren Jordan.
“We missed a lot of layups and we turned the ball over, but I’m so proud of my team to battle with one of the top teams in the state,” Cheverus coach Billy Goodman said. “Oxford Hills has 10 girls who can score, but we made some adjustments and executed. I’m proud we didn’t give up.”
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