Biddeford celebrates after beating Spruce Mountain, 36-28, in a Class B South girls basketball semifinal on Tuesday in Portland. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald

Offense got the Biddeford girls basketball team into the Class B South semifinals. Defense — as well as a near-perfect first 10 minutes — helped the Tigers move on to the regional final.

Mia Mariello scored 10 points, Jordyn Crump added nine and the fourth-seeded Tigers beat No. 1 Spruce Mountain 36-28 to advance to Friday’s final against defending state champion Oceanside, the No. 3 seed.

Ayla Lagasse added six points for Biddeford (15-5), which opened an 18-point lead in the second quarter.

“We all played together, there was no selfish part of that game whatsoever,” Crump said. “It shows.”

How it happened

• Biddeford raced to a fast start, taking a 24-6 lead on a Crump 3-pointer with 5:22 to go in the first half. The Tigers hit four 3-pointers en route to that lead, two from Mariello, who had 10 of Biddeford’s first 24 points.

“It made us feel 10 times better,” Crump said. “We were a little nervous, excited going into the game. But … seeing the scoreboard at 24-6 was kind of a relief for us.”

• Biddeford forced Spruce Mountain into 16 turnovers in the first half.

“We always talk about the fact that we know we have the offensive capacity, but we need to do things defensively,” coach Jeannine Paradis said. “Half-court wise, we’ve worked a lot on passing lanes, keeping the ball in front of us, shutting down shooters.”

Showing fight

• The Phoenix rallied, trimming the deficit to 28-22 on an Aisla Armandi drive with 4:47 to go in the third quarter, but Biddeford got the lead back to double figures at 33-22 on a Gabriella Silva 3-pointer a little more than a minute later.

• After allowing 24 points in the first 10:38, the Phoenix gave up 12 over the final 21:22.

“I think we started making some shots, and the more we’re making our shots, we can get our defenses set,” Spruce Mountain coach Zach Keene said. “We just didn’t make enough.”

Historical note

• Biddeford will play for a regional title for the first time since 2009, when it lost to Deering in the Western Class A final.

Stat leaders

• Biddeford: Mia Mariello (10 points), Jordyn Crump (nine points, 10 rebounds)

• Spruce Mountain: Maddie Grimaldi (11 points, 11 rebounds), Riley Small (six points, 14 rebounds), Natasha Macdonald (seven points)

They said it

• “There’s a lot of game left at that point. … It was just about one possession at a time. Go get a stop, come down and get a score. Get a stop, come down and get a score. And that’s what they did. It’s one of the toughest groups I’ve had.” — Spruce Mountain coach Zach Keene, on whittling the deficit from 18 points to six.

• “I love it. I take it very serious when they want to pressure us, and having the ball in my hands just makes me so much more competitive. I take it personal.” — Jordyn Crump, on being Biddeford’s ballhandler while Spruce Mountain brought late pressure.