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GORHAM — The ball sailed out of bounds, the final point went on the board, and the celebration was on. Luna Button fell to the floor in relief. Lauren Dunbar slapped the hardwood and screamed at the ceiling. Moments later, their teammates joined them off the bench, leading to a joyous pile on the court.

Winning may be becoming routine for the Gorham volleyball team. The feeling, though, is anything but.

Gorham returned to the Class A summit Saturday, defeating Thornton Academy, 3-1, at the University of Southern Maine for its third straight championship. Gorham won the first two sets, 25-20 and 25-23, dropped the third 25-21, and then clinched the title with a 25-18 victory in the fourth.

“Oh my goodness, it feels so amazing,” coach Emma Tirrell said. “I’m so unbelievably proud of the girls. We had a couple of hard losses during the season. … It’s all about growth and failing forward, and the girls wanted it so bad.”

Four matches into the season, Gorham (14-3) was 2-2 and in the middle of changing up its scheme and core strategies. Those struggles were a distant memory Saturday, merely a reminder of just how far the team had come over the course of the fall.

“Last year, it was not necessarily easy, but a lot of people had said we got it handed to us,” said junior setter Liana Edwards, a URI commit who finished with seven kills. “We came into this year wanting it so much.”

Abigail Stevens had nine kills, Edwards and Ava DeVinney had seven apiece, and Adyson Hutchins and Addyson Simcock both served three aces for third-seeded Gorham, which stopped Thornton Academy’s Cinderella run through the tournament.

The fourth-seeded Golden Trojans had never made a semifinal, let alone a state final, but took down No. 1 Scarborough to reach the brink of a Gold Ball.

“I’m just incredibly proud of this group,” said coach Corey Huot, who got 11 kills from Marta Semino and nine from Adelaide Bracy, as well as two aces apiece from Ruby Anderson and Cecilia Acquistapace. “They’ve brought volleyball excitement to the school. We had fans here, full stands, and it was all based on what they did this year.”

The Rams charged to start the match, never trailing in the first set and erasing a quick 5-1 deficit before winning the second. Semino and Bracy had four kills apiece in the third set as Thornton (12-5) sought to regain momentum by winning the third, but Gorham’s poise and experience allowed it to pull away in the fourth.

“Last year was a big shock to me when I got out on the court, and all these fans are cheering. I was really scared to touch the ball,” said Simcock, one of three captains along with Dunbar and Emily Fluet. “Once you have that experience and you know what to expect, it’s so much easier to feel comfortable.”

It was a new feeling for one of the Rams. DeVinney had to celebrate from afar last year, as pneumonia kept her from playing.

She couldn’t have been closer to the action Saturday.

“It’s the most special feeling,” DeVinney said. “This year, knowing that I got to start and finish on the court, it was really exciting for me.”