The Class B South girls basketball tournament began at the Portland Expo on Friday with quarterfinal action, which included wins by York and Poland in early games and a victory at the buzzer for Marshwood.

Here are some takeaways.

LATHROP PLAYS THE HERO

There was no time to dribble. No time to pass. No time to think.

For Natalie Lathrop, there was only time to shoot. Or, rather, heave.

“I was just throwing it up and hoping for the best,” she said. “You kind of black out a little bit. … Thankfully, it went in.”

Lathrop, Marshwood’s senior guard, connected on an off-balance, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift the Hawks to a dramatic 46-43 victory over Greely.

For most players, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime moment. For Lathrop (17 points), it was more of the same — she hit a last-second shot to beat Gray-New Gloucester last season.

“It’s deja vu,” Marshwood coach Angie Littlefield said. “If we’re going to try to hit a buzzer-beater, she’s going to be the kid I want (to have) the ball in her hands.”

It didn’t look like she’d get a chance. Marshwood’s Renee St. Pierre drove but lost the handle, and Maddison Poitras retrieved the ball and went to the top of the key. She sent a pass to Lathrop, whose weight was moving away from the basket as she launched her shot.

The ball hit off glass and went through the net, and the rest of the Hawks mobbed Lathrop in jubilation.

“It was just knew I had to do it. I wasn’t necessarily looking at the clock, but I just knew it had to get there,” she said. “I just hucked it up there. I was hoping for the best. It’s the Hail Mary, right there.”

CATANESE SPARKS YORK’S SURGE

York was in some early trouble, trailing Poland 16-7 after the first quarter and struggling to find a rhythm on the Expo floor.

“I was like ‘Uh oh, what’s happening?'” senior guard Piper Catanese said. “Then I was like, ‘Nah, we’ve got this. We can do this.'”

Catanese backed up her assertion, providing a spark to a York team in need of one. She scored eight of the Wildcats’ first 11 points in the second quarter, helping York regain control and beat the Knights, 58-51. Catanese finished with 14 points, second only to Nya Avery’s 16.

“She is the energy of our team,” coach Jess Stacy said. “She’s the one that brings the positivity all the time. There’s no quit in that kid. She hustles everywhere for me.”

Catanese showed it Friday. She hit a free throw to make it 16-9, then followed with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to six, sank two free throws after a steal and being fouled in transition, and raced in for a putback that cut the deficit to 20-18.

Catanese had three rebounds and two steals in the quarter. The rejuvenated Wildcats led 27-20 by the end of the half.

“I know our potential,” Catanese said. “I knew that, yeah, we weren’t playing our way right now, but we could easily snap out of it. And we did.”

POLAND OUSTED, BUT CONTINUES UPWARD TREND

Poland season ended with the loss to York. But for a silver lining, the Knights only need to look at where their progress.

From 2018-19 to 2022-23, Poland went 12-59, with the low point being an 0-18 season in 2022-23. The struggles got so bad that the Knights moved down to Class C when the Maine Principals’ Association made that option available to teams below a .250 winning percentage over a four-year stretch.

Since then, it’s been a story of success. Poland went 13-7 and reached the C South quarterfinals in back-to-back years, then returned to Class B this season and once again made the tournament, finishing 12-7.

“Where we are compared to where we were three years ago is unbelievable,” coach Jake Webb said. “These girls came in every day, all summer, every day, just continuing to work harder and harder. … They put everything they had into it, and believed they could be better.”

Another positive? The run’s not over. Poland graduates one starter and could bring back every player who had a point Friday.

“A lot of people picked us to finish bottom half this year, and didn’t think we had a lot of potential,” Webb said. “To keep winning and keep winning, it’s so big for this community. It means so much.”

A SURPRISE STAR FOR OCEANSIDE

Addie Poland is Oceanside’s defense, passing and hustle specialist, which has resulted in a term of endearment from coach Matt Breen.

“(He) says I’m the dog on the team,” she said.

With starting guard Grace Mackie down because of an elbow injury after the opening minutes, however, and with Lake Region focusing its attention on slowing down star forward Olivia Breen, Poland realized her usual role wouldn’t be enough.

“I just knew tonight I had to do more than just be the dog,” she said. “I had to step up and make some shots for my team.”

That she did. Oceanside enjoyed a hot night from beyond the arc, knocking down 11 3-pointers, and Poland took center stage, going 4 for 8 from long range en route to 17 points.The Mariners won, 72-32.

Poland got going at the right time, opening the second quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers to break open a game that Oceanside led 10-7 after one quarter. In the third, the Mariners hit four straight 3-pointers and Poland had two of them, the last one rattling around the rim before falling for a 43-22 lead.

“It’s definitely fun when you get to be that role player who gets to score,” the senior said. “Once Grace went down, I knew I needed to step up and take charge.”