AUGUSTA - The Vi-Queens did it.

Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School walked into the belly of the beast Friday afternoon and administered heartburn.

This is Augusta Civic Center, where the Cony girls' basketball team had never lost a previous tournament game in nine tries.

Where the Rams host a Christmas tournament every year. Where even the colors of the court (cherry red) and the rooting interests of the television broadcast team (bleeding the same) seem to fit Cony like a well-worn pair of vintage Chuck Taylors.

Defeating the Rams here in an Eastern Class A is like beating the Russians in Moscow, knocking off the Celtics in the ol' Garden, or winning the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Performance if one of the nominees is a presidential candidate.

Oxford Hills overcame it all, plus a double-digit deficit in the first half, to win 52-49 and hoist a regional championship trophy for the first time in school history.

Unlike Skowhegan, Messalonskee, Nokomis and Fill In The Blank Community School before them, the Vikings survived the set-up because they were scared of the C-O-N-Y emblazoned across the front of those jerseys as much as a boot fears a wad of chewing gum.

"We knew we were going to win. There wasn't any other alternative," said Kari Pelletier, senior guard, record-setting free-throw shooter, general defensive nuisance and tournament MVP. "We were the first team to beat them on their home court in something like eight years, so we knew we could do it."

Cony always carries that kind of chip on its shoulder in a championship game, and why not? The Rams had won four of these formalities in a row, 11 in all under Coach Paul Vachon. And when they don't win, they usually at least get here.

Only three weeks ago, on Super Bowl Eve, the Rams walked into Oxford Hills' gym and administered a 36-point beatdown. More-than-minor-detail: Megan Joyce and Lindsay Fox missed the game with injuries.

Joyce, a sophomore, wrapped up her spot on anyone's all-tournament team with 15 points and eight rebounds in Round 3, playing Colby-bound, 6-foot-2 Rachael Mack (12 points, nine rebounds) to a stalemate. And Fox combined with Pelletier to smother Shelby Pelkey (22 points) every time she breathed near the basketball.

Pelkey had as many turnovers as points - two - in the fourth quarter.

"We just came in with an attitude that we could do it and we'd beaten them once," said Joyce, who started the final after rounding herself into game shape by coming off the bench in the quarterfinals and semis. "Yeah, it's a big game, and yeah, they're used to this atmosphere and we're not really. They knew we could beat 'em."

Cony's turnover total of a dozen nearly matched its baker's dozen field goal attempts in the second half.

Pelletier plucked four of her five steals after the break, when the Vikings trailed 27-19. Melanie Cloutier made three late thefts of her own.

"The nerves got to us a little in the beginning," Oxford Hills coach Nate Pelletier confessed on his players' behalf. "Part of that, though, is Cony. They're a great defensive team. Some of it's settling down, but some of it's that they're up in your face all the time."

That shoe fits Oxford Hills, too. And let's not forget that the Vikings already derailed No. 4 Bangor and No. 1 Lawrence on their way to the final.

Perhaps those two wins gave them the tunnel vision to block out the last encounter with Cony, and ignore the ACC/Bangor Auditorium success that seemed the Rams' divine right for so long.

"We knew we had to come back stronger than ever, because they probably had their heads a little swollen," said Joyce.

Maybe, but they clearly failed to corner the market on confidence.