SOUTH PARIS – Teira Durgin not only has one of the toughest jobs but also one of the most important.

The senior guard is the defensive stopper for the Oxford Hills girls’ basketball team. Each night, Durgin draws the opponent’s top scorer. Her task is to do what others have failed to do against the best scorers in the league.

Wednesday night, Durgin had Kirsten Prue as her assignment. Prue is one of the top scorers in the KVAC South and is Edward Little’s offensive catalyst. Despite the daunting task, it was just another challenge for Durgin.

“It was pretty much another night, but she does a little more moves than the other girls that I’ve played against,” said Durgin.

Durgin frustrated Prue and limited the sophomore sensation to just 12 points in a 44-31 Oxford Hills victory.

“Teira is a great defender and part of it is her athleticism,” said Oxford Hills coach Nate Pelletier. “She’s very quick. We have her face guard some players. Against Morse, she did the same things against Jill Henrikson. When a girl is averaging 18, and she only scored 12, that’s a good job.”

The Vikings needed Durgin’s defensive work to counter a solid defensive job by the Red Eddies. Oxford Hills had more size, balance and experience, but EL still managed to keep them within reach.

“This is a team that is scoring 65 to 70 points against a lot of people,” said EL coach Craig Jipson. “We held them to 44. Defensively, I was absolutely thrilled with our kids. I thought Alyssa Levesque was an absolute warrior. I have so much respect for Kari Pelletier. I think she’s one of the best players in Maine. Not that we shut her down, but I think Alyssa was brilliant.”

Pelletier led the Vikings (4-3) with 15 points, seven coming from the free-throw line. Durgin and Melanie Cloutier each added eight while Megan Joyce had seven.

“That’s how our team is going to be this year,” said Pelletier. “If I have everyone averaging five points, that’d be great. Obviously, Kari has been stepping up but every kid’s got to contribute in their own little way, and we had that tonight.”

Prue led EL (3-4) with her 12. She was held to just one field goal in the first half. She had five points in the third but was held to a field goal in the final quarter.

“I just got ready and moved my feet,” said Durgin. “I knew she was going to do some spin moves and go right for the basket. I knew I just had to plant my feet and be ready for it.”

EL was plagued by fouls and 12 turnovers in the second quarter. The Vikings opened up a 24-15 lead with a 13-1 run. Pelletier led the surge with a 3-pointer and four free throws.

EL did a nice job working the ball to open players in its offense but failed to hit shots. EL shot 1-for-7 in the second, 5-for-10 in the third and 2-for-17 in the fourth.

“We got some good looks,” said Jipson. “The freshmen are getting better. They’re helping out. I just loved how they played. It was much better than the Brewer and Bangor losses.”

EL got within four on three-point play by St. Hilaire late in the third, but a three-point play by Joyce made it 32-25. Though a Levesque basket had EL within five after three quarters, EL was held to just one field goal for much of the fourth. Durgin, Cloutier, Pelletier and Joyce all scored during a 12-2 run to start the fourth.