It's Game Day, Portland!

Besides belonging to the Shoreline Conference, what do Westbrook, North Branford, Old Saybrook, East Hampton, Morgan, Hale-Ray, Valley Regional and Old Lyme have in common? The girls’ basketball teams at those schools have won a state title.

Friday night at The Mohegan Sun Arena, another school, either Cromwell (21-4) or Portland (22-4), will be added to the list.

For Cromwell, it will be its first appearance in a title game since 1990, where it lost for the second time in two years. For Portland, it will be its first appearance since, well, last year, when it lost to St. Paul, 39-37.

Despite being league rivals dating back to the days of the Charter Oak Conference, you have to go back to Dec. 17 for when these two teams last faced each other, their only meeting of the season.

Portland went on a 12-0 run to start the game and never trailed en route to a 51-38 victory at home.

After the game, Portland coach Nick Chaconis said: "You don't need to say anything to the girls to get them ready for a game against your rivals. They all remember what Cromwell did to us last year."

What Chaconis was referring to was the Panthers’ 45-39 victory in the Shoreline Conference championship game last season.

Fast forward to Thursday and Chaconis didn’t think that loss was still a motivation, saying, “that was last year” and “you can’t dwell on losses.”

“They deserved to win that game,” he said. “They played an excellent game and hopefully we can reverse the fortune this time. They’re a good team.”

Rather than rely on the revenge factor, the coach of 37 years has instead been focused on the task at hand and the challenge Cromwell presents.

“We have to approach it as another tournament game, where you have to try and take away their strengths,” Chaconis said. “They’re strong inside with [Lindsey] Langenauer and if you let [Alex] Marchinkoski get into her rhythm, she can cause a lot of problems. They have the other pieces, too. You can’t rely on stopping two people. To our credit, I think we have the pieces to do that.”

The Highlanders do, beginning with two-time Shoreline Conference MVP Kelly Coleman, who became Portland’s all-time leading scorer late in the season. Add to that, senior Lyndsey Dionne and juniors Sarah Bierly, Alyssa Unikewicz and Meaghan Rodgers and you have a veteran team with an array of options on offense, and a tough-minded defensive group that has made a mission of returning to The Mohegan Sun to take care of unfinished business.

“We’re prepared,” Chaconis said. “We prepared as well as we can. Hopefully we perform as well as we prepared.”

Cromwell, too, will be prepared. The Panthers’ closest game in the state tournament was an 18-point victory over East Granby in the quarterfinals.

As the saying goes, nothing worth having is ever easy.

For a small town, Portland’s run these past two seasons has been very bit as magical as the excitement, pride and following it has generated within the community.

“It’s an amazing stretch for a group of kids and a team,” Chaconis said. "We’re not deep. Portland High School is 300 plus or minus, total boys and girls. There is not a wealth to draw from. So, credit to the middle school program and the town rec programs and everyone.

“The town will be there [Friday night] to support us.”

Wearing red?

“The Red Sea will be there.”

Portland Game-By-Game

Dec. 8: Portland 55, Old Saybrook 33, at Portland

Dec. 10: Portland 61, Old Lyme 34, at Portland

Dec. 14: Portland 42, North Branford 33, at North Branford

Dec. 17: Portland 51, Cromwell 38, at Portland

Dec. 21: East Hampton 47, Portland 43 (OT), at East Hampton

Dec. 23: Portland 61, Hale-Ray 31, at Hale-Ray

Dec. 28: Portland 62, Rocky Hill 47, at Rocky Hill

Dec. 29: Farmington 51, Portland 41, at Rocky Hill

Dec. 30: Bacon Academy 58, Portland 33, at Bacon Academy (Colchester)

Jan. 4: Portland 72, Hyde 47, at Portland

Jan. 8: Portland 48, Morgan 47, at Portland

Jan. 11: Portland 52, Haddam-Killingworth 50, at Portland

Jan. 14: Portland 65, Valley Regional 36, at Valley Regional (Deep River)

Jan. 17: Portland 70, Westbrook 37, at Westbrook

Jan. 20: Portland 44, Coginchaug 42, at Portland

Feb. 3: Portland 67, Old Saybrook 59, at Old Saybrook

Feb. 5: Portland 63, Hyde 46, at Hyde

Feb. 7: Portland 52, Westbrook 32, at Westbrook

Feb. 10: Portland 59, Old Lyme 42, at Old Lyme

Feb. 14: Portland 58, Hale-Ray 38, at Portland

Shoreline Tournament

Feb. 19: Portland 64, Old Lyme 39, at Portland

Feb. 22: Portland 54, East Hampton 44, at Coginchaug (Durham)

Feb. 25: Coginchaug 42, Portland 41 (Durham)

Class S Tournament

March 3: Portland 64, Kaynor Tech 31, at Portland

March 7: Portland 55, Thomaston 34, at Portland

March 11: Portland 51, Capital Prep 46, at East Catholic, Manchester

To view the Class S tournament bracket, click here.

Portland vs. Cromwell, 8 p.m., Mohegan Sun Arena.