Welcome to Class B, Nokomis.
The Warriors of Newport, who moved down from Class A this winter, will jump into the Class B girls basketball fire right away tonight, as coach Kori Dionne’s club will open the season at Waterville, the three-time defending state champions.
The Purple Panthers come into Friday’s action with a 66-game win streak intact, and even though coach Ted Rioux’s club graduated Miss Maine Basketball winner and BDN All-Maine first-teamer Morgan Frame, Waterville still has plenty of talent to go around in senior guards Taylor Frame, Jen Nale and Stacie Whitten.
This game is a marquee opening-night matchup, and even though the Warriors are fired up, Dionne knows it’s just one game of 18.
“It’s exciting because we’re opening the season no matter who we’re playing, it’s still going to be good,” Dionne said. “We’re just going to go out and play our game. We’re just excited to get the season underway.”
The Warriors were young and talented last year, earning a home preliminary game in a tough Class A field, so Nokomis has big expectations in its first foray into Class B.
Among Dionne’s cast is the sophomore backcourt trio Mary Badeen and Marissa Shaw, and Badeen established herself as a top perimeter threat last winter.
Seniors Kara Batchelder, Laura Lyford and Kourtney Bradbury, along with junior Julie Smith, will provide key roles as well.
Nokomis was no stranger to big wins last year — among them was a triumph over perennial power Skowhegan — but Dionne knows the Warriors can’t just show up and expect to roll over teams.
“We’re certainly not taking anybody lightly, there are some very talented teams in Class B,” she said.
There are plenty of other pivotal matchups around the state on opening night, including one between a pair of Class A contenders, as Hampden Academy will host Bangor.
Coach Chad Bradbury’s Broncos feature a talented backcourt in Michaela Stephenson and Katelyn DeRaps, both juniors, and a blend of young talent in the frontcourt in sophomores Helene Sherburne and Ashley Danforth, along with Sarah Robson, a junior.
Julia Snyder, another junior, will spell Stephenson and DeRaps in the backcourt, while Whitney Moore and Kate Parsons provide depth up front.
Expect to hear from the Broncos quite a bit over the next couple of seasons, as Bradbury has a nucleus of two sophomores and 11 juniors and no seniors.
“They’re all young [but] with a year of maturity under their belts, so it’s going to be interesting,” Bradbury said.
Bangor will showcase an offensive weapon of its own in junior Hillary Throckmorton and a pair of post threats in senior Stephanie Comstock and junior Kate Treadwell.
This ought to be a force-vs.-finesse matchup, with the Rams’ strong inside game countering Hampden’s fast-break attack.
“It’s a very physical league,” Rams coach Tom Tennett said of the tough KVAC Class A. “We’ve done a lot of rebounding drills. We have to get a little more physical than we were last year, we have to eliminate our turnovers.”
Both Hampden and Bangor missed out on the postseason last winter, so both teams would love nothing more than to be playing at the Augusta Civic Center come February.
“Obviously the goal is just to get to the playoffs this year and see what happens,” Bradbury said.
Brewer opens its season on the road at Erskine Academy in South China, which moved up from Class B.
Other key games around the region have Class C contender Central hosting 2009 Eastern Maine Class B runnerup John Bapst and Class B foes Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln and Mount Desert Island squaring off in Bar Harbor.
Class D favorite Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook heads north to open its season in Washburn Saturday night while Fort Fairfield, another top team, hosts Central Aroostook of Mars Hill, also Saturday.
rmclaughlin@bangordailynews.net
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