Houlton High School guard Kolleen Bouchard made a lasting impression in her first Eastern Maine Class C girls basketball tournament.
Bouchard earned the rare honor of being chosen the BDN’s Owen Osborne Most Valuable Player as a freshman as she led her Shiretowners to the regional championship. She was a unanimous selection among media representatives and longtime officials and observers.
Fellow Aroostook County standouts Hannah Graham of Presque Isle and Mackenzie Worcester of Washburn were the MVP winners in Classes B and D, respectively.
They are both seniors.
Lawrence of Fairfield junior power forward-center Nia Irving was the Class A MVP.
The MVPs are members of the BDN All-Tourney teams for each class, which follow.
Class A
Irving had 33 points in a semifinal win over Brunswick and 10 points and eight rebounds in the final against Bangor while drawing double- and triple-teams that freed up teammates for open shots. She made 28 of 33 free throw tries during the tournament. She also scored 27 points in Lawrence’s quarterfinal win over Messalonskee.
She was joined on the All-Tourney team by teammates Dominique Lewis, a junior guard, and Paige Belanger, a forward. Bangor senior guard Mary Butler also was named to the team, along with Brunswick senior guard Julia Champagne.
Butler was Bangor’s primary playmaker as well as leading rebounder. Her blocked shot in the final seconds preserved the top-ranked Rams 41-40 win over Hampden in the quarters, a game in which she also had 15 rebounds and seven assists. Butler had 16 points and seven rebounds in a 47-45 semifinal win over Edward Little.
Lewis emerged from a quiet tournament with a game-high 16 points in the Eastern Maine championship game. She shot five of seven from beyond the 3-point arc in that game, including the go-ahead 3-pointer in Lawrence’s 46-42 win over Bangor with 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Champagne scored a team-high 16 points as No. 6 Brunswick ousted defending Eastern Maine champion Oxford Hills of South Paris in the quarters, then had 14 points in the semifinals as the Dragons built an early lead before falling to Lawrence 62-52.
Belanger may have been the tournament’s top defensive player, particularly in the semifinals and finals when her work slowed Champagne and Butler, respectively. She also complemented Irving on the backboards and was the recipient of the Bob Whytock award as the tourney’s top player-sportsman.
Class B
Graham, an all-tourney selection last season, edged out teammate Kingsbury in the MVP balloting. Graham and senior forward Kingsbury were joined on the all-tourney team by Gardiner senior guard Morgan Carver and sophomore forward Mary Toman and Camden Hills senior center Rachel Pease.
Graham, a talented all-purpose 5-10 guard, who is going to attend Brunswick’s Bowdoin College, had 45 points in her team’s three victories, including 23 in the triumph over Hermon.
Graham had nine points, five assists and three rebounds in the championship-game victory over Gardiner, and she had 13 points, four assists and three rebounds against Winslow.
She was the primary ball-handler who made good decisions with the ball and was a calming influence through leadership. Graham also was an effective defender.
Kingsbury had an exceptional tournament and capped it with a 23-point, 13-rebound performance in the title game vs. Gardiner, eclipsing the 1,000-point mark for her career.
Despite being just 5-7, Kingsbury was tenacious along the base line and in the paint.
She had 18 points vs. Hermon and 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals against Winslow.
Carver and Toman led the surprising Tigers from the ninth seed into the championship game after the team pulled off upset wins over defending Eastern Maine titlist and previously undefeated Mount Desert Island, the top seed, along with No. 4 Camden Hills.
Carver poured in a game-high 26 points vs. MDI and limited high-scoring Sierra Tapley to six points with her in-your-face defense. Carver added 15 points, three assists and two steals against Camden Hills and had seven points, two rebounds and two steals against Presque Isle.
The 5-foot-10 Toman worked tirelessly on the glass and exhibited impressive rebounding instincts. She had 39 rebounds in three tourney games. She also had 16 points against Camden Hills and 12 points vs. MDI.
The 6-foot-2 Pease concluded her outstanding career with a strong tournament showing.
She had 12 points, including four of her team’s final nine points, in the win over Oceanside of Thomaston/Rockland and 12 points and seven rebounds against Gardiner.
Class C
Bouchard poured in 53 points in leading the Shires past Central, Piscataquis Community High School of Guilford and Dexter.
The versatile and athletic Bouchard had 20 points against Central of Corinth; 13 points, three steals and two blocked shots against PCHS and capped her performance with a memorable showing in the title game victory over Dexter as she had 20 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots.
She could penetrate and score from inside, produce points off the offensive glass or hit the outside jumper.
Bouchard was joined on the Class C All-Tourney team by teammate Katie Condon, a junior forward; Calais senior guard Maddy McVicar and Dexter’s Michaela White and Megan Peach.
White is a senior guard, and Peach is a sophomore center.
Condon had 11 points vs. Central, nine points and 10 rebounds against PCHS and grabbed six rebounds in the triumph over Dexter.
White scored 15 points and had five rebounds in the loss to Houlton after helping lead Dexter to victories over Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln and defending state champ Calais. She had 12 points vs. Mattanawcook Academy.
Peach was a force on the glass for Dexter. She had 10 rebounds, two blocked shots and seven points against Houlton after playing a key role in the Calais triumph with 17 points.
The University of Maine-bound McVicar, the 2014 BDN MVP, concluded her exceptional high school career with 22 points in the loss to Dexter.
Class D
Worcester, a 5-5 guard, had a terrific tournament with 70 points, 21 rebounds and 17 assists and nine steals.
She pumped in 31 points against Penobscot Valley of Howland, 23 against Machias and 16 in the title-game win over Fort Fairfield. She also had eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocked shots against Fort Fairfield.
Worcester was an exceptional floor general and defender who played an important role in the pressing defense.
She was accompanied on the all-tourney team by teammates Joan Overman, a senior forward, and Emmy Churchill, a junior guard, along with Fort Fairfield junior guard Chelsey Pelkey and Tiger senior forward Megan Jellison.
Overman scored 23 points and also had four rebounds and three steals against Fort Fairfield. She had 11 points, five rebounds and four steals against Penobscot Valley and 12 points, five rebounds and five steals in the win over Machias. She was an effective inside and outside player.
Despite being just 5-foot-5, Churchill used her quickness and instincts to grab 18 rebounds in three tourney games.
She had a career-high 19 points against Penobscot Valley along with seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. She also contributed 15 points and five rebounds against Fort Fairfield and hauled down six rebounds vs. Machias.
Pelkey, in her first season at Fort Fairfield after transferring from Limestone Community School/Maine School of Science and Mathematics, had 28 points in the tourney including 14 to go with four rebounds, four steals and three assists against Washburn. She had nine assists and four steals along with 10 points vs. Van Buren.
Jellison racked up 46 points in her three games.
She had 10 points and eight rebounds vs. Washburn after a 19-point, 12-rebound outing against Van Buren and 13 points in the triumph over East Grand of Danforth.