Virtually every time Nick Gilpin took the court during the 2014-15 regular season he was a triple-double threat for the Hampden Academy boys basketball team.
And when the stakes and intensity level increased during postseason play, the 6-foot-3 junior guard remained as consistent as ever.
Gilpin averaged 20 points, 8.7 rebounds and eight rebounds per game while leading the Broncos to their fourth straight Eastern Maine Class A championship. For that tournament effort, he has been named winner of the Bangor Daily News’ William C. Warner Most Valuable Player Award.
The Warner Award, established in 1994 in memory of a former Bangor Daily News sports editor and reporter, and BDN Eastern Maine all-tournament teams were selected by a vote of media, tournament personnel and Maine Principals’ Association representatives.
Gilpin keeps the Class A Warner Award in the family for a fourth straight year. Older brother Zach Gilpin was a three-time recipient from 2012-2014.
Joining Nick Gilpin as Warner Award winners this year are Nicholas DePatsy of Class B Medomak Valley of Waldoboro, Tyler Niles of Class C Calais and Chris Giberson of Class D Fort Fairfield.
Class A
Gilpin earned all-tournament recognition for the third straight season and is joined on this year’s Class A squad by Hampden junior forward Brendan McIntyre, Lewiston senior forward Isaiah Harris and senior center Trever Irish, and Messalonskee of Oakland senior forward Nick Mayo.
Gilpin scored between 17 and 23 points in each of the three games though every manner from a dunk to a half-court shot, and he added 8-10 rebounds and 7-9 assists each game during the Broncos’ run to the crown. Gilpin capped off tourney week with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as Hampden defeated Lewiston 65-57 in the title game.
McIntyre was another versatile performer for the Broncos, comfortable amid traffic near the basket or filling the lanes on the fast break. The 6-3 forward contributed 17 points and seven rebounds to Hampden’s championship-game effort.
Harris epitomized Lewiston’s high-octane attack, as the Penn State-bound track star sparked the Blue Devils’ transition game and was an explosive presence near the basket. The 6-3 senior had 15 points and 13 rebounds in a semifinal upset of top-seeded Edward Little and produced 19 points and eight boards in the final.
Irish’s 6-foot-10 presence in the paint required special game-planning by all opposing coaches, but he still joined Gilpin as the only double-figure scorers in all three Class A tournament rounds.
Mayo showed off the skills that earned him a scholarship to Division I Eastern Kentucky University. The 6-8 forward scored 31 points to lead Messalonskee past Oxford Hills of South Paris in the quarters, then had 21 points in a semifinal loss to Hampden.
Class B
DePatsy provided consistent play and steady leadership in helping Medomak Valley win its second Eastern Maine title in the last three seasons.
He’s joined on the Eastern B all-tournament team by Justin Martin of Winslow, Medomak Valley’s Micah Williamson, Eric Hoogterp of Old Town and Riley Swanson of Mount Desert Island.
DePatsy, a 6-3 junior guard, averaged 21.3 points in the Panthers’ three tourney wins, including 30 in a quarterfinal defeat of Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield and 16 as Medomak Valley topped Winslow in the title game.
Martin was a dominant presence for Winslow, either producing big numbers himself — the 6-6 forward scored 31 points in the EM final — or drawing the defense’s attention to the benefit of his teammates’ offensive games.
Williamson, a senior guard, complemented DePatsy’s play with a well-rounded effort in the Medomak Valley backcourt. He scored 18 points in the regional final after a 20-point semifinal effort that included 14-of-15 shooting from the free-throw line.
Hoogterp sparked a high-energy offense that returned Old Town to the EM semifinals in the aftermath of its 2014 state championship run. The 6-2 guard averaged 20.5 points in two tourney games, including a 24-point, five-rebound, five-assist quarterfinal performance.
Swanson epitomized the youthful grit that elevated MDI from the No. 12 seed at the end of the regular season to a berth in the semifinals. The 6-foot sophomore forward had 17 points and eight rebounds in a quarterfinal win over No. 4 Gardiner, then added 17 more points in the Trojans’ semifinal loss to Medomak Valley.
Class C
One of the more versatile post players in Eastern Maine regardless of class, Niles helped Calais win its first Eastern Maine crown since 2009 in a number of ways.
Sometimes it was attacking the backboard for close-range offense or rebounds, other times the 6-3 senior used his ballhandling skills to negate opponents’ full-court defensive pressure.
Then in the championship game he scored 18 of his game-high 29 points in the final 10 minutes of the Blue Devils’ 60-57 overtime win over Orono. That effort included 9-of-10 shooting from the line during the extra period.
Also on the Eastern C all-tournament team are Calais teammates Andre Paul and Kyle Johnson, Houlton’s Kyle Bouchard and Orono’s Nate DeSisto.
Paul averaged 15 points in three tournament games and was one of the Blue Devils’ top rebounders from his guard slot. The 5-10 senior had 21 points and 10 rebounds in a quarterfinal victory over Lee Academy.
Bouchard, a two-time tournament MVP, did his best to help Houlton attempt to defend its 2014 state championship. The 6-5 Bentley University-bound senior forward averaged 21.5 points in two tourney games, including 25 points in the quarters.
DeSisto, one of four sophomore starters for Orono, ably directed the Red Riots’ balanced attack. The 6-1 guard also averaged 10.3 points per game as Orono rose from the No. 7 seed to take Calais to overtime in the Eastern Maine final.
Johnson, also a 2014 all-tourney choice, faced foul trouble at times but came up big at important moments for Calais. The 6-2 senior guard had 15 points, six rebounds and five steals in the quarters, then sparked a second-half surge during a semifinal survival of Central of Corinth.
Class D
Fort Fairfield’s drive to its first Eastern Maine championship since 1988 was so balanced that three different Tigers earned Warner Award votes.
Giberson, the team’s lone sophomore starter, earned the honor in large part because of his ballhandling grace under defensive pressure.
The 6-foot guard also scored 16 points in Fort Fairfield’s championship-game win over top-seeded Washburn after a 15-point, six-rebound effort as the Tigers defeated No. 2 Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook in the semifinals.
Other Eastern D all-tournament honorees are Fort Fairfield teammates Hunter Beaulieu and Robbie Watson, Cameron Bragg of Washburn and Logan Wood of Machias.
Beaulieu, a 6-1 senior forward, was an interior force throughout the tournament, particularly in the championship game with a team-high 19 points and in the semifinals with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Watson, a 6-1 forward, was a dangerous perimeter scorer for Fort Fairfield. He averaged a team-leading 16.3 points per tournament game, with 21 points and eight rebounds in the quarters and 18 points in the semifinals.
Bragg was part of a similarly balanced Washburn attack. The 5-10 senior guard averaged 12.3 points per game, with 15 points in both the semifinals and regional championship game.
Wood had back-to-back 30-point performances while helping No. 5 Machias advance to the semifinals. His 30-point effort in a quarterfinal win over Easton included the 1,000th point of his high school career.
