Sierra Tapley remembers the feeling all too well.
Her top-seeded and unbeaten Mount Desert Island girls basketball team appeared poised and ready to defend its regional title and take another crack at a first state title since 2003.
“We left on a sour note last year,” said the UMaine-bound Tapley. “But that has fuelled the fire for this season.”
Tapley, a Bangor Daily News All-Maine Schoolgirl Basketball third-team selection, is hoping to erase that memory with another regional championship run with the season tipping off this weekend although there will be no shortage of competition in the revamped five-class alignment.
Presque Isle, which benefited from MDI’s early demise and captured its third regional title in four years, will have to replace BDN All-Maine second-teamer Hannah Graham but has a solid nucleus returning, and defending state Class C champ Houlton joins Class B North with a full complement of returnees.
Tapley and All-Maine honorable mention Kelsey Shaw are game-changers and headline the list of returnees for the Trojans although they won’t have Darcy Kanu, a lightning-quick, high-energy guard who has transferred to a school in Texas.
“We look good,” said point guard Tapley, who averaged 16.3 points and four assists last season. “We’re going to have a young team to start, but I think you’ll see a lot of improvement between now and the end of the season.”
Tapley, Shaw and center Keely McConomy have been four-year varsity players, but the others are inexperienced.
“Early in the season, we’re going to be a work in progress,” MDI coach Brent Barker said.
Presque Isle coach Jeff Hudson, 19-3 a year ago, figures the Wildcats lost 2,500 points with the graduation of Graham and Krystal Kingsbury, but they have some quality seasoned returnees in sharpshooter Emily Lagerstrom, vastly improved Emily Wheaton and inside presence Regan Nelson as well as Hudson’s daughter, Olivia Hudson.
“We’re not as quick as we have been, but we have some size and some shooters,” said Jeff Hudson. “We aren’t going away.”
Hudson feels MDI, Houlton and Winslow are the three best teams in the division and noted that “there are a lot of teams to be concerned with” including Hermon, John Bapst and Central of Corinth.
Houlton returns all five starters off last year’s 20-2 team including All-Maine second-teamer Kolleen Bouchard (19.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and Katie Condon (12 ppg, 7 rpg). Both have been slowed by injuries but are rounding into shape. Natalie Hill averaged eight points per game.
“I wholeheartedly believe that if I ever had a team that could compete in B, it would be this year,” said coach Shawn Graham.
Ellsworth also could be a factor with former Machias High standout Kate Whitney joining the Eagles and teaming up with standout Madison Card. Nick Winchester makes his coaching debut at Orono, which was in Class C in 2014-15.
Four-year starter Hannah Philippon and sophomore Crystal Bell, last year’s leading scorer, will spark a young John Bapst team, and Winslow features Heather Kervin, Ciara LeClair and Delaney Wood.
They will go their separate ways this season with Bangor being a member of the new North AA division and Lawrence being favored to defend its state crown.
Three-time KVAC Player of the Year and All-Maine first teamer Nia Irving (22.5 ppg, 14.6 rpg), three-point specialist Dominque Lewis, an All-Maine honorable mention, and valuable guard-forward Morgan Boudreau will pace the Bulldogs.
“It’s going to be a very, very competitive division,” said Lawrence coach John Donato. “We’ll be much smaller than we’ve ever been, but we have the best player in the state [with Irving] and, hopefully, we can play around her.”
Hampden Academy and Messalonskee are two of the top contenders, according to Donato.
“Hampden started four freshmen last year and didn’t lose anybody nor did Messalonskee,” said Donato.
Brooklynn Scott, daughter of Broncos coach Tim Scott, is coming off an impressive freshman season, and Messalonskee will be led by Sophia Holmes and Ally Turner.
Camden Hills will have its third coach in three years in Doreen Robbins, but the Windjammers have gone 63-34 the past five years and have Maddie Bowman, Kristen Keiran, Charlotte Messer and Mara Dostie back in the fold. Medomak Valley of Waldoboro, 14-5 a year ago, has plenty of height led by 6-foot-1 Justice Barrows and 6-0 Sophie Cohen.
Coach Joe Johnson’s Bangor Rams lost talented twin towers Mary Butler, an All-Maine first- teamer, and honorable mention Cordelia Stewart, but three starters are back in guard Sarah Bragg, versatile Emily Gilmore and inside presence Katie Butler. Butler, Gilmore and Bragg each averaged eight to 10 points per game, and Butler and Gilmore each grabbed 10 rebounds per game.
“We’ve been working real hard on defense, and we’ll have to control the ball,” said Johnson.
Standout guard Emily Jacques (13.5 ppg) is Edward Little of Auburn’s only returning starter, and Edward Little coach Craig Jipson said Cheverus will be the team to beat.
“They’re loaded,” said Jipson. Cheverus will be headlined by Emme Poulin and South Portland transfer Abby Cavallaro.
Deering of Portland’s Katasia Titherington and Windham’s Sadie Nelson are prolific
game-changers.
“There’s going to be a lot of parity but until somebody beats Washburn, you have to put them at the top,” said Southern Aroostook coach Clif Urquhart, whose team may be the youngest in Maine Principals’ Association history with three freshmen and two eighth-grade starters.
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” said Washburn coach Diana Trams. “We lost 80 percent of our scoring. We’re going to really stress defense this year.”
Washburn does return three reliable and seasoned players in Emmy Churchill, who had 15 points in the Eastern Maine final, Grace Braley and Laine Mette. Easton transfer Taylor Howe will give them a lift.
The other teams that could well be in the mix are Shead of Eastport, featuring Holly Preston; Central Aroostook of Mars Hill, led by high-scoring Karli Levesque; Machias, which will be guided by Tate Dolley and Katahdin of Stacyville, which will have Molly Cunningham and Georgia Landry among its top players.
In Class C, again there appears to be parity with several teams among the contenders.
Penobscot Valley of Howland and Piscataquis Community High of Guilford are two of the top threats.
Coach Joe Cyr said his Penobscot Valley Howlers return all of their starters including 6-foot-1 Sami Ireland, who is closing in on 1,000 career points and averages over 12-14 rebounds per game; double-digit scorer Amy Hallett; the speedy McKinnon sisters, Elizabeth and Arianna, and Mikayla Roy. They all stand at least 5-8.
Coach Brian Gaw said his PCHS Pirates “should be pretty competitive. Six of our top eight players are back.”
That group includes dominant inside presence Delani Bennett, who has averaged a double-double for three years, talented streak shooter Jordynne Littlefield and defensive specialist Erin Speed.
Bob McShane has returned to coach Calais and his Blue Devils also could be in the mix thanks to Washington Academy transfer Logan Huckins. Fort Fairfield was the regional finalist in Class D a year ago, and All-Maine honorable mention Chelsey Pelkey headlines a list of returners.
Narraguagus’ Kelli Kennedy, George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill’s Morgan Dauk and Dexter’s Megan Peach are difference-makers and could carry their teams to good seasons.