BANGOR, Maine — A year ago, the Bangor High School girls basketball team had to replace the dominant post tandem of 6-footers Mary Butler and Cordelia Stewart, who led them to a berth in the 2015 Eastern Maine Class A championship game.
The Rams went 10-8 last season, which earned them the third seed in the Class AA North tournament, where they were upset in the first round by Lewiston.
Now they have to replace the talented backcourt duo of Emily Gilmore and Sarah Bragg, but Bangor head coach Joe Johnson’s team does return 6-footer Katie Butler, a Bangor Daily News All-Maine Schoolgirl Basketball Team honorable mention, and he is optimistic.
“I like what we have returning starting with Katie in the middle,” said Johnson. “She’s a tenacious defender … she’s tall and she has a lot of grit to her. She’s relentless. Our guard play will be very good. I think we’ll be able to defend very well. And we’ve got some [smart players] coming back. The system has been in place for a couple of years.”
“We definitely lost a few girls but we have a strong nucleus back,” said Butler. “Our [senior] class has quite a few girls who have played together for a long time and, hopefully, that will work in our favor. This will be the last year for most of us, so that will be a big motivator.”
Butler averaged approximately 13 points and 9 rebounds a game, according to Johnson, and he noted that she had a great summer developing her skills.
Senior Megan Conner provides tenacity and court awareness at the guard spot and will have a more prominent role. Conner is also an effective rebounder. Senior Emma Payne is a sure-handed point guard who can score; Olivia Sharrow will benefit from receiving valuable playing time as a freshman guard and is a good shooter; and junior Lauren Young provides energy and a defensive presence in the backcourt.
Senior Kira Yardley will complement Butler in the paint and should collect her share of rebounds and sophomore Abby Houghton will also corral some.
“Kira attacks the boards more than anyone,” said Butler.
Freshman Rowan Andrews headlines a list of newcomers.
Conner feels the Rams will be a better outside shooting team this season and will utilize more players.
Bangor will rely on its half-court, player-to-player defense to shut down opponents and fuel its transition offense.
“Defense comes first and offense comes out of that,” said Butler.
The Rams will again be road warriors, as their schedule will see them put 1,518 miles on their bus, including a 290-mile junket (round trip) to face Thornton Academy of Saco.
Johnson and other Class AA North coaches feel the league is wide open this season.
“There aren’t any favorites,” said Johnson. “It will come down to who plays better that night. Everyone is pretty similar and everyone defends pretty hard.”
“Everyone has a shot this year,” said Butler. “Everyone will be be working hard to try to get those top seeds.”
Edward Little of Auburn and Oxford Hills of South Paris met in the Class AA North title game last season but both graduated an All-Maine selection.
Edward Little’s Emily Jacques, a second-team choice, averaged 15.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, while Oxford Hills’ Tianna Sugars, a third-teamer, averaged 13 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.
They were the Class AA North Co-Players of the Year.
“We don’t have a lot of scoring back,” said EL coach Craig Jipson, who also lost No. 2 scorer Karli Stubbs. “A lot of new faces are going to play major minutes.”
Jipson does have 6-foot senior center Jordyn Reynolds, an honorable mention All-Maine selection, and junior guard Piper Norcross to lead his team.
“Jordyn doesn’t score a lot but she is a very good rebounder and shot blocker,” said Jipson, whose Red Eddies went 17-5 last season.
Reynolds was selected to the Class AA North All Tournament team.
Norcross is an athletic, multipurpose junior guard.
The Eddies will generate a lot of points off their smothering, full-court press.
Oxford Hills, the top seed in Class AA North last season, returns some quality veterans including Erin Morton and Erni Eastman, along with Maighread Laliberte. Morton, an All-Maine honorable mention, and Eastman are guards, while Laliberte is a forward.
“We’re going to be guard-oriented,” said Oxford Hills coach Nate Pelletier, who anticipates receiving quality minutes from freshman Julia Colby.
Oxford Hills went 17-4 during 2015-2016.
Pelletier said Deering High School of Portland should be one of the favorites “because they didn’t lose anybody.”
The list of Deering returnees includes the formidable backcourt tandem of speedy sparkplug Abi Ramirez and sharpshooter Tasia Titherington. Both are seniors for Mike Murphy’s Rams.
Ramirez, an All-Maine honorable mention, creates matchup problems for opponents with her quickness, tenacity and court vision.
Deering was a AA North semifinalist and finished at 12-8.
Titherington was an all-tourney choice.
Cheverus is coming off a 10-9 season and will be guided by the guard tandem of Abby Cavallaro and Kaylin Malmquist, along with 5-11 center Brooke McElman. All three are seniors.
Cavallaro earned All-Maine honorable mention a year ago.
Lewiston went 10-10 and earned a spot in the semifinals and Pelletier said his neighbors have really improved.
The Blue Devils graduated honorable mention guard Kristina Blais but return one in junior center Victoria Harris, and she will be complemented by versatile Morgan Eliasen.
Windham went 8-11 last season and graduated six seniors, including honorable mention Sadie Nelson. But they do return a top-notch, all-purpose guard in fleet-footed Mya Mannette.
Portland went 2-16 a year ago but graduated just three seniors so the Bulldogs should be improved.