After winning a state championship in Class C in 2015, the Houlton girls basketball team made the move up to Class B last year and did it again.
Can the Shiretowners make it three in a row? It looks like they will be a serious contender amongst a deep field of teams in the division.
Coach Shawn Graham’s team lost Chelsea Gentle, Natalie Hill and Katie Condon to graduation. Gentle and Hill provided steady play throughout last year’s successful run, while Condon was a key component her first three seasons before suffering a season-ending knee injury early on a year ago. However, three starters return, including BDN All-Maine first teamer Kolleen Bouchard.
Bouchard, a junior, is a 6-footer who can play anywhere on the floor. She has claimed BDN All-Tourney MVP honors each of the last two seasons and was the player of the year in the Big East Conference. She averaged 20.7 points per game in 2015-16, while also piling up impressive statistics in rebounds, assists and blocked shots.
“She is clearly the most talented player I’ve had the honor of coaching,” said Graham, who begins his 13th season with the Shires. “She can do so many things on the court — a great defender with good length, she gets our fast break going off the rebound extremely well, she makes a great point guard with her size and shooting abilities and is also an exceptional post with her athleticism around the basket and ability to use both hands.”
Junior Aspen Flewelling, who averaged 11.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last year, is back as a starter after being inserted last year following Condon’s injury. At 5-11, she is strong inside but is also a serious threat as a 3-point shooter.
Senior Rylee Warman is a third-year starter who “sets the tone for us in practice and games with her hustle and desire,” according to Graham. Warman will share point-guard duties with Bouchard.
Junior Kristen Graham, the coach’s daughter, who was the first player off the bench last year, moves into the starting five along with Makayla Watson, a 6-1 center who is back after spending her junior year in Windham. Houlton welcomes another transfer in sophomore Tessa Soloman, who played at Bucksport last season. Graham said she should bolster the team with her defensive intensity and rebounding skills.
“Key factors for us will be staying focused and motivated and it will be my job as a coach to not allow them to take things for granted,” Graham said. “After you win a couple of titles, it can be real easy to get a little bit lazy and overconfident. I’ve got to make sure we play with heart and hustle every single night.”
Coach Graham said the success over the past two seasons for the Shires has to be credited to the players and their parents.
“We’ve been fortunate to have a group that has stayed involved in the game at a high level for long periods of time throughout the year,” he said. “They are working harder in the offseason more while playing on various travel teams and leagues.”
The Big East Conference boasts several other teams which bring back plenty of talent.
Hermon entered last year’s tournament as the No. 7 seed with a mediocre 10-8 regular season record, but marched into the finals following upset victories over No. 2 Mount Desert Island and No. 3 Presque Isle. Second-year coach Chris Cameron lost just two seniors and will feature an imposing front line of 6-0 senior Emi Higgins and 5-10 juniors Lauren Plissey and Maddie Pullen.
“[Higgins] is a force inside and they were the most improved team last year,” said 18th-year Presque Isle coach Jeff Hudson.
The Wildcats are just two seasons removed from a state championship game appearance and are always a threat. They suffered key personnel losses to graduation in starters Taylor Williams, Olivia Hudson and Regan Nelson, but have two of the better guards in the division in junior Emily Wheaton (16.1 ppg) and senior Emily Lagerstrom (9.3 ppg), their two top scorers from last year.
“They are always dangerous, with a rich basketball tradition,” Graham said. “They are very well coached and are ready to play every single night, so you never can count them out.”
John Bapst brings back numerous veterans, including junior Crystal Bell, an all-conference first teamer, who “can shoot it from anywhere on the floor,” according to Hudson. Junior forward Grace Philippon is among the other key returnees for coach Mike Webb’s Crusaders.
Central was bounced in the preliminary round last February but brings back a roster that is almost fully intact. Libby Cook, a 6-1 senior center, and Sydney Allen, a 5-6 junior guard, are both talented all-around performers and 5-9 senior Emma Campbell is considered one of the best defenders in the conference.
After giving Houlton a good fight in the quarterfinals last season, Foxcroft Academy has just about everybody back, led by seniors Abigail Simpson and Grace Bickford.
MDI faces challenges without all-state players Sierra Tapley and Kelsey Shaw, who both graduated, but Hudson said “they can’t be taken lightly.”
The team to watch out of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference is Winslow, which reached the semifinal round of the playoffs a season ago.
“They are possibly the quickest, most athletic group in our class,” Graham said. “They play with a lot of energy and prefer an uptempo style with a mix of pressure defenses.”
Heather Kervin, a 5-6 senior forward, leads the way for coach Lindsey Withee’s squad.