BANGOR, Maine — First-year head coach Joe Nelson knows his Bangor High School girls basketball team is going to be a work in progress with five juniors, a sophomore and six freshmen on his roster.
“We’ve got a great group of girls with great attitudes. We don’t have a lot of experience but we have a lot of potential and we’re looking to get better every day,” said the 47-year-old Nelson. “I expect us to be solid defensively and make it tough for the other teams to score. We aren’t overly tall or fast but we have some athleticism.”
Guard Olivia Sharrow and forward Abby Houghton are the only returning Rams who received a lot of playing time last season although juniors Madi Drake and Sarah Hollis and sophomore Rowan Andrews got some minutes.
Caroline Fernald is up from the junior varsity team and the promising freshman class includes Oxford Hills transfers Abby Fleming and Libby Fleming, Maggie Cowperthwaite, Ally Williams, Julia Houghton and Riley Andrews.
Bangor has three sets of sisters: the Flemings, Andrews and Houghtons.
“We’re all athletic,” said Sharrow. “We have been working on shutting teams down and scoring off our defense.”
“We should be pretty good,” said Abby Houghton. “We’ve already seen some growth from some of our young players.”
The Rams were 8-11 last season in Class AA North and the division appears to be wide open.
Defending AA North champ Oxford Hills (19-2 last year) graduated seven seniors but has a top-notch, one-two punch in 5-10 forward Jadah Adams and 5-6 point guard Julia Colby, a Bangor Daily News All-Maine honorable mention as a freshman.
Also in the thick of it should be Edward Little of Auburn (14-5), thanks to guard Jade Perry and forward Piper Norcross; Cheverus of Portland (11-8) behind All-Maine HM guard Abby Cavallaro and forward Emme Poulin and Deering of Portland (12-8), which is led by Delaney Haines.
Class A
Messalonskee of Oakland (21-0), behind All-Maine first-team senior guard Sophie Holmes, was the state champ in A and is the team to beat in the North.
Senior guard Alyssa Turner (5-11), an All-Maine HM, 6-1 sophomore G-F Gabrielle Wener and 5-7 G-F Makayla Wilson supply coach Keith Derosby with a talented trio and he has solid complementary players.
Derosby said there are other legitimate contenders.
“Hampden and Skowhegan return everybody and they were both real tough last year,” said Derosby.
“Our division is very deep from top to bottom,” said first-year Hampden Academy coach Nick Winchester.
Winchester likes his Broncos (12-8) team and their size, versatility and athleticism.
“We can be big and slow it down or big and speed it up. And we have some real senior leadership,” said Winchester referring to Brooklyn Scott, Sophia Narofsky, Braylee Wildman and Marissa Gilpin, all four-year contributors. Talented 6-2 junior center Bailey Donovan and sophomore F Alydia Brillant also are important pieces to the puzzle.
Skowhegan (15-5) was a sophomore-heavy team and coach Mike LeBlanc’s Indians should be that much better this season The Indians are led by juniors Annie Cooke, Sydney Reed and Sydney Ames.
Brewer looks to improve on a 5-13 campaign.
Class B
Two-time Class B North champ Houlton is back in Class C which means there there is a sizeable list of teams — Hermon, John Bapst of Bangor and Winslow among them — that could claim the crown.
The Hermon Hawks (14-5) lost three overtime games to Houlton including a 37-33 setback in the semifinals.
All-Maine honorable mention Emi Higgins has graduated but there is a lot of experience returning in the likes of seniors Lauren Plissey, Maddie Pullen, Alex Allain and Gabryelle Chasse, junior Madisyn Curtis and sophomore Paige Plissey, Lauren’s sister.
“I’m pretty excited. We can go a solid eight or nine deep,” said Hermon coach Chris Cameron, who believes the top of Class B is loaded.
“Winslow will be one of the top teams in the league and Presque Isle, John Bapst and MDI (Mount Desert Island) will be good,” said the third-year coach.
The Crusaders (12-8) are senior-laden with long-range sharpshooter Crystal Bell, an All-Maine honorable mention, headlining a seasoned group that includes fellow seniors Grace Philippon, Tia Zephir, Caleigh Lebel and Abbey Legasse along with junior Tianna Cyr.
Winslow (17-3) has graduated All-Maine second-teamer Heather Kervin but Weslee Littlefield, Sarah Guimond, Madison Roy, Paige Trask and Haley Ward are back for the quick, press-oriented Raiders. MDI (12-8) is paced by juniors Julia Watras, Georgia Candage and Maddy Good and PI (14-6) features All-Maine third-teamer Emily Wheaton.
Regional finalist Foxcroft Academy (16-5) of Dover-Foxcroft was hit hard by graduation.
Houlton is the heavy favorite C as it seeks a fourth straight regional championship. The Shires (19-2) have won one state title in B and one in C the last three years.
All-Maine first teamer Kolleen Bouchard, a game-changing 6-foot guard, is back for her senior year and is a three-time All-Maine selection.
Aspen Flewelling, a 5-10 senior, also can score from anywhere and coach Shawn Graham’s versatile daughter Kristen will be easing back into the lineup coming off knee surgery. Junior Tessa Solomon will have an elevated role as will sophomore Abbie Worthley.
Coach Graham expects Central of Corinth, which also has moved to C after a 14-6 season in B, and perennial contender Calais (14-6) to be among the primary threats along with Stearns of Millinocket (18-2).
Defending champ Dexter and regional runner-up George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill graduated dominant centers Megan Peach and Morgan Dauk, respectively.
Central is sparked by two sisters, All-Maine HM Sydney Allen and sister Abigail Allen. The youthful Blue Devils feature the trio of junior Sydney Farrar and sophomores Olivia Huckins and Lauren Cook. Stearns, which graduated All-Maine HM Emma Alley, has a solid nucleus back including Peighton Ingersoll and Katherine Alley, Emma’s sister.
Madawaska (17-2), featuring Jenna Dugal and Bri Thibeault, could also be in the hunt.
Class D
Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook appears to be primed to claim its first regional championship since 1997 although Warriors coach Cliff Urquhart said Woodland poses a genuine threat as does Schenck of East Millinocket, both of which have moved over from Class D.
“This will be the first time in three years we have a roster of just high school kids,” said Urquhart, who has had eighth-graders on his roster.
The Warriors, who don’t have a senior, have been the top seed in each of the last two seasons, reaching the semifinals two years ago and the finals winter.
“Potentially, this is my best team, Hopefully, they’ve become smarter and more mature,” said Urquhart.
The Warriors are led by leading scorer Sydney Brewer (18 ppg), top rebounder Kylie Vining (10 rpg) and Kassidy Mathers, who Urquhart considers the “Swiss Army Knife” of the team because she can play all five positions. Makaelyn Porter is a quality point guard.
Jennie Cox and Shawna Monk are among the key players for Woodland (11-8) while Schenck (10-9) will be sparked by Samantha Falone, Allison Noddin and Baileigh Osborne. Central Aroostook (13-6) could be in the mix and but defending regional champ Shead of Eastport (18-3) will have to replace All-Maine HM guard Holly Preston.