Bryce Lausier ranked statistically among the state’s top basketball players this winter, averaging 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists for Hampden Academy.
But it was his clutch play during four straight come-from-behind tournament victories that propelled the Broncos to the Class A state championship and landed the 6-foot-4-inch senior atop the 65th annual Bangor Daily News All-Maine Schoolboy Basketball First Team.
Lausier averaged nearly 15 points in the second half of tourney games, helping the Broncos erase a late 10-point deficit in the North final against Cony of Augusta and wipe out an 11-point deficit in the third quarter of the state title victory over York.
“He’s a rare combination of size, skill and athleticism,” Cony coach T.J. Maines said. “He scores on all levels, is a great rebounder and sees the floor well. His ability to make the big play was the main reason Hampden won the state championship.”
Lausier is joined on the BDN All-Maine first team by senior guards Logan Bagshaw of Greely of Cumberland Center and Zach Maturo of Bonny Eagle of Standish and senior forwards Parker Deprey of Caribou and Leyton Bickford of Sanford.
Second-team honorees are senior guard Simon McCormick of Cony of Augusta, junior guards Cash McClure of Maranacook of Readfield and Brady Cummins of York, and senior forwards Max Murray of Kennebunk and Henry Westrich of Bangor.
Named to the third team are senior forwards Brian Austin of Scarborough, Isaac Varney of Hermon and Jackson Curtis of Ellsworth, junior guard Wyatt Hathaway of Leavitt of Turner Center and senior guard Austin Brown of Edward Little of Auburn.
The All-Maine teams are selected by the BDN sports staff with input from coaches, officials, administrators and other veteran observers statewide.
First Team
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Lausier’s leadership from the point guard position sparked Hampden to a 21-1 record and its first gold ball since 2015.
“The biggest change for Bryce this year was his physical strength,” Hampden coach Russ Bartlett said. “You can control getting stronger and trying to get better at your craft and he did those things in the offseason that you need to do to go with the gifts he already had.”
A third-team BDN All-Maine choice as a junior, Lausier plans to play at Division II Saint Anselm College.
Bagshaw, also a BDN All-Maine third-team choice last year and a 2020 Mr. Basketball finalist, led Greely with 27 points per game and established school records for the most 3-pointers in a career and game.
He also stepped up his on-court leadership and defense this season.
“He got stronger, he got taller, and also just maturity-wise he was able to play on both ends of the floor,” Greely coach Travis Seaver said. “He’s always been known for his offensive weapons, but this year he was able to bring that offensive weaponry to a new level and on the defensive end was able to guard multiple positions.”
Bagshaw is mulling multiple basketball scholarship offers.
Maturo not only earned first-team honors for the second straight year but was named a Mr. Basketball finalist after being a finalist for football’s Fitzpatrick Trophy last fall.
The Class AA South player of the year averaged 19.2 points, 5.2 assists, 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
“At the high school level I’ve never seen anyone with the handle and vision that he has,” Sanford coach Jacob Mills said.
Deprey’s versatility was epitomized by the final 30 seconds of the Class B state final against Maranacook. First he blocked a shot, then raced down to convert a three-point play. On Caribou’s next possession he fed younger brother Sawyer for a basket at the buzzer to give the Vikings a 73-71 double-overtime victory and their second straight gold ball.
“Parker is a nightmare matchup because he has the body of a center with the skills and athleticism of a guard,” Maranacook coach Travis Magnusson said. “He can get his shot whenever he wants and can dominate a game on both ends of the court.”
A second-team All-Maine choice last year, Deprey was a Mr. Basketball finalist and the Big East Conference Player of the Year after averaging 22.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists this season.
“His ability to score the basketball opened up opportunities for everyone else and Parker willingly gave up the basketball,” Caribou coach Kyle Corrigan said of Deprey, who will continue his basketball career at Husson University.
Bickford was the veteran presence on an otherwise youthful Sanford roster and ranked among the Class AA South leaders with 18.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.
“He can beat you from deep but is more deadly inside,” Bonny Eagle coach John Trull said. “We simply did not have one person that could contain him.”
The 6-4 Bickford, a Mr. Basketball semifinalist, plans to play at the University of Maine.
“Leyton is dedicated like no other high school kid I’ve ever seen,” Mills said. “He loves the whole process of what it has taken to become the basketball player he is and I think that’s what separates him from most other high school kids.”
Second Team
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McCormick epitomized Cony’s fast-paced attack, particularly on defense where he averaged six steals for coach T.J. Maines’ Rams.
“I’ll just paraphrase Bryce [Lausier], who said after the Northern Maine final that ‘he’s the most intimidating 5-foot-6 kid I’ve ever seen,’” Bartlett said. “You can’t put the ball on the floor around Simon, he is that good defensively.”
The Bates College-bound McCormick also averaged 22.1 points and 6.3 assists en route to being named a Mr. Basketball semifinalist.
McClure played a similar offensive role while leading Maranacook to the Class B South championship, contributing eight assists per game.
“The best part of Cash’s game is his passing,” Magnusson said. “He truly makes everyone around him better and is one of the best passers I have seen.”
The 1,000-point scorer as a junior was equally effective generating his own offense, averaging 21 points and seven rebounds en route to being named KVAC Class B Player of the Year.
Murray earned Southwestern Maine Activities Association Class A Co-Player of the Year honors after averaging 21.6 points, 13.8 rebounds, 4.0 blocked shots, 3.8 steals, and 3.6 assists for Kennebunk.
“He can get up and down the floor faster than any big man he plays against,” Mills said of the 6-5 Murray, who will play soccer at the University of Vermont. “He can shoot the heck out of the ball and with his athleticism when he caught the ball on the wing if you got too close to him he could rip by you and finish at the rim.”
Cummins, also 6-5, was another mismatch for opponents as he led York to an undefeated regular season and the Class A South championship by averaging 18.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 steals.
“He is long and athletic, and can score deep from the perimeter, off the bounce and at the rim,” York coach Paul Marquis said. “He really has developed the strength to finish high above the basket and still has quickness in the open court and the ability to beat his defender off the dribble.”
Westrich stepped into a leadership role for Bangor and also expanded his game, adding a dribble-drive threat to his perimeter shot and transition play while earning Class AA North Player of the Year accolades.
The Colby College-bound Mr. Basketball semifinalist averaged 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists, and the rangy forward also was a defensive catalyst as Bangor limited foes to 47.5 points per game during the regular season.
“Henry is a proven player through his stats, but what’s often overlooked are all the small things he does on the court and in practice that helps his team win,” Bangor coach Brad Libby said.
Third Team
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Austin led Class AA in scoring with 23.4 points per game for Scarborough despite being the focus of opponents’ defensive attention. Versatility and shooting accuracy — he made 54 3-pointers — were keys to success for the All-SMAA first-teamer, who also contributed 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest.
Hathaway continued to develop as Leavitt’s third-year starting point guard, adding improved defense and rebounding skills to his offensive repertoire. The All-KVAC first-team choice averaged 22.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.2 steals for the Hornets and concluded his junior season with 1,195 career points.
Varney, a three-time All-Big East Conference first-team choice, was Hermon’s definitive leader as the Hawks raced out to a 10-1 start before he suffered a foot injury in mid-January. The Mr. Basketball semifinalist still averaged 17.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and will resume his playing career at Husson University.
Curtis led Ellsworth to the Class B North championship game thanks to a strong low-post game and complementary midrange work. The All-Big East Conference first-team selection and Mr. Basketball semifinalist averaged 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Curtis plans to play baseball at Husson University next spring.
Brown’s ultimate impact on Edward Little’s Class AA state championship run may have come more on defense. He held Thornton Academy standout Payton Jones to four points in the title game after limiting Deering of Portland guard Askar Houssein to four in the North final. Brown averaged 9.1 points, 4.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds for the balanced Red Eddies.
