The Lawrence girls have arguably the best basketball player in the state. And she wasn’t even the best player on the court for the Bulldogs Friday night.
Lawrence took home the Class B North title with a 65-53 win over the Gardiner Tigers, and they had plenty of help from star senior guard Maddie Provost.
Provost may be the favorite to win the Miss Maine Basketball award for the state’s top player, but fellow Lawrence senior Ashley Shores had the game of the night with 29 points.
And it was the connection from Provost to Shores that helped the Bulldogs overcome a 5-0 deficit early and build a lead later in the first half.
“She had an awesome night,” Provost said about Shores. “We believe in each other, and we know we’ve got each other’s backs.”
Shores, a forward, scored 10-straight points in that first half, all assisted by Provost.
That stretch included a full-court pass from Provost to Shores for the lay-in, along with a 3-pointer that Shores followed up with a conventional 3-point play.
Shores said after the win that the two players always know where the other one is on the floor.
“And I feel like no matter where I am, I know to look for Maddie because I’m either going to get the pass or I’m gonna half to get a rebound,” Shores said.
And the pair poured it on in the fourth quarter with several timely buckets down the stretch, helping to hold off a spirited run from the young and talented Gardiner team.
Provost finished with 27 points in the regional championship win.
“This one feels pretty good,” Provost said after the victory. “ I think it’s safe to say, when coach Greg Chesley draws up a gameplan to play Gardiner in the regional finals, it’s gonna work pretty well.”
Gardiner standout freshman sophomore Alexa Quintana led the scoring for the Tigers with 16 points. Sophomore Molly Takatsu had 13 for Gardiner.
“We knew Gardiner was gonna come at us. We know they’re a talented team,” Chesley said about the Tigers. “But we came out on top today.”
Asked who the best player in the state is, Chesley chuckled.
“I hate to say this, but I don’t think there’s any competition,” the Lawrence coach said. “I think the best player in the state is Maddie Provost.