The new Miss Maine and Mr. Maine Basketball winners were crowned Friday night at a banquet in Bangor.
Maddie Provost, a guard from Lawrence High School in Fairfield, has been named the state’s top girls senior player. And Nolan Ames, a guard from Camden Hills Regional High School in Rockport, has been named the top boys senior player.
The two star players won the Miss and Mr. Maine basketball awards at the MacDonald’s All-Star Banquet hosted by the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches on Friday night at the Anah Shrine Hall in Bangor.
Provost led her Bulldogs team to a Class B state title this season, and was the Bangor Daily News regional All-Tournament Team MVP for Class B North girls.
Provost filled up the stats line, averaging 24.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3 steals in their three tourney wins including 27 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals in the B North championship game win over Gardiner.
After the Gardiner victory, her coach didn’t hesitate when asked who the best player in the state is.
“I hate to say this, but I don’t think there’s any competition,” said Lawrence coach Greg Chesley. “I think the best player in the state is Maddie Provost.”
The Holy Cross-bound Provost followed her MVP performance in the B North title game by tallying 19 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocked shots in the 52-41 win over Oceanside of Rockland in the state Class B championship game.
Provost was a Bangor Daily News All-Maine Schoolgirl Basketball first team selection a year ago.
The other finalists were Kylie Lamson from Cheverus High School in Portland and Addison Cyr from Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln.
All three girls led their teams to state championships as Cheverus claimed the A title and Mattanawcook Academy earned the C crown.
Ames and his Windjammers team fell just one win short of a Class A championship, losing to Portland in the state final. He had a game-high 30 points in yet another balanced performance for his Camden Hills team. He also grabbed eight rebounds and had three steals and two assists.
His coach Joel Gabriele called it a “fantastic performance” to close out a “remarkable career” for Ames at Camden Hills.
“He carried us. He did everything he physically could,” Gabriele told Michael Hoffer about Ames. “He literally poured everything on to the floor. We expected nothing less.”
Ames, who is going to Waterville’s Colby College in the fall, averaged 23.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals in the Windjammers’ three Class A North tournament victories.
Ames was a Bangor Daily News All-Maine Schoolboy Basketball second team choice last season.
The other two finalists were Akol Maiwen from Edward Little High School in Auburn and Tyrie James from Windham High School.
After four years of giving it everything they had for their teams, both Ames and Provost have added more hardware to their trophy cases as the top senior basketball players in the state.