Wins have been hard to come by for the Brewer High School girls’ basketball team in recent years.
Entering this season, Brewer had just one winning campaign over the previous 10 years when the Witches went 11-7 during the 2017-18 season.
Meanwhile, the Witches have compiled a 14-40 regular season record in the past three years, including a 6-12 slate last year.
But the Class A North Witches have a new coach in Tanna Ross and they have shown considerable promise in the early going. They opened the season with an impressive come-from-behind 52-48 victory over Hampden Academy, which reached the Class AA North semifinals the past two seasons after winning three straight A North championships.
The Broncos are back in A North this season and are considered one of the favorites.
Following a 49-31 loss to Class AA Bangor, the Witches dropped a hard-fought 54-53 overtime game to Camden Hills in Rockport.
“They’re playing well so far,” Ross said. “It’s fun just to know our potential and that the girls can start believing in themselves a little bit which is nice.”
As has been the norm in recent years, the Witches don’t have much size.
Sophomore guard Jillian Ford is the only starter who stands over 5-foot-7 as she is in the 5-9 range.
“We are really small but we’re full of talent,” Ross said. “We have a lot of hidden talent nobody has been able to embrace yet. I’m grateful to be able to work with the kids and have them reach their full potential.”
In addition to their three regular season games, the Witches also faced reigning Class B state champion Ellsworth in the preseason.
“It’s a fantastic way to start the season. The bigger, the better. The more challenging teams we play, the better we’re going to get,” Ross said.
Ford is one of two starters who is averaging in double figures.
Five-foot-one junior Allie Flagg is the other, who poured in 29 points in the victory over Hampden Academy. Flagg is also an outstanding field hockey player.
“Allie had a game all of us would love to be a part of,” said Hampden Academy coach Nick Winchester. “She shot almost 60 percent from the floor. She has always been a fantastic athlete. She’s super quick and relentless. And she was pretty special that night.”
He also said if Flagg can continue to play that well, Brewer will be a much tougher opponent than in previous years.
Winchester expects Ford to develop into a top all-around player in the conference.
“She can score from the 3-point line, she gets to the rim, she’s a pretty good defender and a good rebounder,” he said.
Five-five guard Mariah Roberts is the only senior on the roster and is an outstanding defender, according to Ross. She can also produce points.
“She’s a tremendous asset,” Ross said.
“She is more than capable of handling the ball when Flagg isn’t handling it and she can shoot it,” Winchester said. “She hit two huge deep threes against us, 5 feet behind the [3-point line] with a defender at the line.”
Flagg and Roberts are the co-captains and are terrific leaders, according to Ross.
Five-foot-seven junior Gabrielle Roberts, no relation to Mariah, and 5-5 junior guard Kathleen Brydges are the other starters and are good all-around players.
The Witches also have a productive set of reserves including freshmen Abbie Flagg, Allie’s sister, and Ainsley Goodwin, along with sophomores Olivia Gilmore, Emma Jameson, Reece McKenney, Gabby Chasse and Madison Shaw.
Chasse is the tallest Witch at 5-11.
The Witches will try to overcome their lack of size with their quickness, athleticism and tenacity. They like to press full-court but can also be effective in their zone sets as well.
“After the game, I told Tanna that I was impressed with how hard her kids played. They competed for the entire 32 minutes. We were up something like 12-4 early and they had someone in foul trouble. They could have just folded their tents and the game could have gotten out of hand,” Winchester said.
“A lot of basketball games come down to who wants it more. We try to instill that mentality and go from there,” said Ross, a former University of Maine women’s basketball captain. “Defense and rebounding are a work-ethic thing. We’re just going to take it one day at a time and try to get better.”
She said one of the most important aspects of basketball is “embracing each other and working together,” which has been a focus for the team.
Ross, who was the Brewer junior varsity coach last year, said she is enjoying her team.
“I love my group of kids. We have a good time every day,” she said.
Brewer’s next game will be Thursday at Skowhegan at 6:30 p.m.