The Ellsworth High School girls basketball team captured its first Class B state championship a year ago in what was only the program’s second appearance in a state championship game.
That 1992 Ellsworth squad lost to York in the final 62-47.
Ellsworth ended its season 19-3 a year ago, including Class B North tournament wins over Mount Desert Island (68-33), Caribou (71-51) and Old Town (59-52) before edging Spruce Mountain of Jay 57-56 in the state championship game.
And with all but one starter returning, the Eagles are seeking to become the first team to win back-to-back Class B state titles since Presque Isle did so in 2012 and 2013.
“We should be equally good and deeper than last year if we can stay healthy throughout the whole season,” said Ellsworth head coach Andy Pooler, who is in his 13th season at the helm and hadn’t won a tournament quarterfinal round game until last season.
Pooler and junior forward/wing Grace Jaffray know that trying to repeat is going to be a challenge.
“This is going to be a different world for us. We flew under the radar last year. We’re going to get everybody’s hardest game,” Pooler said. “Everybody will want to knock us off.”
Headlining the list of returnees for the Eagles are Jaffray and junior point guard Abby Radel.
Radel was the Most Valuable Player in the Class B North Tournament and was joined on the team by Jaffray. Both were chosen Bangor Daily News All-Maine Schoolgirl team honorable mentions.
The 5-foot-5 Radel averaged 19.3 points per game in the tournament and then poured in 17 to lead the Eagles past Spruce Mountain in the state title game. The 5-foot-10 Jaffray averaged 13.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in the B North tournament and had 10 points in the state final.
Jaffray was the Big East conference’s second-leading scorer during the regular season at 19.3 ppg and the third-best rebounder with 8.7 per game.
Radel averaged 12.1 ppg.
“I definitely want to be a better shooter,” Jaffray said. “I’m not one of the best 3-point shooters around, but I’ve been in the gym a lot really working hard at that. And by the end of my high school career, I also want to be the player you can trust to guard the other team’s best player.”
Junior Addison Atherton, a 5-foot-10 forward who tied the Spruce Mountain game 56-56 with a 10-foot jumper with 30 seconds left, averaged 7.3 points and 4.7 rebounds and can “jump out of the building,” Pooler said. She also grabbed a crucial offensive rebound in the final seconds of the state game.
Point guard Lizzie Boles came off the bench as a freshman a year ago and averaged 6.7 points, along with a team-high 3.3 assists and 2.8 steals.
“She’s strong and super efficient. We have the two best point guards in the league,” Pooler said.
Five-foot-11 junior Lily Bean is the center and produced 5.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest.
“She is as smart as they come and is the rock in the middle for us,” Pooler said.
Senior forward Meg Jordan, who hit the game-winning free throw with 13 seconds left in the state final, is often assigned the opponents’ best shooter and can use her 5-foot-10 frame to shut them down. She is also a team leader who hauled down 3.6 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard Kaylee Bagley is a “deadly 3-point shooter,” according to Pooler. She swung between the junior varsity and varsity teams in 2022-23.
Senior Aaliyah Manning is a valuable reserve post player who is a really good rebounder, according to Pooler, and the coach has two other important contributors off the bench who are returning from knee surgeries.
Elise Sargent is a “super quick” 5-foot-5 junior guard who played in only six games a year ago before getting hurt.
“She is one of our best defenders and having her back is going to be huge for us,” Jaffray said.
“She gives us energy off the bench,” Pooler said.
Junior forward Savannah Edgecomb will provide the team with another strong rebounder when she is cleared to play by doctors.
Jaffray said their scoring balance is going to be a real asset.
“It’s really hard to stop a team when you have five people on the court who can score at any given time,” Jaffray said.
“And they aren’t selfish. They like to share the ball,” Pooler said. “Somebody might light it up for 20 points one night and it’s somebody different the next night.”
Another plus, said Jaffray, is having five players who played on the Class B North championship soccer team in Boles, Atherton, Bagley, Bean and Jordan.
“They are going to be in such good shape from playing soccer all fall,” said Jaffray, who added that they will also be composed in pressure situations because of their experience in state championship soccer and basketball games.
Pooler said he doesn’t anticipate making any major changes, saying “I’d just like to see us continue to get better and get really good at what we do.”
He said his team must continue to be motivated to win another title.
“We need to practice like we never won and play like we never lost,” Pooler said.