The Ellsworth High School and Southern Aroostook girls’ basketball teams both captured state championships a year ago — and they appear to be poised to make runs at another.
Andy Pooler’s Ellsworth’s Eagles, who claimed their first ever state Class B title in 2022-23, are currently 13-0 and sitting atop the Class B North Heal Points standings. They earned a 69-50 over their primary challenger, Old Town, last week.
Ellsworth beat Old Town 59-52 in the B North title game last season and edged the Coyotes 53-48 earlier this season in Old Town.
Cliff Urquhart’s Southern Aroostook Warriors of Dyer Brook, who have captured four of the last five state Class D championships, took a 12-1 record and nine-game winning streak into a Monday home game against Easton. Their only setback was a 49-47 home loss to Class C Fort Kent.
Despite being in different classes, Ellsworth and Southern Aroostook have played each other in the preseason the last two years, once in Dyer Brook and once in Ellsworth, and they also square off during summer basketball. Each team won the preseason game it played on its own court.
“I love it,” Urquhart said. “It’s great to play against a team that is so talented and well-coached. It’s been really beneficial to us.”
Both teams are currently playing some of their best basketball with the start of the 2024 Maine high school basketball tournament less than a month away.
Pooler said there was a “great atmosphere” at the Ellsworth High gym for the team’s game against Old Town, featuring one of the largest crowds ever for a regular season game.
The Eagles trailed 18-13 after the first quarter and were up by one at the half before pulling away in the second half.
“It was our best game of the year. We knew Old Town would come out on fire, and they played extremely well out of the gates. They knocked us back on our toes a little bit. We got into a little foul trouble, went to our bench and weathered the storm,” Pooler said. “We had a good effort from the opening tip until the end.”
He said his team’s transition game from defense to offense in the second half was important in the win.
Sophomore Lizzie Boles had 12 of her game-high 19 points in the second half; junior Grace Jaffray had nine of her 17 in the final 16 minutes, and junior Lily Bean had eight of her 12 after the intermission.
Junior point guard Abby Radel finished with 13 points giving the Eagles four players in double figures. That scoring balance has been important in their success as it makes them difficult to guard.
The Eagles’ average winning margin has been 37.9 points per game, and in their lopsided wins Pooler said he has been able to give his reserves a lot of playing time, which is vital in his quest to develop quality depth.
“If we have a game where we get into foul trouble, we can go to the bench and not miss a beat,” said Pooler, who had two players foul out in their state Class B championship game last season but they were still able to pull out a 57-56 win over Spruce Mountain of Jay.
Pooler said having a target on their backs as the defending state champs has been a positive for them.
“We embrace that. That makes us better. When the tournament rolls around, we want to be the team that sets the tone for how the game gets played,” Pooler said.
Urquhart said his Warriors have played their best basketball over the past six or seven games.
“Early on, we were trying to adapt to life without Maddie Russell. And we also lost Callie Russell, so we lost two starters off last year’s team,” Urquhart said. “But everyone has stepped up and chipped in.”
He said this is one of his best defensive teams and that has been critical to its success.
Offensively, he said his team shares the basketball and has scoring depth.
“We have a different leading scorer every night,” Urquhart said. “And that helps come tournament time because you can’t key on one person.”
Senior shooting guard Cami Shields is a career 1,000-point scorer and is averaging 14-15 points per game. Her sophomore sister, Ally, and her senior cousin, Maddie Shields, the point guard, are in the 10 points per game range, as is senior forward Emmalee Landry.
Landry is the team’s top rebounder and is averaging close to a double-double, according to Urquhart.
Sophomore Hannah McGary is the remaining starter and brings a “lot of energy to the team.”
She can also defend, hit the open shot and run the floor well.
Five-foot-11 junior Libby Anderson has given the team a valuable rebounder and screen setter; junior Olivia Ellingwood is an important 3-point specialist off the bench and freshman guard Alexa Hersey can provide “instant offense.”
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