High school basketball ‘second’ season
features 10 local teams
Washburn and PI are top seeds in schoolgirl tournament
By Jon Gulliver
Staff writer
The defending state champion Washburn Lady Beavers and the undefeated Presque Isle Lady Wildcats will get to skip the preliminary round of the postseason by virtue of locking up top seeds in Class D and B respectively.
PRESQUE ISLE’S KARLEE BERNIER 
rises for a jump shot in a game earlier this year. The Wildcats are the top seed in the Eastern Maine Class B.
Other teams in the region including Central Aroostook, Easton and Fort Fairfield will have to win one in order to play on the Bangor Auditorium floor.
Prelim games were played last night and tonight and the Eastern Maine Tournament gets under way on Friday culminating with the state championship the first weekend in March.
The Presque Isle Wildcats were a juggernaut this regular season, regularly beating their opponents by 30 or more points. Their 18-0 record was good for the top seed in Class B.
Lurking right behind the ‘Cats is Nokomis, which also posted an undefeated record.
Presque Isle is deep, with leading scorers often coming from the bench. Chandler Guerrette leads the team with a 13.63 scoring average. Megan Ireland is second at 11.69. Eight players, including two freshmen, averaged six or more points per game. Meredith Stewart is the team’s leading rebounder and Kayla Richards and Ireland are both averaging more than three steals a game.
Wildcat coach Jeff Hudson said the team has to play to their capabilities for a long tournament run.
Staff photo/Jon Gulliver 
AMANDA HOTHAM OF FORT FAIRFIELD led her team to the No. 2 seed in the Class D tournament.
“We have had a great regular season and no one can take that away,” said Hudson. “We have so much more we want to accomplish, but it takes talent, hard work and some luck to win a tournament.”
In the quarterfinals Presque Isle will play the winner of the Oceanside No. 8 and John Bapst No. 9 prelim game.
The Washburn Beavers finished the regular season at 17-1, locking up the top seed in Class D early.
Washburn’s only loss this season came on the road in Van Buren. The Crusaders, led by sophomore Parise Rossignol, will be an obstacle to a second title. Van Buren is the fourth seed and would meet Washburn in the semifinals if both teams advance past the quarterfinals.
Washburn’s offense starts with freshman point guard Mackenzie Worcester. Worcester was the team’s leading scorer. Sophomore Carmen Bragg, who was the MVP of the tournament last year, is also a big time scorer and passer.
Staff photo/Jon Gulliver
WASHBURN’S CARMEN BRAGG 
finds a lane to the hoop in a recent game. Washburn is again a favorite to win the Eastern Maine Class D title.
It’s on the defensive end where the Beavers really shine. Pressure is relentless, and double teams can come anywhere on the floor.
“Our team speed may be better this year than it was last year,” said coach Michael Carlos.
Washburn looks to be a tournament favorite in the years to come, with six freshmen, three sophomores and three juniors on the roster, and no seniors.
The Beavers will play the winners of the Deer Isle Stonington No. 8 and Penobscot No. 9 prelim in the quarterfinal round.
The Fort Fairfield Tigers are only two years removed from a Maine Class D Championship and this year enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed, but this year a change in which teams make the playoffs means the Tigers have a home prelim game, which was played yesterday against ranked 15th seeded Southern Aroostook. The two teams did not meet during the regular season.
When discussing the 14-4 Tigers the first name that comes to mind is senior Amanda Hotham. Hotham is a 20-point-plus scorer and a big time rebounder. She was also MVP of the 2010 Class D Tournament.
Staff photo/Jon Gulliver 
BOXING OUT — Nicole Giberson of Fort Fairfield gets in good position for a rebound by boxing out Washburn’s Nicole Olson.
Coach Larry Gardner says outside of Washburn the remaining teams can all beat one another; it just comes down to the fundamentals.
“First and foremost we need to take care of the ball,” said Gardner. “Second, we need to rebound and defend. We are not a very big team so boxing out is crucial. And lastly, any team needs to stay healthy and have some luck.”
If the Tigers advance past the prelim round they will meet the winner of the Hodgdon No. 7 and LCS/MSSM No. 10 matchup.
The Central Aroostook Panthers enter the postseason as the No. 3 seed with a 14-4 record.
The Panthers boast two 1,000-point scorers in Victoria McIntyre and Rachel Grew. McIntyre averages a little over 17 points a game and has an exceptional all-around game. She is one of the leading rebounders for the Panthers and also brings the ball up the floor against pressure. Grew is a threat from the three-point line and averages just over 12 points a game.
Kayla Cushman is the team’s leading rebounder at eight per contest.
First-year coach Stori Shaw has the girls peaking at the right time, with a big win over Fort Fairfield last week.
“We need to continue playing as a team, increase intensity, play smart defense and be confident,” said Shaw.
Central Aroostook hosted a preliminary game against No. 14 Machias last night. The quarterfinal match up has the winner of that game facing the victor of Woodland No. 6 and Schenck No. 11.
Staff photo/Jon Gulliver
HANNAH FERRIS 
OF EASTON goes up for a shot back in Dec. Easton enters the postseason as the 12th seed in Class D.
The Easton Bears are in the postseason with a 10-8 record in the extremely competitive Eastern Maine Class D.
Easton, the 12th seed, had to go on the road yesterday for their prelim game against Shead No. 5.
The Bears are led offensively by Carla Halvorson’s 10.4 points per game. She also chips in with four assists per contest. Hannah Ferris and Ariana Babineau do most of the work on the boards, averaging seven apiece.
“Now that we are in the prelims, regular season records can be tossed out as it’s any teams chance to shine,” said coach Rachel Tomlinson.
The winner of the Shead and Easton game will face the winner of Van Buren No. 4 and Jonesport Beals No. 13 in the quarterfinals.
