Class B/D High School Hoop Playoff Preview
Washburn and Presque Isle girls
aim for another gold ball
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
One team had to overcome an injury to their star guard and a couple of tough defeats over the first half of the season. The other went into the year having lost five of their top seven players to graduation, with only four with varsity experience back in the fold.
Contributed photos/jMavor Photography
JOAN OVERMAN of the Washburn Beavers gets up high for a shot during a December game againt Wisdom.
KRYSTAL KINGSBURY of the Wildcats holds the ball up high and looks for a teammate in a game against Caribou last month.
GETTING A SHOT OFF over a pair of Limestone-MSSM players during an early-season game is Fort Fairfield’s Whitney McNamee.
Contributed photos/Dave Allen Graphics
KALIE WARD of the Easton Bears eyes the basket in a home game against East Grand last month.
ASHLAND SOPHOMORE GUARD Caitlin Paradis fires up a shot during a game against Greater Houlton Christian Academy earlier in the season. Ashland took the No. 12 seed into the EM ‘D’ playoffs.
HANNAH GRAHAM takes the ball strong to the basket during Presque Isle’s home game against MDI Jan. 25.
Nonetheless, it’s the same old story for both the Washburn and Presque Isle girls’ basketball teams.
The three-time defending Class D state champion Beavers were without junior guard Mackenzie Worcester, a 1,000-point scorer in her first two seasons, for the first five games due to a broken hand and got off to an uncharacteristic 5-2 start.
However, they reeled off victories in their final 11 outings, by an average margin of 36 points per game, to rally from some early-season struggles en route to a 16-2 mark and the No. 4 ranking in the Heal Point standings.
Presque Isle lost some firepower from last year in Miss Maine Basketball finalist and tournament MVP Chandler Guerrette, along with fellow starters Megan Ireland, Karlee Bernier and Meredith Stewart, but the team made a statement during the regular season by winning all 18 of its contests to finish first in EM Class B.
They enter the playoffs with a 62-game winning streak, which dates back to the beginning of the 2011-12 season, and are chasing their third consecutive state title.
Three other girls’ varsity teams from the region — Fort Fairfield, Easton and Ashland — qualified for the post-season, which began with preliminary rounds played Tuesday. The winners of those prelims will have the opportunity to play in the tournament at the new Cross Insurance Center in Bangor beginning this weekend.
The Washburn Beavers may be No. 4 in the standings, but with Worcester back at full strength and veterans like Carmen Bragg, Carsyn Koch, Joan Overman and Nicole Olson alongside her, the team heads into the playoffs as the favorite once again.
Following a 60-56 loss at Fort Fairfield Jan. 7, which was only Worcester’s second game back, Washburn began steamrolling through the remainder of its schedule.. They avenged the early—season losses to the Van Buren Crusaders and the Tigers along the way.
The team continues to utilize its quickness by applying a smothering fullcourt defense which usually leads to easy points in transition. Washburn topped the 70-point mark 10 times throughout the season.
Washburn hosted No. 13 Shead in Tuesday’s prelim round.
The Presque Isle Wildcats have relied on the brilliant play of junior Hannah Graham, a Big East Conference Player of the Year candidate, and classmate Krystal Kingsbury, a force inside. The team has recceived a solid season from emerging sophomore guard Taylor Williams and contributions from a number of role players who were junior varsity players a year ago in going undefeated for a third consecutive season.
The team was tested on a few occasions, but coach Jeff Hudson said the team’s “mental toughness and drive to win” always seemed to prevail.
The lone senior, Kaleigh Kinney, and her cousin, junior Emma Kinney, round out the Wildcats’ starting five, but sophomore center Regan Nelson is another key player. The bench is also bolstered by freshman Emily Lagerstrom, a three-point threat, and sophomore Olivia Hudson. Junior Morgan Wilcox is also part of the rotation.
PI drew a bye into the quarterfinals and will play either Camden Hills or Gardiner in a Saturday afternoon tilt.
The Fort Fairfield Tigers utilized a pair of convincing victories over Van Buren, the division’s No. 1 team, as well as the mid-season upset of Washburn to work its way to third place in the rankings.
Senior center Whitney McNamee, at 6 feet, proved to be a matchup nightmare for opponents. Classmaes Logan Bubar, Janae Libby and Nicole Giberson are solid veterans and sophomore Teresa Maynard came on strong late and helps coach Larry Gardner with scoring and rebounding.
The Tigers hosted No. 14 Katahdin in a prelim Tuesday.
Bob Doar is in his first season as coach of the Easton Bears and the team was impressive during the regular season by reeling off 12 victories and earning the No. 9 seed in the playoffs.
Kalie Ward, a junior who transferred in from Presque Isle, is a force inside and has blended in well with seniors Cassandra Buck and Mariah Cyr and juniors Kylee Carter and Hannah Ferris to form a solid starting group.
Easton made the trip to Millinocket to play Stearns yesterday in the prelim round.
Another first-year coach, Whitney Flint, also led the Ashland Hornets into the playoffs. The team’s biggest victory was registered Jan. 31 at Limestone-MSSM and vaulted the team into the 12th position.
Flint’s team is athletic and features sophomore point guard Caitlin Paradis, along with junior guard Marissa Chasse, who had the game-winning basket against the Eagles, and freshman forward Cassidy Pelletier.
Ashland faced a tough test Tuesday by traveling to play 16-1 Machias, the fifth-place team.
