The Southwestern Maine Activities Association recently announced its girls basketball all-stars, with a number of local players receiving recognition. Westbrook High School senior Cynthia Wescott and Gorham junior Rachele Burns were both first team all-star selections. Westbrook junior Erin Murphy received honorable mention and Gorham freshman Natalie Egbert was named to the all-rookie team. Five players were also named to the all-academic team.

Wescott, a 5-foot-10 forward, capped off a career in which she scored 884 points and pulled down 611 rebounds with a strong senior campaign. She averaged 14 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists the past season.

“She was someone who other teams had to worry about,” said Westbrook coach Mike Murphy, whose team finished 14-6 and lost to eventual state champ Deering in the regional semifinals. “She was one of the top players in our league. She falls in line with some of the very good players in Westbrook High School’s history. She will be sorely missed.”

Burns, a 5-7 guard, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the seventh game of the year. She averaged 25.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 3.7 steals and 2.5 blocks a game before getting hurt. She did it all for the Rams, who were 5-2 in games she played and 1-11 after she went down.

“If there is a better player in the state, I would love to see her because working with and watching Rachele play has been extremely rewarding so far and a player better than her would be something to see,” said Gorham coach Laughn Berthiaume. “We are all wishing for the best for her and her recovery.”

Murphy, a 5-6 guard, led the Blue Blazes in assists with 3.5 a game. She shot a team-best 71 percent from the foul line, scored 10 points a game and was third on the team in rebounding. Perhaps her most impressive stat: she had 71 assists compared to 56 turnovers at the point guard position.

“A lot of good teams in our league press, but they couldn’t press us (because of Erin),” Mike Murphy said. “The ball was in her hand a tremendous amount of time but she was able to deal with the pressure. She really did a great job of setting the tempo. We led the league in fewest points allowed because of our defense and how we ran our offense.”

Egbert, a 5-5 guard, averaged 6.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and one steal a game for the Rams. She was called up from the JV team early in the year and adjusted well to the varsity game.

“Natalie was thrown into the fire when Rachele got hurt,” Berthiaume said. “I see her as the point guard of the future. It was difficult for her at times because young people often equate success with wins and losses. I definitely had an eye on the bigger picture and I equated success with her steady improvement. It is not easy to go from playing eighth grade ball to running a team in the SMAA. Natalie is learning how to play at her pace and run a team. The thing that impressed me the most about Natalie is that she loves to be taught.”

Westbrook also held its end-of-season awards banquet recently. Seniors Kate MacDonald and Audrey Shutts were honored as co-recipients of the coach’s award. Murphy said their contributions went well beyond the box score. “They brought a great attitude in practice and in games. They were some of the unsung heroes. Both were huge in our success.”

Westbrook’s MacDonald was also named to the SMAA all-academic team, as were Lindsay Bradeen and Ashley Young of Bonny Eagle, and Lindsay Hansen and Lucinda Pike of Gorham.

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