With seven sophomores on the Wells High squad, the expectations weren’t exactly high for the Warriors – unless you happened to be involved with the team.

“I thought that we’d be better than most people thought we might be,” said Coach Don Abbott.

“As far as how many wins and losses that would translate to, and who we would beat, I wasn’t sure. But I thought we had some good veteran leadership with some real youthful exuberance and enthusiasm.”

So far that’s translated into a 5-3 record and sixth place in Western Class B. Wells’ losses have all been close: 42-39 to Yarmouth, when Morgan Cahill scored 30 for the Clippers; 58-53 to Gray-New Gloucester, which rallied from nine-down at the half; and 52-44 to top-ranked Lake Region.

“We’re just a hard-working bunch,” said Abbott. “The key is we’re an extremely unselfish team. Our mantra is, ‘We, not me.’

“It’s about playing together and not being concerned what the stat sheet looks like. It’s about everyone buying into their roles and what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Everyone is contributing, led by sophomore forward Alison Furness, who is averaging about 15.5 points per game. The younger sister of former Wells standout Alex Furness, she creates match-up problems with her ability to play on the perimeter or inside.

But forward Mariyah Heath, guards Kelly Beisswanger and Nicole Moody and 3-point shooters Abby Moody and Jeni Wallingford provide plenty of options.

Wells has a big week ahead, with games at Cape Elizabeth and York before a home game Saturday against Traip Academy. The Warriors could set themselves up nicely for the tournament with a strong showing.

Saturday’s game is also Wells’ third-annual Shoot for a Cure night, a fundraising effort to help combat breast cancer. Abbott said the program has raised $40,000 in two years for the York Hospital breast care centers in York and Wells.

Every girl in the program – about 80, beginning with fifth-grade travel teams – collect pledges for a foul-shooting contest that will be held throughout the day, leading to the game with Traip. Awards will be presented at halftime to the top foul shooter and money raiser. Every girl who meets the goal of $100 in pledges will be entered in a drawing for an iPad 2.

“It started a couple of years ago when a couple of members of the program were affected by breast cancer,” said Abbott. “And it’s grown by leaps and bounds.”

WESTBROOK TOOK a big step toward its first tournament appearance in four years with Friday’s 51-47 double-overtime win over then-No. 1 Marshwood.

The win at South Berwick – no easy place to play – pushed the Blazes to 4-3 and into the eighth spot in the Western Class A standings. Megan Niehoff, led the way with 15 points, six rebounds, five steals and two assists, but first-year coach Chris Aube said this was a character-building win for the whole team.

Marshwood forced the game into OT with a buzzer-beating basket and had all the momentum. Then Westbrook missed eight consecutive foul shots – but somehow forced a second OT, where the Blazes’ match-up zone defense held Marshwood scoreless.

“We did enough, we defended really well,” said Aube, who was at Gray-New Gloucester last year. “To keep them to 47 points, including two overtimes, that’s the type of team we’ve got to be.

“This is a very good win for us. We showed a lot of character. You never know you have it until you’re tested. We had to prove we could get a game like this on the road.”

Aube said the Blue Blazes are getting strong senior leadership from Niehoff, point guard Jessie Harris and center Kayla Winton.

“The stuff they’re doing in practices we’ve got some younger kids who play a lot of minutes and those three have really brought the younger players along, getting them ready for Class A SMAA ball,” said Aube.

WINDHAM’S MEGHAN Gribbin is closing in on the 1,000-point milestone. Going into tonight’s 6 p.m. home game with Gorham, Gribbin has 979 career points. If she doesn’t get the 21 needed against the Rams, she’ll have another shot at home on Friday against Massabesic at 7 p.m.

Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at: mlowe@pressherald.com

Twitter: MikeLowePPH

 

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