Point guard Angel Huntsman is averaging 10.4 points, 7.6 assists and 4.2 steals for North Yarmouth Academy. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
Entering the season, it was fairly evident that Old Orchard Beach High and North Yarmouth Academy would be among the best teams in Class C South this winter.
Nothing has changed six weeks into the season. The Seagulls are 9-0 and ranked third in the Heal point standings; the Panthers are 5-1 and ranked fourth.
Friday night, they’ll play at NYA, the first of their two regular-season matchups this season.
It should be an exciting game, as both teams like to push the tempo. NYA is averaging 63.2 points a game, while OOB is averaging 57.4.
“I don’t think you’ll see a lot of four corners or stalling the ball Friday,” said Seagulls Coach Dean Plante. “They’ve got kids who can catch and finish and we’re going to have our hands full defensively. I’d like to think we’re going to put them to the test as well.
“It’s just going to be a great opportunity to play a good team. And that’s what you want rolling into the second half of the season. You want tests.”
“It’s going to be a good Class C matchup,” said NYA Coach Tom Robinson. “We didn’t play them last year because of (regionalized schedules brought on by) COVID. I’ve seen them on tape and once live. The way they play, they’re a fun team to watch. I hope it’s a good game.”
Robinson is happy to be playing. The Panthers lost for the first time this season on Tuesday against Wells, 62-35 against the top-ranked team in Class B South.
It was NYA’s first game since Dec. 22, a span of three weeks. The Panthers had three games postponed over that stretch. “And we only practiced twice over that time,” said Robinson.
The game against Wells was arranged around noon Tuesday, hours before tip-off. “We were hustling to find someone to play,” said Robinson. Even though the Panthers lost, it was beneficial. “We got the rust off,” said Robinson.
Both OOB and NYA have some standout players, but also rely on deep benches to maintain their dominance, especially defensively. Old Orchard Beach is allowing just 23.2 points a game, while NYA is giving up 28.3.
“I think that we have kids who kind of understand their roles right now and embrace them,” said OOB’s Plante. “And we have multiple kids who can put the ball in the hole, which is nice. When you get scoring from different kids on any given night, it’s tough to defend.”
Junior guard Elisa MacNair leads the Seagulls with 22 points, 20.2 rebounds, 4.0 steals and 4.5 assists per game. Sarah Davis is averaging 10 points, and Summer St. Louis averages seven.
At NYA, Robinson said, “We have 10 girls who can play. When we go to the bench, there’s not much of a drop-off.”
Junior point guard Angel Huntsman has been the leader, her ability to read the court setting the Panthers up nicely. She’s averaging 10.4 points, 7.6 assists and 4.2 steals. Charlotte Harper-Cunningham leads the team with 14 points a game, and junior Madilyn Onorato averages 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
The Seagulls haven’t had their season disrupted by COVID postponements yet, a credit to his players, Plante said.
“The kids are committed to it,” said Plante. “They’ve changed the way they socialize a little bit, not to the extent that they’re locked away, but they’re making efforts to avoid it. They’ve all gone the extra mile and they’re great about masking. I’m assuming that all helps in the end.”
PERHAPS GREELY COACH Todd Flaherty undersold his Rangers in the preseason. He noted they were young and inexperienced and would hopefully improve as the season progressed.
Well, here we are, a month from the playoffs, and Greely is atop Class A South with a 6-2 record and four consecutive wins. Their scheduled game Thursday at Lake Region was postponed because Greely High went remote earlier in the day.
“They’re hanging in there through all this mess with COVID,” said Flaherty.
Flaherty admits this is a different team than recent Greely title contenders. “We don’t want to try be the same teams we were the last four, five years,” he said. “We’re not a high-powered offense. We’re defense first, scrap for the ball. That’s our identity this year. We have to bear down and we can’t take any plays off.”
It helps to have a player like senior point guard Chelsea Graiver, who is heading to Division II Stonehill next year. Graiver is leading the Rangers in scoring – she had 27 in a 67-53 win over Falmouth on Tuesday – but does much, much more. “She’s just really come into her own this year,” said Flaherty.
Senior center Kaiyla Delisle has come back strong from an early season ankle injury. She had 19 points Tuesday and takes pressure off everyone else. Junior Sophia Ippolito and sophomore Asja Kelman have been major contributors as well.
“I was hoping to improve as we go on,” said Flaherty. “And so far that’s what’s happening.”
GOOD THING NYA and Wells pulled that game together on Tuesday. Wells senior Grace Ramsdell became the second Wells girls’ basketball player to reach 1,000 career points during the game. Ramsdell, heading to play at Merrimack College next year, needed 30 going in and got 30, hitting the milestone on a 3-pointer that was set up by her lifetime friend and teammate, Grace Boucher.
“It was nice that she got it at home,” said Wells Coach Don Abbott. “We had a decent crowd, despite it being a last-minute thing. All her family was there. The fact that her lifelong best friend set it up capped it. We stopped the game, had a little celebration, and then they had the rest of the night off.”
Kari Simpson holds the Wells scoring record with 1,342 points, set in 2013.
Abbott was unaware that the Warriors (7-0 entering Thursday’s game with Freeport) had jumped into the top spot in Class B South. He and his players are just happy to be playing during the pandemic.
“We just want to play well and I think our team has really embraced this (situation) we’re in, and it gives us more gratitude for every game we play,” he said. “Hopefully everything calms down and we’re able to continue playing games and get to the tournament. We’re still building an identity and mixing in younger kids with our veterans, but we’re happy where we’re at right now.”
SOME NEWS FROM up north:
• In our story on Sunday regarding Maine high school girls’ going on to play ball at the NCAA Division I level, we missed one future D-I player: sophomore point guard Izzy Allen of Central High in Corinth. Allen has already verbally committed to play at the University of Maine on a full scholarship, according to the Bangor Daily News. Central is 6-1 in Class C North and Allen is averaging about 30 points and 6.5 rebounds.
• Hodgdon, ranked second in Class C North with an 8-0 record, has not played since Jan. 4 after seven of its players were injured in an accident on I-95 in Houlton. According to the BDN, the accident occurred on Jan. 5 when the players, along with a team manager, were driving to Dyer Brook to watch another game. Their vehicle hit a slippery spot on the highway and rolled down an embankment.
One player, sophomore starter Aleyah Matheson, is out indefinitely with broken ribs. Other injuries included concussions, knee trauma and facial lacerations. Hodgdon Athletic Director Wayne Quint told the BDN that he hopes some of the players can return Friday for a home game against Washburn.
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