4 days Ago
TOPSHAM — The players on the Mt. Ararat girls’ basketball team gathered in a circle, clapping as Coach Julie Petrie began to address them. “Not bad for the first day,” she said.
“You ready to roll?” All across the state, basketball teams got rolling Monday. The first day of practices meant boys’ and girls’ teams were officially back in action, with everyone from defending champions to rebuilding teams to up-and-comers getting started with the opening practices of what they hope will be successful seasons. “This is my Christmas morning,” Biddeford girls’ Coach Jeannine Paradis said.
“And I’m not the only head coach that ever says that.” For some girls’ teams, however, the excitement of beginning another season is boosted by the expectations of success. Take a team like Mt.
Ararat, which made the A South final and brings back all five starters in their attempt to make it one game further. “It definitely does. We’re all pretty raring to get started,” said senior guard Cali Pomerleau, who led the Eagles in scoring at 11.
4 points per game last season. “We just know how much potential we have and we want to show everybody that.” Last year, the Eagles had the talent to earn A South’s top seed, but a lack of big-game experience cost them in a loss to Brunswick on the brink of the state final.
“(It) was definitely the biggest game I’ve ever played in, every seat was filled in that gym. It was a crazy atmosphere,” Pomerleau said. “But I think now, going into this year, if we get back to that scenario we’ll be a lot more ready.
” Petrie said the team has benefitted from last year’s experiences, both the highs of winning and the lows of the playoff loss. The talent is there for a deep run, and now the mental toughness is as well. “I think last year was definitely a learning year,” she said.
“We were in uncharted territory, we’d never gone that far in Mt. Ararat girls’ basketball history. There were a lot of firsts; hopefully they remember those feelings and it creates that excitement for this season.
” The Eagles aren’t alone in their position. In AA South, South Portland made the playoffs without a senior on the roster. And in B South, Biddeford brings back many of the key players, including Jordyn Crump, Anna Smyth, Ayla Lagasse and Gabby Smith, that helped the Tigers improve from a winless 2022-23 season to 12 victories and a playoff berth last year.
“The expectation is always to get onto that playoff floor, and now it’s to at least win one if not more,” Paradis said. “In the past, we’ve had a lot of players that were athletes, not players that were basketball players. We have basketball players this year.
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We’re not going to look ahead, we’re not going to look behind, we’re not going to look at what other programs are doing. We’re going to focus on what we need to do to get the job done every night.” Biddeford’s Jordyn Crump, a sophomore, is one of the best players in Class B South and part of a team that won 12 games last season.
Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer The Tigers will have one of B South’s best players in Crump, a sophomore who had an offer from Boston College in hand before she even played a varsity game. She averaged 11.5 points and 3.
4 steals last season. “I think everyone is feeling the same way, even outsiders. Everyone knows what Biddeford could be, and everyone is so excited,” she said.
“We all know each other’s talent. Last year was very good, I think this year could be easily much better. Everyone knows that, and it’s just a matter of putting that out there.
” Biddeford will be a popular pick to come out of the region. Crump said the team is ready for the expectations that come with that. “It’s .
.. exciting because everyone’s going to be watching more.
But there’s definitely a little bit of pressure,” she said. “We all see each other a lot in the hallways, and whenever we do, it’s the first thing. ‘All right, I’m ready for basketball season.
’ This is what we’ve been looking for.” Meanwhile, in Portland, Cheverus began its season with an intrasquad scrimmage. After winning the Class AA championship, the Stags are looking to replace a talented graduating cast including Ruth Boles, Megan Dearborn and Maddie Fitzpatrick, the Miss Maine Basketball winner now at UMaine.
“I’m excited to see who steps up this year,” Coach Bill Goodman said. “They’re going to have much different roles this year. We’ll see how they do with that.
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We’re going to play a much different style than we’ve played the last four years. I’ve got to take these next couple of weeks and we’ve got to figure out what we’re best at.” Senior Rachel Feeley and juniors Anna Goodman and Rachel LaSalle are among the players who contributed to Cheverus’s season last year who will be counted on for a little more this time.
The team also got a big boost with the arrival of junior Kylie Lamson, who started as a freshman at Thornton Academy and will look to bounce back after an injury-plagued sophomore year. “We want to accomplish the same things (as last year) but we also have to be our own team,” Feeley said. “It may be hard at first to fill those shoes, but we can definitely do it.
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We’ve got to pick up where they left off and just keep up the intensity and keep up the mindset that we’ve got it.” Comments are no longer available on this story Send questions/comments to the editors..
