The SMAA proved it had the best basketball teams in the state last weekend. Now, it can boast Maine’s two best basketball players.
Dustin Cole of Bonny Eagle and Allie Clement of Catherine McAuley were named Mr. Basketball and Miss Basketball, respectively, Friday night at the annual Maine McDonald’s All-Star Banquet in Bangor.
While leading the Scots to the Western A final all four years, Cole was a four-time SMAA All-Star and the conference’s Player of the Year his junior and senior seasons. The three-year captain finished with 1,812 career points, the most in Bonny Eagle and SMAA history. He also led the SMAA in assists the last three years and was the only player in league history to lead it in both scoring and assists in back-to-back seasons. As a senior, the 5’9” guard averaged 24.5 points, 7.8 assists and 5.2 rebounds and was nominated for the McDonald’s All-American game.
Cole,who will attend Franklin Pierce University on a full athletic scholarship, is the first Mr. Basketball from Bonny Eagle.
In four years, Clement won 85 of 88 games, including 56 in a row. She capped that near-perfect career with a perfect 16-0 tournament record and four Class A state championships. She was the Western A tournament’s most outstanding player as a junior and senior and named 2013 Maine Gatorade Player of the Year. This season, the 5’8” guard captured her second consecutive conference scoring title and was named the SMAA Player of the Year after averaging 18.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. She was a three-time SMAA All-Star while tallying 1,374 career points.
Clement, who has accepted a basketball scholarship from Marist College, is the third Miss Basketball from McAuley, following Alexa Coulombe (2012) and Ashley Cimino (2007).
The other Mr. Basketball finalists were Isaiah Bess and Zach Gilpin, both of Hampden Academy. Tiana-Jo Carter of Lake Region and Parise Rossignol of Van Buren were the other Miss Basketball finalists.
Gilpin and Connor Kane of Dirigo were presented the Maine McDonald’s Spirit of the Game Award. Erik Taylor of Spruce Mountain and Mikayla Turner of Messalonskee each received $2,000 All-State Academic scholarships.
The Maine Association of Basketball Coaches presents the Mr. and Miss Basketball awards annually to the top senior basketball players in the state. Winners are selected by a five-person committee of media and retired coaches for showing outstanding skills throughout their career, making a significant impact on their team, demonstrating respect for the game through leadership on and off the court, epitomizing the values of sportsmanship and being a positive school and community citizen.
The Maine McDonald’s All-Star Games begin at 9:15 a.m. Saturday at Husson University with the girls’ A/B game. The girls’ C/D game is scheduled for an 11 a.m. tip-off. The boys’ all-stars take the court in the afternoon, with the C/D game starting at 12:45 p.m., with the A/B game’s opening tap scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
The day’s festivities also include slam dunk, 3-point shooting and free throw shting contests.
The games are open to the public and tickets are available at the door. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students.
Net proceeds from tickets, souvenir sales and programs go to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine.
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