GRAY — Gray-New Gloucester girls’ basketball doesn’t get excited about style points. It has minimal tolerance for pomp and circumstance. It stopped caring about who reaps the headlines, credit or individual awards a long time ago.
If you’re into mixing metaphors and crossing over into an entirely different realm of the sporting universe, the Patriots positively live up to their nickname.
Everyone else in the community was giddy with delight all week over Friday’s trip to Bangor for the program’s first Class B state championship game in 14 years. The team’s collective reaction: Is it game time yet?
“They’re no-frills. We talk about decorating the bus for (Friday), and they’re like, ‘Whatever.’ We’re having a pep rally, and the athletic director wants them to go out and take some layups. They really would rather not,” Gray-New Gloucester coach Mike Andreasen said. “I like to use (New England Patriots coach) Belichick as kind of a model here, and the kids, whether they genuinely buy into it or put on a great face for me, I don’t know, but they’re very grounded.”
That consistency is a logical conundrum, because the Southern Maine champion Patriots (17-4) are never the same team twice. Try to glean a scouting report from careful study of Gray-New Gloucester’s statistical rundown, or its game film, and you’re guaranteed to walk away scratching your head.
In its first seven victories this season, Gray-New Gloucester flaunted a different leading scorer in six of them. Only one player, junior center Skye Conley, averaged more than eight points per game this season, yet six other Patriots checked in with five or more.
“We definitely trust each other a lot and have confidence in each other,” Conley said. “Being able to depend on one person to have a great game, then another person to have a great game next time, it’s really nice. There’s not one specific person that feels a ton of pressure.”
Exceptional balance is one thing, but such shared star power isn’t the norm this deep into the playoffs.
On its run to the regional semifinals a year ago, Gray-New Gloucester had one senior starter — Maria Valente, a consensus all-state player with more than 1,000 career points to her credit.
Tonight’s opponent at Cross Insurance Center, Houlton, collected the 2015 Class C crown by containing Maranacook star Christine Miller to the extent it was possible. The Shiretowners have their own spotlight performer in sophomore point guard Kolleen Bouchard.
If they ignore any aspect of the Patriots’ game, it comes with the potential price of somebody else dressed in red, white and blue inflicting damage worth its weight in a Gold Ball.
“We knew coming into the season that everyone kind of had to establish their role,” junior forward Izzy DeTroy said. “Alanna (Camerl) is going to get rebounds, and that makes it easier for to get put-backs. Skye (Conley) can make great post moves. Alicia (Dumont) and Grace (Kariotis) can shoot 3s. Bri (Jordan) can get through dozens of people in traffic. It’s about finding your role and the way you can contribute.”
Gray-New Gloucester held true to its unpredictable form during the Class B South tournament.
Conley chalked up 18 points and Kariotis collected 16 in a 56-30 quarterfinal win over Freeport. Dumont (18) and Camerl (14) provided the outside-inside flourish in an overtime semifinal ouster of Lake Region, 53-47.
“Skye has been consistently around 10 to 12 points, 8 or 9 rebounds, but in the playoffs she was like an EKG,” Andreasen quipped. “She went from 18 against Freeport to 3 against Lake Region. I think that may be hard for people to plan on us. Lake Region didn’t have an answer for Alanna.”
Defense reigned in the regional final, a 45-30 verdict over Lincoln, and everyone in the Patriots’ pesky rotation delivered a punch or two.
Kariotis topped Gray-New Gloucester with 13 points, most of them from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Conley added 10. Dumont delivered eight. DeTroy and Camerl each chipped in six.
“We have our post players and our shooters, but everybody contributes to help make us successful,” Jordan, a 5-foot-9 freshman, said. “I don’t think we were really sure going into the season, but we’ve been confident and supportive of each other, and I think it’s helped us get this far.”
Perhaps the Patriots are even unselfish to a fault.
“Our team chemistry has always been really great. We all share the ball as much as we can, probably sometimes too much, Coach says,” Conley noted. “Being able to give the ball to someone who has an open shot, we know they’re going to make it as long as they confidence in themselves.”
Gray-New Gloucester leaned on Valente while making a run to the preliminary round three years ago, followed by a quarterfinal berth, then a trip to the regional semis.
The Patriots lost their captain to graduation, but they also lost three longtime nemeses — York, Greely and Fryeburg — to Class A in statewide reclassification.
“We’ve had good teams for the past few years. This one has just been lucky enough to go farther,” DeTroy said. “Obviously last year Maria was an amazing player, but it must have been hard on her having the pressure of the world. Now if one person is off, we have people willing to step up, and that makes the other person more willing to take their shots again, because they’re less worried.”
Stars were the rule when the Patriots previously pushed to back-to-back regional titles in 2001 and 2002. Katie Whittier, Dawn Ross and Josalee Danieli all went on to productive collegiate careers.
The well ran dry for many winters. Rivals to the south enjoyed the stars, the stats, the wins and the titles.
“It was a tough nut to crack when we first came in. We don’t win consistently here, and we don’t win state championships all the time in any sport, so a big part of it was just developing a culture of winning,” Andreasen said. “Many feel that was a good class of kids, because they also won softball back then. They were really focused and very motivated. We don’t want to win because of a good class. We are hoping this will go on.”
Camerl and Ashley Jordan are the only seniors among the Patriots’ magnificent seven. Terrific collectively, even if you don’t recognize their individual names. Surely that would change with a win on Friday night.
These Patriots don’t sweat the idea of becoming a dynasty. First things first. They’re enjoying the ride, together.
“We’ve put in hundreds and hundreds of hours into basketball as a group,” DeTroy said. “We were hoping that it would amount to something, and to have it be something this awesome is exciting for everyone.”
koakes@sunjournal.com
(Regular season per-game averages)
SCORING
Skye Conley 10.8
Alicia Dumont 7.2
Grace Kariotis 7.1
Ashley Jordan 6.7
Alanna Camerl 6.4
Brianna Jordan 6.1
Isabelle DeTroy 5.2
REBOUNDING
Skye Conley 7.3
Brianna Jordan 5.5
Alanna Camerl 5.4
Ashley Jordan 4.3
Grace Kariotis 4.1
Isabelle DeTroy 3.7
ASSISTS
Isabelle DeTroy 3.7
Brianna Jordan 2.1
Alicia Dumont 1.7
STEALS
Isabelle DeTroy 2.7
Brianna Jordan 2.4
Grace Kariotis 1.4
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