Edward Little senior Jordyn Reynolds searches for an open teammate during the Red Eddies’ win over Brunswick in January.
AUGUSTA — Edward Little’s Jordyn Reynolds and Winthrop’s Jacob Hickey are among the semifinalists for the Maine Miss Basketball and Mr. Basketball awards.
The awards are given annually to the best girl and boy senior basketball player in the state. Each group of semifinalists will be narrowed down to three finalists, and the winners will be announced at the Maine McDonald’s High School All-Star Games banquet on March 10.
Joining Reynolds as semifinalists for Miss Basketball are Katie Butler of Bangor, Megan Peach of Dexter, Sophia Holmes of Messalonskee, Emily Lagerstrom of Presque Isle, Emma Alley of Stearns, Morgan Dauk of George Stevens, Emily Esposito of Gorham, Emi Higgins of Hermon and Rylee Warman of Houlton.
Joining Hickey as Mr. Basketball finalists are Riley Swanson of Mount Desert Island, Justin Thompson of Schenck, Nate Desisto of Orono, Jordan Bagshaw of Greely, Mason Cooper of Lawrence, Cameron Allaire of Medomak Valley, Jack Casale of Cheverus, Colin Coyne of Falmouth and Matt McDevitt of Greely.
McDonald’s All-Stars announced
The Maine McDonald’s High School All-Stars were announced Wednesday, and there will be plenty of local seniors participating.
Edward Little’s Jordyn Reynolds was named to the AA/A/B North girls’ team, while fellow Red Eddies Samatar Iman and Jarod Norcross Plourde earned boys’ honors.
Spruce Mountain’s Alex Bessey and Austin Darling were tabbed for the AA/A/B South girls’ and boys’ teams, respectively. Joining Bessey on the girls’ team is Skye Conley of Gray-New Gloucester.
Allie Veinote and Chloe Dwinell will represent St. Dom’s on the C/D South girls’ team, on which they will be joined by Mt. Abram’s Alora Ross and Winthrop’s Shie Smith.
Winthrop’s Jacob Hickey was named to the C/D South boys’ team.
Hickey, Morgan Eliasen of Lewiston and Izzy DeTroy of Gray-New Gloucester were named to the all-state academic teams.
Edward Little girls’ coach Craig Jipson and boys’ coach Mike Adams were named to their respective AA/A/B North coaching staffs. Poland’s Mike Susi and Spruce Mountain’s Scott Bessey will coach for the AA/A/B girls and boys, respectively. Winthrop’s Joe Burnham will co-coach the C/D South girls.
The Maine McDonald’s High School All-Star games will be played March 11 at Husson University. The event features two boys’ and two girls’ games as well as the state foul shooting championship and a slam dunk competition.
Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children. All net proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine.
Wide open spaces
The Class B South girls’ tournament took its turn at the Portland Expo on Tuesday, moving out of the cozy gyms the playoff teams are used to.
Freeport struggled with that, making just eight field goals. That could be in part attributed to top-seeded Gray-New Gloucester’s defense, but Gray-NG coach Mike Andreasen was willing to give the Falcons a break.
“It’s so hard to shoot in the Expo. It’s not a shooter’s gym,” Andreasen said. “Both teams were missing shots that I think both teams usually make.”
One player who didn’t seem to mind playing at the Expo was Patriots freshman forward Jordan Grant.
“Jordan Grant’s big thing is that she can run the floor. She just runs like the wind,” Andreasen said. “And on a big floor like that, she can get down the floor really fast.”
On a couple occasions Tuesday, Grant was able to break out in transition for layup attempts. Her first try rolled out — something that happened to the Patriots a few times — but she was able to convert on her second try later in the second quarter.
Grant finished with seven points in her tournament debut.
Around the block
When the Windham boys ended Edward Little’s unbeaten start late in the regular season, sophomore forward Dierhow Bol was a big reason, registering a double-double.
“When we played him the first time, he was obviously a presence inside,” EL senior Jarod Norcross Plourde said after Tuesday night’s Class AA North semifinal. “I think he was a presence tonight, too.”
Bol didn’t have the same offensive game in EL’s revenge-grabbing win Tuesday, but he was certainly a presence defensively in the first half, either blocking or altering a handful of shots.
“The way you attack a shot-blocker is you attack a shot-blocker, you can’t go away from him,” EL coach Mike Adams said. “And we went away from him in the second quarter.”
Bol finished with a modest four points, all in the second quarter. Defensively in the second half, the Red Eddies were able force Bol to defend junior guard Tyler Morin, who was able to pull Bol out of the paint. Morin scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth to help the Red Eddies pull away.
All-around Allen
Early in Monmouth’s Class C South girls’ quarterfinal matchup with Waynflete, Abbey Allen came flying into the paint to grab a rebound and put the ball back up and in the hoop, tying the score at 4-4.
“She’s very good at that, reading where the shot’s going to come off and going after it and getting it and finishing it after that,” Mustangs coach Scott Wing said following Monday’s game.
That early bucket set the tone for the type of game Allen was going to have. She scored 14 of her team-high 17 points in the first half of Monmouth’s 45-40 win over Waynflete. Most of her points came after she grabbed offensive rebounds or at the free-throw line. She finished with five offensive rebounds and nine total boards.
The junior forward has grown into of the Mustangs’ top players this season.
“I’ve just stepped it up when I need to. If other players aren’t making the plays, I need to step it up and make them,” Allen said. “Just being a junior gave me some confidence, being the older one on the team.”
Wing has talked a few times about Allen’s contributions and how her role has expanded.
“When Abbey comes out of the game, it impacts us a lot, because she does so much stuff for us,” Wing said. “Takes the out of bounds; makes smart decisions; if teams are double-teaming Tia (Day), we just give the ball to Abbey and let her bring it up, she can handle the ball; and she’s picked up the scoring end of things, also; she’s one of the top rebounders in the MVC.”
Allen’s contributions will be crucial when Monmouth meets fellow Class C powerhouse Boothbay in the regional semifinals Thursday in Augusta. She scored 14 points in the Mustangs’ win over the Seahawks on Jan. 21.
Edward Little High School’s Jordyn Reynolds, left, drives to the basket against Oxford Hills’ Hannah Kenney during their game in Auburn earlier this month.
Wintrhop’s Jacob Hickey shoots for a basket in front of Boothbay’s Nick Gorey during last year’s Class C South basketball tournament at Augusta Civic Center.
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