RUMFORD — The secret has been out on Rylee Sevigny at Mountain Valley for quite a while. 

Sevigny, a junior, has been scoring in bunches since her freshman year and has garnered continuously more attention from opposing defenses each season.

This year, she has faced double teams and pressure when she crosses half-court, but has been able to set up her teammates more. She is tied for the team in assists along with her sister, Avery.

Other Falcons have taken on more of the scoring load, which has boosted the confidence fourth-seeded Mountain Valley (10-8) as it enters the Class B South playoffs.

“It’s been relieving because I haven’t had an incredible year scoring-wise, but it didn’t really matter because we had Kierstyn (Lyons) make up in other areas,” Rylee Sevigny said. “Saydie (Garbarini) has been all over the boards, she’s like an animal, so our team really stepped up.”

The Falcons don’t run many set plays. If they’re in a bind, they’ll stop and set something up, but most of the players have been teammates since fifth grade and are familiar enough with each other that they instinctively work together on the court to find the best shot possible. 

“I think since we’ve played together for so long that we know each other well so we just go with the flow,” Lyons said. 

“Sometimes, freelance is our best offense,” Garbarini added. 

The free-flowing Falcons have spread it out on offense, allowing Lyons to convert 46 3-pointers in 15 games this season (three games have not yet been tabulated by the Mountain Valley staff), up from 40 in 18 games a year ago. 

“They sometimes double-team Rylee because of her ball-handling skills, and that leaves others open,” Garbarini said. “It takes pressure off the other girls.”

Lyons said she hasn’t changed her shooting, and credits her output to the offense being more spread out because of how well the team has shared the ball, and to opposing teams knowing that they can’t focus on just one player.

Mountain Valley coach Craig Milledge said the offense’s success has been aided by Rylee Sevigny’s willingness to get her teammates involved. 

“It’s a credit to Rylee,” Milledge said. “She’s still a top scorer in the conference, but she’s also a top-five player in assists. She draws a lot of attention from other teams, so it’s really opened up things for our perimeter and post players. With so much emphasis on her, it’s opened things up for other kids. To their credit they’ve made big shots. To Rylee’s credit, her willingness to let her teammates be successful and getting two or three girls on her pretty consistently, it’s a credit to her.”

The Falcons, who open the postseason against fifth-seeded Yarmouth (10-8) at the Portland Expo on Saturday (12:30 p.m.), have had to find ways to thrive despite an overall lack of height.

Garbarini is listed as a center, and at 5-foot-7 is the tallest player in Mountain Valley’s regular rotation. That has forced the Falcons to put an emphasis on boxing out and flat-out effort in the paint. 

“I think that’s one of our hardest parts this year, but at some points I think it can be helpful,” Lyons said. “I think they underestimate us because we are short. … We’ve worked with it forever.”

The Falcons have had to be versatile to earn wins in the Mountain Valley Conference.

“We have girls that are being asked to play positions they aren’t built for,” Milledge said. “Saydie and Autumn (Freeman) are smaller than some team’s guards, but we lack height so much that they play in the post and do a heck of a job. If they don’t do what they’ve done in the paint, then we just flat out don’t compete.”

Garbarini, Lyons, Avery Sevigny, all seniors, and Rylee Sevigny are captains.
As is Freeman, a sophomore who is the team’s workhorse. 

“Autumn Freeman has had a phenomenal year, as well,” Milledge said. “She leads the team in steals, she takes charges and does a ton of things for us that really help. … One of the hardest workers I’ve ever had.”

Freeman has cultivated a strong relationship with Avery Sevigny on the court, and catches the passes when her senior teammate finds her way into the paint.

Rylee Sevigny wants her sister to shoot more because Avery has one of the top field goal percentages on the team, but Avery said she’d rather pass.  

Regardless of who shoots on Saturday afternoon against the Clippers in the B South quarterfinals, the shots will need to fall for Mountain Valley, which has a new outlook on the playoffs after recent postseason disappointments. 

“We don’t really have anything to lose at this point,” Rylee Sevigny said.

“I think if we play solid defense and make our shots that it will be a really competitive game,” Garbarini said.

Milledge said Yarmouth has guard play and shoots well, but is excited to go to the Expo and compete alongside this year’s Falcons.

“We are graduating three really meaningful seniors,” Milledge said. “We aren’t content with playing a game and going home. Our intention is to be playing next week. To do that, we have to play really well.”

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