14th NEWS Dream Team
Meaghan Lane, Christina Strong and Sharon Rines are the only repeaters on the 14th Bangor Daily News All-Maine Schoolgirl Basketball Team.
The NEWS, following a statewide balloting process, recognizes Maine’s top 15 players, with honorable mention going to girls whose play earned them acclaim.
Thirteen of the 15 All-Maine players are seniors and two are juniors. Two are from Hermon and two are from Winthrop.
Lane played for Cony of Augusta, Strong for Georges Valley of Thomaston and Rines for Hermon. They are joined on the first team by Mary Cunningham of Westbrook and Katti Towle of Gorham.
Portland’s Heather Dutton and Presque Isle’s Kerry Eaton lead the second team which also includes Diane Blanchard, Winthrop; Michelle Hamlin, Hermon; and Tammy Higgins, Skowhegan.
One of two juniors, Catrina Rainey, Marshwood of Eliot, heads the third team along with Anna Struck, Winthrop; Josette Huntress, Limestone; Denise Treadwell, Old Town; and junior Stephanie Shaw, Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield.
LANE jumps up to the first team from third in ’89. A 5-foot-3 guard going to the University of New Hampshire, she was the only senior on Coach Paul Vachon’s 18-2 Eastern Maine A runnerup squad.
Averaging 23 points, 3.5 rebounds and seven assists, she helped the young Rams challenge for another title.
“I don’t believe there’s a senior in the state who had a year like Meaghan,” Vachon said. “She gave us what we needed whether it was scoring, defense or leadership.”
Vachon said the East Senior All-Star “brought girls basketball to another level through her work ethic.” She silenced critics who thought she could not lead Cony to a successful season. “Not too many teams were able to stop her,” Vachon said. “She did a lot of things for a small player. She has a tremendous heart and never said die.”
STRONG, the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches Miss Maine Basketball, will play for the University of Maine. A second-teamer in ’89, she received honorable mention in ’88.
The 5-7 West Senior All-Star point guard averaged 22 points, six rebounds and five assists and scored more than 1,300 career points.
“Her leadership blossomed this year,” Georges Valley Coach Dwight Henry said. “Looking back on the season she saw it as a happy, good year for team unity and she was able to achieve her own goals.”
Strong, an Academic All-Star with several other honors, was described by Henry as “as a real achiever who strives for excellence.”
The student council president and National Honor Society member is “an outstanding player whose work ethic rubbed off on the rest of the team. She hustles. There’s no slack time with her. She always works to improve herself,” Henry added.
RINES was a second-team selection in ’89 and honorable mention in ’88. Playing for the EM Class B runnerup, she averaged 18 points, 15 rebounds and three assists. She may attend Husson, St. Joseph’s or the University of Maine-Machias.
Coach Tim Thornton’s 6-0 center set school records of most career points, 1,355, and rebounds, 1,112. She did that despite missing five games with an ankle injury. She scored 281 points, had 248 rebounds, 33 blocked shots and 80 assists in 16 games. With an excellent work ethic, Rines never quits.
“She’s very quick in picking up exactly what you want done and a good floor leader who boxes out and does all the little things you ask,” Thornton said.
Rines played center in the press, took the ball out of bounds and, if she missed a shot, often followed up with the rebound. Her influence was such that, when hurt, just having her on the bench lifted the team’s spirits.
Senior All-Star CUNNINGHAM’S team finished as the Western Maine Class A runnerup. She averaged 16 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists for Coach Ben Palubinskas. Cunningham expects to play basketball at a business school.
A 5-6 guard, she is in the top quarter of her class and a top soccer player, also.
“There are so many things she does so well,” Palubinskas said. “Her dribbling is excellent. Her penetration and drives to the hoop set her apart. She’s good from the 3-point line.”
Cunningham came out of the shadows of other strong guards in the program to shine this year. She handled the ball more than ever and was the one her team went to when it counted most. The tri-captain constantly worked on her game and played basketball against boys to make herself stronger.
“She prides herself on doing well,’ Palubinskas said.
Gorham’s TOWLE averaged 15 points, four assists and led her team in steals as the Rams won the Class B state title. The 5-3 point guard expects to attend the University of Maine. She was Gorham’s Most Valuable Player, a Western Maine Conference All-Star, and the West B tournament MVP.
“We’re fortunate to have a player of her caliber,” Gorham Coach Pat O’Shea said. “She works so hard. That’s why she’s such a good player. She led by example. Katti brought us all together, took charge and led us to the championship not by anything she said, but by what she did.”
Towle’s real gift is her ballhandling and ability to read the court. She can penetrate, dish off and defy the press.
“She plays excellent defense,” O’Shea said, “always taking the top player out of her game.”
She was also a smart player and stayed out of foul trouble.
West Senior All-Star DUTTON heads the second team after leading Portland to a state Class A runnerup finish. The 5-10 center averaged 14.3 points and 9.3 rebounds for Coach Ed Feeney’s team.
Dutton plans to attend college and hopes to play basketball.
“She’s always working to improve,” Feeney said. “She runs the floor extremely well for a big kid and she’s a good offensive player.”
Dutton, a two-year starter, moved around the basket well and was a strong, power player.
“She gets up the floor well on the fast break and was the one the opposition had to be aware of. You had to take care of her,” Feeney said.
EATON helped lead Presque Isle to its first-ever girls state basketball championship.
“She was definitely a giant factor,” Presque Isle Coach Dick Barstow said.
“Kerry improved so much from her freshman to her senior year it’s unbelievable,” Barstow added. “Her maturity in not fouling out, knowing how to box out, and blocking shots were things that, as a freshman, you’d just cross your fingers and hope she could help as a senior.”
Eaton, a 6-1 center who averaged 13.5 points and 11.6 rebounds, has not yet reached her potential, Barstow said.
BLANCHARD, a West Senior All-Star who helped lead Winthrop to a 44-36 State Class C title win over Limestone, averaged 10 points, 10 assists and four rebounds for Coach Ray Convery’s club.
A 5-5 guard and all-around athlelte, she is the youngest of 13 children and is the only basketball player in the family. She was also a top defensive player.
Blanchard is considering attending Assumption College and the University of Southern Maine.
HAMLIN, a member of the National Honor Society, was an East Senior All-Star who averaged 17 points, 15 rebounds and two assists for Hermon.
A top Husson recruit, the 5-11 forward is a fine shooter, hitting 60 percent from the floor and 65 percent form the line.
“She did a real nice job this year,” Thornton said of her leadership. “You know how good she is when Houlton had to go box-and-one (zone) on her. Her leadership qualities came on in the middle of the season when she decided she had to play that well every single game. She really matured.”
Skowhegan’s 5-6 forward/guard HIGGINS averaged 21.1 points and 5.8 rebounds playing both positions for Coach Jim MacMichael. She will attend the University of Maine-Farmington next fall.
Heavily recruited elsewhere, she is a relentless player who always gives 100 percent, MacMichael said, adding that he considers Higgins Division I caliber.
“She plays as hard as she can as long as she can,” MacMichael added. “She’s unselfish. If somebody has a better shot she gives the ball up.”
Higgins scored more than 800 points as a two-year starter.
RAINEY is a much-honored 5-10 center/forward. Averaging 19.8 points and 17.3 rebounds, she is a quick study who took up basketball as a freshman and finished with 909 career points and 905 rebounds.
“She had a lot to learn but she worked hard,” Marshwood Coach Mike Lewis said.
The Maine Gatorade Player of the Year was often triple teamed.
By shooting only 12-15 times a game, she emphasized Marshwood’s team concept which carried it into the tournament.
West senior All-Star STRUCK of Winthrop was her team’s top rebounder and a triple threat, averaging 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
“I think she’s by far the best jumper around,” Convery said of the WM Class C MVP who is leaning toward USM.
HUNTRESS, a senior East and Academic All-Star, averaged 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in Limestone’s dream season as state Class C runnerup.
The 5-8 forward was a “super rebounder and super defender,” said Limestone Coach Jeff Bearden.
She was the team’s most consistent player and also drew the tough defensive assignments. She plans to attend Colby College.
TREADWELL, the Big East Conference MVP and an East senior All-Star, averaged 16.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game for Old Town Coach Garry Spencer.
“Denise is an instinctive jumper who is usually the first to the ball,” he said of the 5-10 forward.
SHAW’S year ended with a 48-40 loss to Hermon in the EM Class B semifinals. The 5-8 center averaged 15.9 points and 12.5 rebounds for her 19-1 MCI Huskies.
She was second on her team in steals and third in assists.
MCI Coach Julie Treadwell said Shaw’s biggest assets were her strength and willingness to do what is asked.
“Our bigger people got better because they had to play her in practice. If you can guard her, you can guard anyone,” Treadwell said.
ALL-MAINE TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Name School Pos. Yr.
Meaghan Lane Cony Guard Sr. Christina Strong Georges Valley Guard Sr. Sharon Rines Hermon Center Sr. Mary Cunningham Westbrook Guard Sr. Katti Towle Gorham Guard Sr.
SECOND TEAM
Name School Pos. Yr.
Heather Dutton Portland Forward Sr. Kerry Eaton Presque Isle Center Sr. Diane Blanchard Winthrop Guard Sr. Michelle Hamlin Hermon Forward Sr. Tammy Higgins Skowhegan Forward Sr.
THIRD TEAM
Name School Pos. Yr.
Catrina Rainey Marshwood Center Jr. Anna Struck Winthrop Forward Sr. Josette Huntress Limestone Forward Sr. Denise Treadwell Old Town Forward Sr. Stephanie Shaw Me. Cent. Ins. Center Jr.
HONORABLE MENTION: Stacy Hafford, Presque Isle; Jackie Eastman, Fryeburg Academy; Nikki Neal, East Grand; Rita Sullivan, Bangor; Kim Michaud, Ashland; Cathy Hartman, Limestone; Marcie Bell, Woodland; Sue Petela, Maine Central Institute; Becky Moholland, Calais; Tina Bonsant, Erskine Academy; Angie Gleason, Medomak Valley; Janice Strobecker, Marshwood; Ann-Marie Betts, Georges Valley; Sara Buswell, Houlton; Ellen Hall, Orono; Carrie Gosselin, York; Tracy DuEst, Portland; Lisa Pomerleau, Mountain Valley; Kristin Davis, Presque Isle; Jen Hayden, Waterville; April Linkletter, Madison; Kathie Pooler, Fort Kent; Krista Hill, Woodland; Amy Belisle, Yarmouth
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