Youth movement aiding GSA> Close calls with tournament berths boosts players’ confidence

George Stevens Academy had not played in a schoolgirl basketball tournament game at the Bangor Auditorium in 12 years.

Last season, the Eagles of Blue Hill finished the regular season with their third 11-7 record in four years and finally cracked the standings and won their first Class C preliminary game in three attempts since 1986.

“My freshman and sophomore years we just couldn’t make it to the tournament,” said senior co-captain Erika Carter. “When we came really close both of those years, the team became more motivated and realized that we could make it.”

While the 1996 run ended with a quarterfinal loss to No. 1 Calais, George Stevens likely has secured its reservation at next month’s tournament by piling up a 10-1 record with a tenacious full-court press and two freshman sharpshooters.

Guards Nikki Allen and Lora Trenkle lead the Eagles in scoring at 15.9 and 15.3 points per game, respectively.

But even better than their 3-point shooting and ability to create off the dribble is the way the two, who with Mandy Allen and Gretchen Pemberton have AAU experience, fit into the team.

“The freshmen have really helped us out,” said Carter. “When I went to grammar school, I didn’t have a lot of the opportunities they have with AAU and I was impressed with what they could do.

“We all play really well as a team. Everyone has a specific role,” she said. “With the freshmen, their role is to dominate the offense, and a lot of our team’s role is to dominate on the defense, and we’ve done that well.”

Six seniors, including third-year starters Carter and co-captain Erin Ledien, have added experience to the mix and have put the team on a run no one thought would happen this early.

“It came together quicker than I thought it would,” said seventh-year coach Larry Gray. “They just seemed to jell quicker. The freshmen are more mature than I thought they would be and the chemistry is just good.”

Gray instituted a tough 2-2-1 press defense this season. That scheme, and the Eagles’ man-to-man defense, capitalizes on the team’s quickness and has held opposing teams to an average 38.5 points per game.

“We’re a pretty quick team and defensively that helps a lot,” Ledien said. “I know for a fact our full-court pressure has given a lot of teams trouble.”

Averaging 65 points a game hasn’t hurt either.

“We can score a little bit easier than teams in the past,” Gray said. “Especially the first five. Most of them have the ability to score, so you can’t key on any one kid.

“We play uptempo so you spread it out and if you hustle up and down, you’ll get your chance to score,” he said.