Just like the level he played at in the Eastern Maine Class A tournament, Travis Gilmore was head and shoulders above the rest of the field on the 1997 Bangor Daily News Eastern Maine Class A All-Tournament boys team.

The 6-foot-7 senior from Mt. Blue of Farmington got off to a slow start with eight points and eight rebounds in the quarterfinals, but was unstoppable in the semis and finals – where he averaged 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks in the two games.

Gilmore’s performance as he led the Cougars to the school’s first Eastern Maine boys hoop championship earned him the fourth annual William C. Warner Award as the tourney’s most valuable player.

Backcourt players dominate the rest of this year’s squad as guards Tommy Waterman and Jason St. Pierre from Bangor, Jeremy Bryant of Mt. Blue, and Kasey Keenan of Presque Isle round out the team.

The team is selected from the votes of tournament officials, members of the media, and college coaches attending the games. The MVP award is presented in memory of former NEWS sports editor Bill Warner.

Gilmore, the player who has put the mountain in Mt. Blue this season, averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game in the tournament. Just as impressive, if not more, was his 93 percent shooting (14-for-15) from the foul line in the tourney.

Waterman, the lone underclassmen on the team, joined Gilmore as the only unanimous all-tournament picks. The Rams’ junior guard was a force offensively and defensively: routinely holding one of the opposition’s top scorers in check and averaging 17.7 points, 6.7 assists, and four rebounds per game at the same time.

Bryant ran the show for the talented Cougars from the point guard position and still managed to average 16.7 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.5 steals. He teamed with Gilmore to make foul shots virtually a given for the Cougars with 83 percent shooting from the line (10-for-12).

Keenan used his explosive quickness to turn his lack of height into a size advantage. The 5-foot-3 point man averaged 18.5 points, five assists, and four rebounds to lead his team to a quarterfinal upset and Presque Isrebounds to lead his team to a quarterfinal upset and Presque Isle’s first semifinal appearance in five years.

St. Pierre got off to a hot start in the Rams opening game with 22 points on 70 percent shooting. The senior guard averaged 15.3 points, six rebounds, and two steals per game in Bangor’s three games and shot an impressive 63 percent from 3-point range, hitting 10 of 16.

Eastern Maine Boys

All-Tournament Selections

Class A

Name School Pos. Ht. Yr.

Travis Gilmore Mt. Blue Center 6-7 Sr.

Tommy Waterman Bangor Guard 5-10 Jr.

Kasey Keenan Presque Isle Guard 5-3 Sr.

Jeremy Bryant Mt. Blue Guard 6-0 Sr.

Jason St. Pierre Bangor Guard 6-2 Sr.

Honorable Mention:Braden Clement, Skowhegan; Mike Arsenault, Bangor; Quinson Lancaster, Lawrence