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He has the speed and ball-handling ability of a point guard, the size to mix it up in the paint and rebound, and the smarts to be any team’s floor general.
Having a guy like Nick Loukes is almost like having a one-man starting lineup.
Very few would argue that point when it comes to Loukes, tri-captain and the recipient of the seventh annual William C. Warner Most Valuable Player Award for the Class A Eastern Maine tournament.
The voters (media members and tourney officials) who made Loukes a unanimous MVP choice certainly wouldn’t argue.
Loukes averaged 17.3 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a steal per game in the tournament as he led the Bangor Rams to their first Eastern title in four years.
Loukes is joined on the NEWS All-Tourney team by Rams junior teammate Joe Campbell, Hampden Academy standout guard Derek Rodgerson, Skowhegan teammates Shawn Higgins and John Clossey, and forward Trafton Teague from Lawrence of Fairfield.
Loukes has played both guard and forward the last three years and does everything from posting up, to bringing the ball up the court against pressure to guarding the opposition’s best player, and the more he’s asked to do, the better he likes it.
“It’s been great not playing just one position,” said Loukes. “I like being versatile, going inside and playing against smaller, quicker guys. It’s wherever coach needs me in a particular game.”
And “coach” is only to happy to call on him.
“When he hits the floor, nobody plays any harder than Nick does,” said Bangor coach Roger Reed.
Campbell also came up big for Bangor as the 6-foot-4 forward averaged 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game, and also threw in 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals for good measure.
Rodgerson (12.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.7 apg) was simply indispensable for the Broncos as they made their first regional final appearance since 1982.
Higgins (11.0 ppp, 5.0 rpg, 4.0 apg) and Clossey (14.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg) formed a dangerous inside-outside duo for the Indians while Teague (12.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg) typified blue-collar toughness and scored inside and outside for the Bulldogs.
The Warner MVP award is named for the former longtime NEWS sports editor who died in 1994.
BDN All-Tourney Team Eastern Maine Class A Boys Name School Pos. Ht. Yr.
Nick Loukes Bangor forward 6-3 Sr.
Joe Campbell Bangor forward 6-4 Jr.
Derek Rodgerson Hampden Academy guard 6-1 Sr.
Shawn Higgins Skowhegan guard 5-11 Sr.
John Clossey Skowhegan forward 6-3 Sr.
Trafton Teague Lawrence forward 6-2 So.
Honorable Mention:Justin Almy (Mt. Blue), Jeff White (Nokomis), Miles Levy (Bangor), Mike Brown (Lawrence), Owen Caron (Hampden Academy)
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