Hawks set for pit stop at Camden North Haven girls lack regulation-size court

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Before the North Haven girls basketball team heads to the Augusta Civic Center for its tournament quarterfinal game next week, the Hawks will take side trip to Rockport.

Why the pit stop? There are no regulation-size basketball courts on the Penobscot Bay island, and North Haven, the top-seeded team in Western Maine Class D, is looking to get in a few practices at the Camden Hills High court.

“Playing out here, the gym is so small,” second-year coach Roman Cooper said. “I wanted to give them the feel of a bigger floor. The Augusta Civic Center is so big and we’re not accustomed to that. I think it will help psychologically.”

North Haven has already exceeded expectations this year. The Hawks are 18-0 – the school’s first-ever undefeated sports team. This is also the first time since 1990 that a North Haven squad has earned an automatic berth to the Civic Center.

The Hawks face No. 8 Richmond Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.

Last year North Haven went 15-3 during the regular season but had to play a preliminary game and lost to Forest Hills of Jackman.

“We always hope for a perfect season,” senior Tracy Marves said. “It’s always in the back of our minds, but I don’t think any of us thought we’d be undefeated.”

A quarterfinal win would also be a highlight for Cooper. The 1986 graduate played five years at North Haven, went to Augusta twice, and lost both times.

Five-foot-eight senior Lindsey Brown starts for the Hawks, along with freshman Laura Barrett, sophomores Jacqueline Curtis and Elizabeth Lovell, and junior Amanda Lantagne.

Lovell, a 5-7 point guard, averages around 14.5 points per game and is one of the scoring leaders in the Class D division of the Western Maine Conference.

“It’s funny, but one of her strengths is rebounding,” Cooper said. “She comes in from the outside. She’s a good defender, especially on our press. She hounds the ball.”

The rest of the starters put in around nine points per game. Top rebounders are Brown (nine per game) and Curtis (eight).

The Hawks also benefit from a well-rounded, deep bench.

“We’re all athletic, everyone can rebound, everyone can shoot,” Brown said. “Every player has major strengths and can come in and play everyone else’s position. That’s why we’re such a cohesive unit.”

Although the girls’ success may not have entirely sunk in among the players, Brown said it’s hard to avoid the talk around town.

“We have awesome support on the island. Everyone’s getting excited, wanting to know when we’re playing, where to make [hotel] reservations.”

Smith headed to Bowdoin

Bangor senior Alison Smith thought about where she wanted to attend college next year, and considered academics and basketball her two top priorities, in that order.

Smith has found that ideal combination at Division III Bowdoin College in Brunswick, where she was accepted this week through an early notification process.

Smith, a 5-9 forward and two-time All-Mainer, will play for coach Stefanie Pemper’s Polar Bears next year. She joins Lora Trenkle, a former George Stevens of Blue Hill standout, on the team.

“I really like the school and I think Bowdoin is a good fit for me in terms of basketball as well,” Smith said after a Ram practice session Wednesday. “That will be a good level for me. Academics are really important for me and I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit myself to a Division I level.”

Trenkle and Smith never faced each other during the high school season, but played AAU basketball together for three years.

“I haven’t had a lot of contact with her in the past couple of years but I’m pretty close with her,” Smith said. “When I went down and visited I talked with her for a while, and she really likes it.”

Smith also considered applying to Boston University and New Hampshire, both of which had expressed interest in her. Ultimately she decided to apply to smaller colleges like Stonehill, St. Anselm, Brown and Colby before settling on Bowdoin.

Charlie’s Angels in Bangor

With mania for the 1970s TV show “Charlie’s Angels” sweeping across the country this winter, keyed by the recent movie version, at least one team can claim to be close to the real thing.

The Mount View of Thorndike girls have taken up the theme song from the movie when they come out for warm-ups before games. Coach Charlie Wing has been amused by the signs that adorn the Mount View gymnasium and the movie’s theme song, which is the first bit of music on their warm-up tape.

Although there’s a difference of opinion as to how the No. 6 Mustangs picked up the “Charlie’s Angels” theme, it has gotten them to a Class B tournament quarterfinal tonight. They face No. 3 Erskine Academy of South China at 7:35.

“One night we were talking about it in practice and we started talking about how it made sense for us,” senior Kim Stevens said. “We made signs and we warm up to it. We’ve kind of just molded it to our team.”

Wing recalls a different story: Years ago, when he was coaching softball in Newport, a bus driver made up a T-shirt with the softball players’ names on the back and “Charlie’s Angels” on the front.

Wing thinks the story got out in Thorndike and got back to the basketball players.

“I don’t mind. If that’s what gets them up and ready to play, fine,” he said. “They can be Charlie’s Angels, they can be Charlie’s Demons. I don’t care. As long as they listen.”