Caterina, DiPietro gain basketball honors Seniors named best in state; all-star games scheduled today

BANGOR – Just six days after coming within a single point of his school’s first-ever state basketball championship, Deering High School’s Jamaal Caterina was able to soften the blow somewhat by winning the state’s highest honor for any active senior players.

Caterina turned the tables on fellow finalist Joe Campbell of Bangor as he was named Mr. Basketball, beating out Campbell and Brian Wohl from Westbrook.

Miss Basketball was also crowned and that award went to Morgan DiPietro from Greely High in Cumberland Center. DiPietro edged fellow finalists Katie Stailing from Morse of Bath and Lani Boardman of York.

The awards were handed out at the Maine McDonald’s Senior All-Star Games banquet at Husson College Friday night. They are presented annually for commitment, dedication and excellence through the winners’ high school careers.

Caterina, a 6-foot-5 forward for the Rams, averaged 23.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game as he helped lead Deering to its first Western Maine Class A title in 64 years. Caterina’s season ended with a 57-56 loss to Campbell’s Bangor Rams in a Class A state title thriller at the Bangor Auditorium last Saturday.

“This definitely gives me an upside to my career here after the things that went on last weekend,” Caterina said.

Caterina is the leading scorer in his school’s history with 1,513 career points and is believed to be the leading scorer in Southern Maine Activities Association history as well. He is being wooed by several schools offering scholarships, but has not yet committed to anyone.

“The next month will probably decide my future,” he said. “I visited St. John’s and Kentucky, but I haven’t found a college that’s a fit for me yet. I think I’d really like to play in the Big East.”

The 6-5 Campbell averaged 18.6 points, 16.7 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.8 assists while leading Bangor to back-to-back gold balls. Wohl, a 6-2 shooting guard averaged 24 points, nine boards, 3.5 assists and three steals per game.

“I think I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed, but he’s a great ballplayer. You can’t say enough good things about him and he earned it,” said Campbell, the Big East Player of the Year.

DiPietro, a 5-9 guard-forward, averaged 12 points, seven rebounds, and two assists as she led Greely into the Western Maine Class B final.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was like ‘Whoa!’ “said DiPietro. “Me and Lani were just talking about it all night and it was a surprise because Lani and Katie are great players and any one of us could have won.”

DiPietro will study business and play basketball for Division II Bentley College this fall.

Other honorees were former Maine high school and Husson College coach Del Merrill, who also served as a high school basketball referee and Maine’s commissioner of basketball; and longtime television/radio sportscaster Dale Duff, now the sports director at Bangor all-sports radio station WZON. Merrill received the contributor award and Duff received the media award.

All-Star weekend continues today with the four basketball games at Husson College. The times are: C-D girls, 10 a.m.; C-D boys, 11:25 a.m.; A-B girls, 12:50 p.m.; and A-B boys, 2:15 p.m.

Tickets for the games may be purchased at the door at $5. All tickets and net proceeds from the games benefit Ronald McDonald Charities of Maine.

RMHC is a non-profit organization which awards grants to organizations whose programs benefit children in the areas of health care, medical research, education, the arts, civic and social services.