Ballantyne leads powerful Gorham into title contest

For the third straight year, Gorham is representing Western Maine in the Class B state championship game. For the second straight year, Gorham’s opponent in Friday’s 9:30 p.m. title tilt at the Bangor Auditorium is Camden Hills.

With all these streaks ongoing, the 19-3 Rams are hoping to stop another one before it starts as they’d prefer not to watch the Windjammers accept the gold ball for a second straight year.

Unlike last year, Gorham finds itself with the more veteran squad as key starters Kendrick Ballantyne, Andy Jenkins, and Joel Kerschner lead a senior-laden lineup back to the state final. The other starters are 6-0 guard David Willis and 6-4 center Ryan Nealey, both seniors.

Not only is the entire Rams starting lineup back from last year, but 6-foot-4 senior forward Ballantyne, 6-4 senior forward Jenkins, 6-2 senior forward Danny Griffin and Willis all played in the 2000 and 2001 state games.

The Rams have mixed it up on defense and can play a variety of zones as well as solid man-to-man, so Camden Hills could see it all. Their offense is versatile as well, since the Rams have the height and discipline to play effective halfcourt and some good overall speed to score via a transition game.

Jenkins, the MVP of the West B tournament in Augusta, averaged 18 points per game while Ballantyne scored at a 14.0 ppg clip.

The Rams’ overall height may not be a big hindrance to the 21-1 Windjammers, whose biggest starter is 6-5 center Grant Lippman. The traditionally tall ‘Jammers are down a bit this year, but their starters still average just under 6-21/2 while Gorham averages almost 6-3 per player.

Despite the presence of only two returning starters – Lippman and 6-4 swingman Tyler Warren, the Eastern tournament MVP – the ‘Jammers don’t sound like an inexperienced group.

“We’ve been here before. We know what it’s like,” said Warren. “We’re used to the crowd, we’re not worried, we’re not scared, we’re not nervous. We just come out and play and do what it takes to win.”

Camden Hills coach Jeff Hart, who is trying to win his third state crown in four years, says his team just finds a way to plug people into the holes left by graduation.

“We graduated some people, but in the preseason meetings, nobody was even talking about us in those KVAC [Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference] meetings,” he said. “We gained some motivation from that and the seniors didn’t want to hear it because they looked at last year’s gold ball as one that last year’s seniors won and they want one of their own. Peter [Moro] said it’s such a difference when you win it as a senior.”