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The Eastern Maine Class A champion Brunswick Dragons have put three members on the NEWS 2002 EM Class A All-Tournament team.
The talent present on Brunswick’s balanced, star-laden lineup, featuring offensive firepower and versatility, is quite evident upon examination of the team.
The youthful All-Tourney squad is headed up by its youngest member, Brunswick’s Ralph Mims, a sophomore with the ball-handling ability of a point guard, the explosiveness of a power forward, the stroke of a shooting guard, the versatility of a small forward, and the height and leaping ability to fill in as a capable center.
“He’s very difficult to match up with, especially with the talent they have in their lineup,” said Bangor coach Roger Reed.
Mims was unstoppable in the tourney as he averaged 24.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.7 steals, and 2.0 assists, led the Dragons to their first ever regional title, and was a unanimous pick as the winner of the ninth annual NEWS William C. Warner Award as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
The Warner Award is named for Bill Warner, NEWS sports editor for 16 years before his death in 1994. That award and all-tourney teams are selected by a vote of media, tourney officials and representatives of the Maine Principals’ Association.
The rest of the all-tourney team is made up of Brunswick teammates Dan Hammond and Drew Pelletier plus fellow Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference players Jac Arbour from Cony of Augusta and Mt. Blue of Farmington’s Billy Russo. Hammond is the squad’s only senior.
Hammond was just as versatile as Mims. Last year’s state individual tennis semifinalist has quick feet, long-range shooting ability, and ball-handling skills that enable him to bring the ball up against pressure – creating instant mismatches. He averaged 4.3 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 blocks per game.
Pelletier is Brunswick’s unsung hero, but he likes it that way. With all the attention teams have to pay Mims and Hammond, the junior guard can usually break free for big games. After scoring 18 and 10 points in his first two games, he led the Dragons with 23 in the final. He also averaged 2.7 assists.
Arbour was a workhorse underneath for the Rams as he led the Rams to their first regional final appearance in 20 years. A good passer, the junior forward was able to hit open teammates at a 2.3 assists-per-game clip to make for a well-rounded tourney effort.
Russo, another junior forward, started out modestly with a nine-point game in the quarterfinals, but came up with 21 in the semis while also totaling 16 rebounds in his two games. Russo was also a big defensive presence for the Cougars despite routinely guarding tall, athletic scorers.
Eastern Maine Class A All-Tournament Team
Pos. Name School Yr. Ht. PPG RPG
G-F Ralph Mims* Brunswick So. 6-3 24.7 6.7
C Dan Hammond Brunswick Sr. 6-5 11.3 7.0
G Drew Pelletier Brunswick Jr. 6-3 17.0 5.0
F Jac Arbour Cony Jr. 6-4 19.0 9.3
F Billy Russo Mt. Blue Jr. 6-4 15.0 8.0
Honorable Mention: Nick Casavant (Presque Isle), Shawn Gallagher (Cony), Tyler Cummings (Oxford Hills)
*?William C. Warner Most Valuable Player Award winner
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