Knights adapts quickly to lead young Mariners

The Maine Maritime Academy women’s basketball team is coach Craig Dagan’s “baby.”

And though the Mariners’ 7-year-old program is still in its formative stages, MMA is in the midst of a tremendous growth spurt as evidenced by Wednesday night’s 64-63 overtime win over Saint Joseph’s of Standish.

Most places, trying to blend eight freshmen with one returning sophomore would mean a long, difficult season. This winter in Castine, it has been a formula for success.

MMA sports a 15-6 record, including an 11-0 North Atlantic Conference mark.

“That’s pretty tough for eight freshmen and a sophomore to do. I’m very proud of this group of kids,” said Dagan, a South Berwick native in his second season as the Mariners’ coach.

The lone returnee for MMA is Stacy Jones, a sophomore point guard from Bath. She has been joined by a talented freshman class featuring seven Maine high school products.

Leading the way has been former Woodland star Julia Knights of Brookton, who has made a seamless transition to Division III. The 5-foot-11 Knights, who plays virtually every position, is averaging a team-leading 18.1 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.9 steals, 2.3 blocked shots, and 2.2 assists per game.

“As far as we’re concerned, she’s by far the best player in the conference,” Dagan said. Knights ranks 10th nationally in NCAA Division III in rebounds per game and is 26th in blocks and 38th in scoring. She has piled up numerous NAC, state and regional weekly awards.

“The kid doesn’t care about any of that stuff,” Dagan said. “She wants to fit in. She wants to win.”

Knights already has broken the MMA single-season scoring mark with 361 points and is 10 rebounds away from eclipsing the season rebounding mark (249).

“There’s a lot of excitement on campus,” said Dagan, a former women’s assistant at Massachusetts and at his alma mater, Springfield College. “We’ve got a good product and people enjoy watching it.”

Another mainstay for the Mariners is shooting guard Erinne Magee of Levant, a former Bangor High standout who is averaging 13.1 points while shooting 35 percent from 3-point range. She is joined in the backcourt by Jones, who is averaging 5.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.3 steals, and Amanda Johnson of Dedham, another Bangor High product who is contributing 4.8 points and 3.6 assists per outing.

The St. John Valley is represented by 6-1 center Meghan Marshall, who is contributing 7.3 points and 7.0 rebounds. Meghann Burnett of Carmel and Nokomis High in Newport is a 3-point threat who chips in with 5.6 points.

Providing depth in the frontcourt are Central High grad Crystal Parker of Bradford and Katie Clapham of Calais, while Katie Denham of Pittsburgh provides depth at guard.

The Mariners, who rank fourth in the country in scoring defense (49.5 ppg) and field-goal percentage defense (.304) and sixth in rebound margin (plus-12), are hoping to vie for an NCAA at-large bid this season. Dagan is confident the program is moving in the right direction.

“We’ve come a long way in a short time,” said Dagan, who is assisted by his wife Katrina Dagan and Kelly Thompson. “We’re working real hard. We have high aspirations.”