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Editor’s Note: With the Eastern Maine Class A tournament moving to the Augusta Civic Center next season, the BDN looks back on some of the top Eastern Maine high school basketball teams and players to play at the Bangor Auditorium.
Part III, Girls Players
There was a time not that long ago when some people doubted whether the Eastern Maine schoolgirl basketball tournament should be played at the Bangor Auditorium.
Once given the same opportunity as the boys, starting in 1976, many of the area’s aspiring girls players took advantage of their opportunity to share in the excitement of the atmosphere at the Auditorium.
Today, we take a look back at some of the most outstanding Class A tournament performers, concentrating on those girls whose performances impacted their teams’ success over a period of two, three or even four tournaments.
Cindy Blodgett
No player had a more profound impact on Class A girls basketball than Cindy Blodgett of Clinton. And none will match the success the dynamic 5-foot-9 guard had at the Bangor Auditorium.
From 1991-94, Blodgett rewrote the record books while leading Lawrence High of Fairfield to a 67-5 overall record (14-0 at the Auditorium) and four straight state championships.
At the Auditorium, she poured in an incredible 403 points, a whopping 28.8 points per game. Eleven years after her graduation, Blodgett still holds EM all-division records for points in a game (47), points in a tournament (in games played at the Auditorium, 123), and field goals in an EM tournament (47).
The four-time BDN All-Tournament selection and the inaugural winner of the Owen O. Osborne MVP honor in 1994, still holds Class A single-game marks for field goals (16) and free throws (16).
“I always told people, when the game gets bigger, she gets bigger,” said former Lawrence coach Bruce Cooper. “There was no end to it. She absolutely loved the big games.”
Blodgett’s impact was evident at the 1994 EM title game against Cony. An estimated 5,000 fans jammed the building for the girls game, which was played first. After the Bulldogs won, even with Lawrence playing in the ensuing boys game, there was a mass exodus.
“After the girls game got over, probably a third of the crowd on the Lawrence side left,” recalled Bangor High coach Tom Tennett. “What a unique thing that was. That showed how far girls basketball had come.”
Marcie Lane
In Eastern Maine, no program is more feared or respected than that of Cony High in Augusta. Coach Paul Vachon’s Rams began building their reputation behind the play of a whirlwind guard named Marcie Lane.
Lane was the catalyst as Cony won three consecutive regional championships from 1987-89 and state crowns in ’87 and ’89. She averaged 17.1 points over 14 EM tournament games.
Lane excelled with her quickness, dribble-penetration moves, fearless shooting and hustling pressure defense, all of which formed the foundation of Cony’s formula for success.
“I think Marcie brought a whole excitement to the tournament that’s hard to explain,” Tennett said. “I think it brought girls basketball into the forefront.”
Heather Ernest
When it comes to intensity and desire, few players can match the level of those intangibles exhibited by Heather Ernest of Mt. Blue High in Farmington.
Always wearing a pained facial expression and her trademark knee pads, the versatile 6-1 post player was almost unstoppable at the Auditorium.
Ernest played for coach Chandler Woodcock from 1997-2000, spearheading the Cougars to EM and state championships her junior and senior seasons. In 10 games at the Bangor Auditorium, she averaged 17.1 points and 15.6 rebounds.
Ernest registered a double-double in every one of her tournament appearances and won the Osborne MVP Award in 1999 and 2000.
Amy Vachon
One of the most heady all-around players to grace the Auditorium floor was Cony point guard Amy Vachon. The 5-6 floor leader could do it all.
Vachon and the Rams couldn’t get past Lawrence in 1993 and ’94, but took over as the top Class A program once Blodgett had departed for the University of Maine.
Vachon connected for more than 18 points per game in 12 Auditorium outings, sparking Cony to back-to-back 21-0 state championship seasons in 1995 and ’96. She was a two-time Osborne Award recipient.
Defense and the ability to run the fast break were among her fortes.
“Amy Vachon was probably about as steady a point guard as far as a prototype point guard,” Cooper said. “She distributed the ball and had very few turnovers.”
Danielle Clark
As the new millennium dawned on the Auditorium, it was time for a new player to join the list of Class A tournament elite. Danielle Clark was the focal point of Nokomis teams that won regional titles in 2001 and ’03 and earned a state championship in ’01.
Clark came onto the Class A scene as a freshman post player in 2000, then gradually transformed herself into a more versatile inside-outside performer during the next three seasons.
The 6-foot standout connected for 20.8 points per game in the Newport-based Warriors’ championship season, then continued her steady play as a junior and a senior. Clark won the Osborne Award in 2001 and ’03.
Clark still holds the Class A record for free throws in a tournament with 27.
Trisha Ripton
In the course of Auditorium history, few players can match the tremendous diversity of skill and intensity of Trisha Ripton. The 5-9 guard made a quarterfinal appearance with Nokomis in 1990, then finished her stellar career playing for coach Jerry Burleigh at Stearns High in Millinocket.
Ripton’s versatility was what set her apart. She could handle the ball, shoot from outside and was a nifty playmaker with her outstanding court vision and passing skills.
Ripton was instrumental in the Minutemen’s back-to-back EM final appearances in 1991 and ’92 and helped them reach the semis in 1993. She averaged nearly 19 points in nine tourney games.
Missy Belanger
Caribou High was one of the premier girls programs during the early 1980s and 6-foot center Missy Belanger was one of the big reasons why.
Belanger manned the middle for coach Roland Duprey. Her nice inside shooting touch and dominating rebounding provided the perfect contrast for the Vikings’ scrappy corps of guards.
Belanger’s presence inside helped Caribou capture regional and state championships in 1983 and the EM crown again in 1984.
In three seasons (eight games) at the Auditorium, Belanger poured in 21 points per game to set the tone for the Vikings. Her best effort was a 34-point, 19-rebound effort in a 1984 semifinal victory.
Kim Condon
In the annals of the EM Class A tournament, perhaps there is no more a dramatic performance than that of Presque Isle’s Kim Condon in the 1997 regional and state title games.
After the 5-11 guard/forward suffered a severely sprained ankle in the Wildcats’ EM semifinal game, she bounced back with the help of some Aroostook County magic (sliced potatoes rubbed on the injury) to score 18 points in PI’s title win over Cony.
Condon, who was named the tourney MVP, capped her career with a state-record 41-point performance in the ‘Cats’ state championship victory over Portland.
She averaged 21 points per game in eight Auditorium appearances.
Kathy Roope
One of the players from the earlier days of the Class A girls tournament whose reputation has remained intact is that of Presque Isle’s Kathy Roope.
Despite standing only 5-7, the tenacious forward consistently outworked opponents in the paint while putting up impressive numbers.
Roope led the charge in 1981 as coach Dianne Folsom’s Wildcats won the EM crown. She connected for 20.7 points per game in the regional tourney, then tallied 13 in a state-final loss to a Lisa Blais-led Westbrook squad.
Presque Isle lost in the semifinals in 1982 and ’83, but Roope averaged 21.5 points in those four games.
Katie Rollins
While Cony produced numerous all-tournament performers over the years, Katie Rollins will have the distinction of closing out the Class A girls basketball tournament era at the Bangor Auditorium.
The 6-2 center wowed crowds with her unique combination of size, strength and finesse, including a soft shooting touch.
Rollins was named a BDN all-tournament choice in 2002, ’04 and ’05. She was unanimously chosen as the Osborne MVP the last two seasons, averaging more than 20 points and eight rebounds each year.
When Rollins leads coach Vachon’s Rams into Saturday’s state championship game, it will be Cony’s third appearance in her four years.
Outstanding performers
Of course there were many other outstanding Class A girls tournament performers during the course of the last 30 years.
Melinda Nelson of Waterville starred in the mid-1980s. The 6-foot center led the Panthers to an EM title in 1985, averaging 15 points per game in the tournament.
Meaghan Lane, younger sister of Cony star Marcie Lane, was another key cog in the Rams’ run from 1987-1990. The scrappy guard was a tough defender and 3-point shooter. She still shares a record with 10 3-pointers the Class A tourney.
Andrea Pardilla dominated inside for Old Town, averaging 21 points and seven rebounds from 1996-98. Kelly Bowman of Nokomis (1993-95), Katie Clark of Bangor (1994-96) and Cony’s Duffy Doiron (1985-87) were other multiyear stars.
Back in the formative years of the A tourney, when the quarterfinals were played at Husson College and Bangor Auditorium visits were limited, some of the big names included Mt. Blue’s Jill Pingree (1976-77) and Jan Brinkman (1977-78), Hampden Academy’s Cindy Rand (1976-77) and Kim Martin (1976), and Tina Baker of Fort Kent (1976-77).
In the next era, little girls looked up to the likes of Amy Banks of Brewer (1979-80) Bangor’s Leslie Boyle (1984-86) and Cheryl Rich (1980-82), Jill Clark of Skowhegan (1979-80), Old Town’s Julie Dufour and Lauree Gott (1980-82), Debbie Cormier of Waterville (1984-85), Cony’s Becky Demos (1987-89), and Kristi Wildman of Stearns (1986-87).
While the Auditorium will cease to play host to the Class A tournament, the memories of those who graced the building remain etched in fans’ minds.
Saturday: Boys Players
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