Dexter’s Ames chooses Emmanuel New Haven lands Cony’s Rende

Dexter High School standout Ashley Ames has decided to attend Emmanuel College in Boston to play basketball for the Division III Saints.

The 6-foot-4 forward narrowed her choices recently, Dexter coach Jody Grant said. She was also considering Wentworth Institute of Technology, which is also in Boston.

“She went down to visit and that sealed the deal for her,” Grant said. “It’s a great fit.”

Ames was looking for a Div. III basketball program and wanted to be in a city environment, Grant added. The school also has a program called “Colleges of the Fenway” in which students can take classes at some of the other small Boston schools like Simmons, Wentworth and Wheelock.

Ames has collected a variety of basketball honors over the years, including three Eastern Maine Class C tourney MVP awards, three straight regional titles and the 2004 state championship.

Ames will be heading from one top-notch basketball program to another. Emmanuel won the Great Northeast Athletic Conference title in 2005 and the Saints went 27-3, including an 83-64 loss to Bates College of Lewiston in the second round of the NCAA Div. III tournament.

It was the fifth straight conference title and berth in the NCAA tourney.

Emmanuel’s tallest returning player next year will be 6-2 center Catherine Gallant.

Rende heading to New Haven

Cony of Augusta point guard Briiana Rende will take her game to the University of New Haven, a Division II school in West Haven, Conn.

Rams coach Paul Vachon said Rende and her family were “thrilled” to learn that the 5-6 All-KVAC first-teamer had earned a basketball scholarship from New Haven.

“I know the family is really excited,” Vachon said.

New Haven coaches watched Rende in last month’s McDonald’s East-West senior all-star game, Vachon added, and apparently came away impressed. Rende scored 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting from the floor and a 6-for-6 effort from the free-throw line.

Rende was also a member of the BDN Eastern Maine Class A all-tourney team for her defense and 17-point, nine-rebound, five-assist effort in Cony’s 65-48 regional championship win over Skowhegan.

The New Haven Chargers went 18-11 this season, with a 14-game winning streak that was snapped in the semifinals of the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament.