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A point guard who can rebound. A 6-footer who can shoot from outside. A forward who can handle the ball against the press.
It’s versatility, and it’s what makes good players great. It’s what guides teams, what fans cheer for, what college coaches crave in their recruits.
This year’s 30th annual Bangor Daily News All-Maine girls basketball team is loaded with versatility.
The point guard who can rebound and, by the way, is one of the top soccer players in the state? Presque Isle senior Katie Delong.
A 6-foot-2 junior who volunteered to play point guard and wound up being a force all over the court? Cony of Augusta’s Cassie Cooper. Another 6-2 junior who is a threat on the perimeter? McAuley of Portland’s Ashley Cimino.
A 6-footer who plays like a guard in the post? Kayla Parker of Sanford. A physical do-everything player? Lake Region of Naples’ Samantha Allen.
Delong, Cooper, Cimino, Parker, and Allen make up the top five of the All-Maine team.
Guards populate the second team, except for Dexter forward Sabrina Cote. The rest of the second team includes Valley of Bingham’s Kristin Baker, Emily Rousseau of Biddeford, Nicole Paradis of Skowhegan, and Mountain Valley of Rumford’s Kristen Arsenault.
The third team is made up of Rockland’s Caitlin Hynes, Caitlyn Laflin of Hall-Dale of Farmingdale, Messalonskee of Oakland’s Chelsea Barker, Stephanie Bossie of Winslow, and Mt. Blue of Farmington’s Christina Mosher.
The All-Maine team honors the state’s top 15 players, regardless of class, position, or region, as selected by the BDN sports staff with input from coaches, officials, and other basketball observers.
First team
Lake Region’s Allen, who is still considering her college options, was a do-it-all kind of player for the Lakers.
She averaged 8.1 rebounds per game – impressive for a guard – as well as 4.2 assists per game. Allen also wound up as the school’s second-leading career scorer and was an All-Maine third-teamer last year.
“She’s a great all-around player,” Presque Isle coach Jeff Hudson said. “She does everything for that team. She’s strong physically and just very good in all aspects of the game.”
The Western Maine tournament MVP and Western Maine Conference Bob Butler MVP Award winner, Allen was also a Miss Maine Basketball finalist and a McDonald’s senior all-star.
“Her leadership was the thing with her,” Greely of Cumberland coach Jim Seavey said. “We tried to hurry her, but she just didn’t get rattled on the floor.”
By the time she gets to an NCAA Division I college program, McAuley junior Cimino may be the most highly recruited girls basketball player ever from the state of Maine.
The Gatorade Maine Player of the Year and a Southern Maine Activities Association first team all-star, Cimino’s height and shooting ability make her a threat from anywhere on the court.
“At 6-2 she can post up, and shoot the 3,” South Portland coach Mike Giordano said. “They had so many weapons, which is why her stats aren’t as strong. But she’s the whole package.”
Cimino’s numbers were still impressive. In addition to nearly averaging a double-double, Cimino added 3.1 blocks, two steals, and 1.5 assists per game. She had a stellar 63.2 field-goal percentage and shot 72.6 percent from the free throw line.
“When she gets the ball inside, you’re facing a very good athlete who can handle the ball and can shoot it,” said Biddeford coach Ron Cote.
Both Cimino and Cony’s Cooper were second-teamers last year, and Cooper will likely join Cimino at the Division I level in two years. She has the tools for it, according to coaches around the state.
The Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Player of the Year in the South Division and Eastern Maine Class A tourney MVP, Cooper led the Rams in scoring, rebounding, and assists (4.2 apg). She started the season as Cony’s point guard but moved to a more natural forward position, where she has one of the top games around.
“She’s strong in the paint and rebounds well,” Rockland coach Karen Bickmore said. “She’s just a very strong post player.”
Cooper, whose mother Maureen Burchill was a 1981 third team All-Maine player for Deering of Portland, also shot 68.6 percent from the free-throw line. She scored her 1,000th career point during the Class A state final.
“Obviously, she’s Cony’s go-to player,” Skowhegan coach Heath Cowan said. “One of the best things about her is her ability to make her teammates better. She’s a very smart basketball player.”
Like Cooper, Delong made the switch to point guard this year, where she was able to feed the ball inside, averaging 4.5 assists while leading the Wildcats in scoring. She was a Miss Basketball finalist, a McDonald’s all-star, the EM tourney MVP, and the Big East Player of the Year.
“I was very impressed with her quickness and athleticism,” Giordano said.
Her shooting was stellar, too. Delong shot 53 percent overall, including 45 percent from 3-point range, and 72 percent from the free-throw line.
Delong, who will play soccer at the University of Maine next year, was also the team’s top rebounder. Her stats from Presque Isle’s win in the Class B state title game – 13 points, 13 rebounds – showed how much of a threat she was despite her 5-6 stature.
“She doesn’t just watch [shots], she crashes,” Bickmore said. “Her eye’s always on the ball, and that’s how she gets a lot of the other team’s rebounds.”
Parker won the state’s top basketball award for a senior – Miss Basketball – but the biggest prize of all was leading Sanford to its first Class A state title against Cooper’s Cony squad. A McDonald’s all-star and SMAA first-teamer, Parker has a full scholarship to Division II Assumption.
“She’s a very persistent rebounder, both offensively and defensively,” McAuley coach Liz Rickett said. “She’ll do well at the next level.”
Parker was an All-Maine honorable mention last year but moved up to first team quickly. The difference, most coaches agreed, was that she got stronger.
“When she gets the ball down low, you can’t stop her from getting position in the post,” said Valley coach Gordon Hartwell, who called Parker the best low post player he’s seen in years. “She finds a way to get the ball, she makes her move, and she finishes.”
Second team
The next group features four players who will move on to some of the top college programs in the state and even the country – and a fifth who seems headed that way.
Mountain Valley’s Arsenault, a guard who could dominate inside as well, racked up impressive numbers despite being the focus of most teams’ defenses almost every night. She’ll take her skills to NCAA Division III national runner-up University of Southern Maine in Gorham next year.
Arsenault was a Mountain Valley Conference and McDonald’s all-star this year and All-Maine honorable mention last year. She also averaged 2.1 apg in the regular season.
“She can do anything from bring the ball up to playing post defense to playing point guard,” Hall-Dale coach Sam Hayes said. “She can post up, shoot the 3. She’s legit.”
Valley sharpshooter Baker will walk on at the University of Maine next season. Her 26.0 ppg leads the All-Maine team this year. She also averaged 5.2 apg in leading the Cavaliers to the Western Maine Class D title.
“Her ballhandling skills are unbelievable,” Dexter’s Grant said. “She’ll take any shot in the half-court. We started guarding her at the 3-point line but we had to take a few steps back because she’d shoot from anywhere.”
Baker was a McDonald’s all-star, an East-West Conference first-teamer, and was on the All-Maine third team last year. She is Valley’s boys and girls career leader in points and assists while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor this year.
Dexter’s Cote is heading to national power Bowdoin College of Brunswick next year. The athletic forward earned first team honors in the Penobscot Valley Conference and was the Eastern Maine Class C tourney MVP and a McDonald’s all-star. She added 2.7 apg and 4 spg while shooting 48 percent.
“I liked her game, I really did,” Cony coach Paul Vachon said. “We doubled her in the Christmas tournament, because she made that machine go. That’s the respect we had for her. We had to adjust our defense to stop her.”
Cote was also named to the PVC all-defensive team for the Tigers, who won two state titles with her in the lineup.
Paradis, who also moved up from honorable mention last year, will join Arsenault at USM. The Skowhegan point guard was both a first-team and all-defensive all-star in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference’s North Division. She was an EM Class A all-tourney team member for the third straight year and a McDonald’s all-star.
Aside from her talent as a point guard, including 3.8 apg and 2.2 apg as well as 77 percent free-throw shooting, most coaches agreed it was Paradis’ obvious love for the game that most came through.
“She has the heart of a champion. She really does,” Hall-Dale’s Hayes said. “I honestly don’t believe that I’ve seen a player that plays with as much passion as she does. You can tell exactly what she’s thinking by looking at her.”
It’s tough to be the scoring leader in one of the toughest conferences in the state. But Biddeford junior Rousseau has done it two straight years in the SMAA, where she was named first team all-conference.
Coached by 1968 All-Maine first-teamer Ron Cote (St. Louis High), Rousseau also led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding. She contributed 4.5 apg and 3.8 spg in addition to fine free-throw shooting (75 percent) and 3-point shooting (35 percent).
“She’s a great offensive player,” McAuley’s Rickett said. “She’s a great shooter with great range, she’s a good ballhandler, she sees the court well. I really think she makes her other teammates better. With her shooting and playmaking skills, she draws so much attention [from the defense].”
Third team
Three conference Players of the Year highlight the All-Maine third team.
Barker, the KVAC Class A North Player of the Year, is a multifaceted offensive standout. The Messalonskee junior can penetrate, pass, and shoot. She shot 42 percent from the field and 75 percent from the line while leading the Eagles with 38 steals.
Bossie was a key cog in Winslow’s run to the 2005 Class B state title, and she’ll play at UMaine-Farmington next year. The KVAC scoring leader was named all-conference first team and 2005 All-Maine honorable mention. She was a force inside this year, in addition to contributing 2.5 apg, and the four-year varsity starter missed only one game in her career.
Rockland’s Hynes was the KVAC Class B Player of the Year as well as a McDonald’s all-star and was All-Maine honorable mention last year. Hynes, who averaged 3.0 apg and 2.5 spg to go with almost 2 bpg, will join Cote at Bowdoin next year. Hynes also shot 46.5 percent from the floor in addition to doing a little bit of everything for the Tigers.
Hall-Dale’s Laflin earned accolades for her toughness and ability to play inside and outside. An honorable mention All-Mainer last year, she was the Mountain Valley Conference and Western Maine Class C tourney MVP as she helped the Bulldogs earn the regional title. Laflin’s well-rounded numbers included 3.8 apg, 4.1 spg, about 3 bpg, and stellar 82 percent free-throw shooting. She was also a McDonald’s all-star.
The tallest All-Mainer at 6-4, Mt. Blue’s Mosher also averaged a double-double along with 3.6 apg, 3.0 spg, and about 2 bpg. A tough threat inside, the KVAC North first-teamer and scoring leader is being recruited by Div. I and II schools. She converted more than 60 percent of her field-goal attempts.
FIRST TEAM
Samantha Allen
Ashley Cimino
Cassie Cooper
Katie Delong
Kayla Parker
SECOND TEAM
Kristen Arsenault
Kristin Baker
Sabrina Cote
Nicole Paradis
Emily Rousseau
THIRD TEAM
Chelsea Barker
Stephanie Bossie
Caitlin Hynes
Caitlyn Laflin
Christina Mosher
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