Ashley Hilton didn’t rest on her laurels after being named the Eastern Coast Conference Player of the Year last season.

The senior forward from Skowhegan has increased her production while leading the University of New Haven to the No. 1 seed in the ECC women’s basketball championships, which began Wednesday night.

New Haven beat Dowling in it’s the ECC quarterfinals Wednesday.

Hilton, a 6-foot former Skowhegan High School standout, this season has staked her claim as one of the top players in New Haven history.

She is averaging 18.9 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 51 percent from the field and recently scored the 1,500th point of her career.

Hilton, a BDN All-Maine second-team choice as a senior in 2003, has been a star for the Division II Chargers. She has put up her impressive numbers despite playing only 27.5 minutes per game.

The All-America candidate scored a career-high 36 points Feb. 15 in a key win over C.W. Post and had 34 five days earlier against Adelphi.

Hilton is the top scorer on a New Haven ballclub that ranks third in Division II while averaging 82.5 points per game. Hilton is the No. 24 scorer in the country and is 40th in field-goal percentage.

In ECC play, Hilton is the leading scorer, No. 5 rebounder and is third in field-goal percentage.

Hilton isn’t the only Mainer on the Chargers’ roster. Former Cony of Augusta standout Briiana Rende is a starting guard on the squad.

Rende, a sophomore from Augusta, is averaging 8.6 points and 3.9 assists.

SMCC hosting national tourney

Southern Maine Community College in South Portland is serving this week as the host for the eight-team U.S. Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Men’s National Basketball Tournament.

Athletic director and Seawolves men’s basketball coach Matt Richards will host the event, which culminates with Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. national championship game.

SMCC, on the strength of a 20-9 record, earned the No. 4 seed for the tournament and opens play today with a 6 p.m. contest against No. 5 Penn State-Beaver (11-13).

Cincinnati-Clermont (23-10) is the top seed for the event, which also includes Hesser College of Manchester, N.H. (14-9) and New Hampshire Technical Institute (19-8).

The Seawolves’ roster includes Mike Worster of Rockland, Travis Tatro of Camden, James Liebowitz of China and Elijah Madsen of Somerville.

Colby ski coach Cote honored

Tracey Cote, the Nordic ski coach at Colby College in Waterville, has been honored as the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Co-Coach of the Year.

Cote has directed the White Mules to one of their best seasons in several years. She shares the award with Saint Lawrence University’s Ethan Townsend.

The Colby men have posted eight top-five performances this season, including one second and a third-place finish at last weekend’s Eastern Championships at Middlebury College (Vt.).

The Colby women also have had a solid season.

Cote, in her ninth season at Colby, will accompany Nick Kline of Cape Elizabeth and Fred Bailey of Andover to the NCAA Skiing Championships March 7-11 at the University of New Hampshire’s Jackson Cross Country Center.

Cote also is the senior woman administrator at Colby.

Bates sending six to NCAA skiing

Bates College of Lewiston will be sending six skiers to next week’s NCAA Skiing Championships in New Hampshire. The Bobcats had seven athletes qualify, but only three competitors per gender, per team, may attend.

The Bobcats’ women’s Alpine contingent will include sophomores Liz Thompson of Rangeley, Megan Papineau and Emily Sampson, all of whom are making their second trip to the NCAAs.

Junior Whitney Fahy of Carrabassett Valley qualified but will not compete.

Leo Menard of Portland and Don Loman will represent the Bates men’s Alpine squad.