HODGDON, Maine — Hoping to build on last season’s success, the Hodgdon girls basketball team could be poised for a breakout season, and quite possibly a playoff berth for the first time in a number of years.
Now in his second year with the Hawks, coach Wendell Harvey has high hopes for this year’s squad.
“We have a very positive outlook for the season,” coach Harvey said. “We have a good mix of veterans and incoming freshmen. Our success will be determined by how quickly they can learn to play together as a team.”
The Hawks have one of their bigger lineups in recent memory, and a number of returning players which should bode well for a team that finished 4-14 a season ago.
Returning starters for the Hawks include seniors Janelle Goff (center), Sydney Howell (forward) and Megan Russell (guard), and junior Kora Lambert (forward). According to the coach, Goff is a strong post player who can also sink the 15-foot shot; Howell was the team’s best defensive player last season; Lambert was the team’s leading rebounder and has shown fearlessness in the low post; Russell is a good ball handler who shows hustle on both ends of the court.
Others looking to make an impact for the team include seniors Kathryn Rediker (forward) and Addie Woods (center); sophomores Autumn Ganzel (forward) and Katherine Berube (center); and freshmen Emma Drew (point guard who has worked her way into the starting rotation), Allie Winship (guard), Sabra Scott (guard/forward), Brittany Hagan (guard) and Kylee Mooers (center).
The Hawks lost two key players from last year’s team following the graduation of Taylor Desrosier (an All-Aroostook point guard) and Jessica Drew.
With so many younger players this year, coach Harvey said the future of the program looks bright. He added working together and building trust in one another will be some of the key things to work on this year.
“We also need to work hard on our outside shooting,” he said. “We need to be able to shoot from 15 feet to open up our post play. We need to get better at doing the little things that win games in the end. Cutting down on our turnovers and making the right basketball plays.”
Hodgdon faces a number of top squads this year as the Hawks square off against Central Aroostook and Southern Aroostook (two of the top teams in Class D North), as well as the return of Houlton to the Class C ranks after spending the past two years in Class B.
