HOULTON, Maine — To say that the Houlton girls basketball team has dominated the opposition in recent years would be an incredible understatement.
Over the past three years, the Shires have amassed an astonishing 61-5 record, including two state championships and one runner-up trophy. And yet, the squad remains hungry for more.
Entering his 14th season as the Houlton varsity girls coach, Shawn Graham has come to expect a lot from his players. This year should be no different.
“We have a number of players returning from last year’s state runner-up squad and therefore once again have high expectations for this group of athletes,” he said. “Our seniors have played in three straight state championship games and would love the opportunity to go out with one more shot at it.”
Last year, the Houlton girls finished 17-1 during the regular season for the second straight year and were 20-2 overall. The Shires were the top-ranked team in Class B North, and defeated No. 8 Foxcroft Academy 61-52 in the quarterfinals, bested No. 4 Winslow, 49-38, in the semifinals and beat No. 7 Hermon 51-35 in the regional championship.
In the state title game, the Shires faced a rematch with Gray-New Gloucester (whom Houlton had bested for the gold ball during the 2015-16 season). Houlton’s quest for a three-peat fell short, 48-35.
Members of the 2017-18 Shire roster include seniors Kolleen Bouchard, Aspen Flewelling, Kristen Graham and Carolyn Mooers; juniors Jamie Brown and Tessa Solmon; sophomores Kennedy Buzzeo, Samantha Condon, Teagan Ewings, Abbie Worthley and Amelia Ivey; and freshmen Emma Ardell, Morgan Graham and Rebecca Howe.
The Shires have three starters back from last year with Bouchard (All Maine First Team) Flewelling and Kristen Graham, who is back after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in the last regular season game at Hermon in mid-February. Graham had surgery March 12 and is hopeful to be ready for the season opener.
“We won’t push the issue and will likely be monitoring her floor minutes until we feel she is ready,” coach Graham said of his daughter. “We’re hoping to have her back close to 100 percent by mid-January for the stretch run.”
Bouchard, a 6-foot forward, has dominated during her high school career, surpassing the 1,000-point scoring plateau as a junior and is poised for an even bigger senior season. Last year, she averaged 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while shooting 80 percent from the free throw line.
Flewelling, a 5-11 forward, was equally impressive last season, showing an ability to convert rebounds into points and also an ability to drain the 3-point shot from the corner at any given moment. She averaged 11 points and four rebounds, while shooting 83 percent from the foul line.
Solomon saw significant minutes last season and could be poised for an even bigger role this year as a starter. “Tessa is a low post player who does a nice job rebounding and defending,” the coach said. “We will also look for her to add some scoring down low.”
Ewings has worked extremely hard on her game and had a very good summer for the Shires, the coach said. “Teagan is very athletic, she runs the floor well, and is a viable scoring threat,” he said. “Teagan will also move into the starting line-up.”
The Shires will need Ewings and Solomon to help fill the void left by Rylee Warman, Makayla Watson, Emma Peterson and Mikayla Fitzpatrick, who graduated. Other players who will see significant minutes early on for the Shires are Worthley, Brown, and Mooers.
Houlton has good size throughout the lineup and a number of strong ball handlers and shooters. One area, the coach wants to work on, however, is defensive intensity. “This team has a very good offensive skill set, but I’d like to see us improve a bit on our defensive principles,” he said.
After spending two years in Class B, Houlton has dropped down to the Class C division this season, which means the Shires will be facing many different foes. The last time Houlton played in the Class C division was in the 2014-15 season, which culminated with the team’s first state championship in 14 years.
Assisting Graham are Clyde Warman and Jon Solomon.
This season, Houlton will face opponents in Class B, C and D, as the Shires have games with Presque Isle, Caribou, Hodgdon, Central Aroostook, Southern Aroostook, Stearns, Central of East Corinth, Calais and Mattanawcook Academy. The Shires have not played Hodgdon, SA or CA during the regular season in a number of years.
