In 2016, the Southern Aroostook Community School girls basketball team fielded what is believed to be the youngest team in the history of the regional tournament.
The four freshmen and four eighth-graders on that squad were the driving forces in spearheading the Dyer Brook-based Warriors’ run to the Class D state championship last season.
The state title was the first in 23 years for Southern Aroostook, which posted a 20-2 record with its only losses coming against Class C North champ Houlton.
This season, coach Cliff Urquhart’s team appears to be on track to challenge for another gold basketball. Southern Aroostook (11-2) has lost only two games, both on the road, to once-beaten Class C teams Central Aroostook of Mars Hill (60-54) and Madawaska (54-47).
“Every team plays hard against us,” said guard Kassidy Mathers, one of four seniors on the team. “Some games we’ve come out a little flat. We have to bring the energy and enthusiasm back from last year. It has been a battle almost every game but it’s been fun.”
Going into Wednesday’s game against Hodgdon, the Warriors have not lost a regular-season game to a Class D opponent since the 2015-2016 campaign. And they have already beaten Class C Houlton twice.
After that, Southern Aroostook will try avenge this season’s setbacks on their home court when they face Madawaska on Saturday and Central Aroostook on Monday.
“We have to play hard every game because we don’t want to lose,” junior guard Makaelyn Porter said.
“You climb the mountain once and then they kick you off and you’ve got to try to climb it again. They don’t just let you stand up there,” said Urquhart, who is in his eighth season leading the Warriors.
Urquhart said the challenge is to continue to find ways to motivate his players in spite of their continued success.
“It has been a unique challenge,” he said.
He is pleased with the team’s efforts so far this season, especially since the losses came against good teams. Urquhart said losses also can be productive.
“It resonates. The kids pay more attention to detail in practice the next day,” he said.
That makes the Warriors’ games against Madawaska and Central Aroostook more meaningful this time around, although the flu was going through the Southern Aroostook team when they played.
“We need to prove we’re as good as everyone says we are,” Porter said.
“Those weren’t good games for us. We have something to prove,” Mathers said.
Defense and scoring balance have again been strengths of this Southern Aroostook team, which is giving up only 35 points per game with five starters averaging 8 to 10 points.
They play man-to-man and will also use a half-court press.
Besides Mathers (5 assists per game) and Porter (2 steals per game), the other starters are 5-11 sophomore center Kacy Daggett (10 ppg, 10 rpg), 5-5 senior forward Kylie Vining (7 rpg) and 5-9 junior forward Sydney Brewer (6 rpg).
Through maturity and the fact they have played in many tense playoff games in multiple sports, Porter said they have developed mental toughness.
Several of the players have played together for at least three seasons in high school and they would love to win their second straight state championship.
“Winning two in a row would be amazing,” Porter said.
This article originally appeared on www.bangordailynews.com.
