MARS HILL, Maine — It’s not easy putting a positive spin on a loss in the tournament, especially when it’s in the quarterfinal round and you are the No. 1 seed.
But that is Central Aroostook coach Dillon Kingsbury’s take when reflecting on last February’s loss to the Stearns Minutemen at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
“We exceeded expectations [during the regular season] but at the end of the day, we just weren’t ready to compete on that stage with the level of competition Stearns brought,” Kingsbury said. “Looking back, losing was the best thing for us moving forward.”
“It was a nice wake-up call and now I have a refocused group who now knows what it’s going to take to win a game or two come tournament time,” he said.
Central Aroostook was also upset in the Class C playoffs two years ago, falling to No. 12 Calais as the fifth seed in the prelim round.
The Panthers gained a shot of confidence following a strong summer of competition. Playing mostly against Class A and B teams at a tournament in Camden, Central Aroostook made it all the way to the championship game.
“This group is shaping up to be one of my favorites,” Kingsbury said. “We have such a great team dynamic. The girls love to be around one another and work extremely well on the court together.”
The Panthers have a third-year starter at point guard in junior Maci Beals, who is one of the more dynamic players in Aroostook County. She averaged 7.9 points per game last year and loves to run the floor and shoot 3-pointers, but is also very unselfish (4.8 assists per game).
“She would rather make a pass for a teammate to score than to score herself,” said Kinsbury.
Libby Grass (5.2 ppg) will start at another guard spot after coming off the bench the past couple years. Kingsbury expects a breakout year from the junior, who is a defensive presence but has made huge strides on the offensive end.
Senior Sydney Garrison always draws the assignment of guarding the opposing team’s top scorer and has embraced that role.
“She’s the true definition of a good teammate as she doesn’t care if she scores,” said Kingsbury, who will be leaning on Garrison to be a vocal leader as one of the squad’s senior captains.
The other captain is Breann Bradbury (12.1 ppg and 7 rebounds per game), a senior who can score in a variety of ways. Kingsbury said she will need to be consistent on offense if the team is to experience success.
The other starting spot will go to either sophomore Liberty Fulton, a streaky shooter, or freshman Kira Fitzherbert, who was a pleasant surprise during early workouts and can contribute offensively.
Mallory Kingsbury, another freshman, joins junior Sara Stitham as other players on the squad along with eighth-graders Abby Haines, Kassidy Blackstone, Rylee Pierce, Ira Fletcher and Izabel Pryor.
Coach Kingsbury said the Panthers like to play a running game, but the development of the bench will be a key in making that happen.
“We love playing up-tempo and pressing a lot but we’ll need players to step up if we wish to continue playing this style,” said the coach.
Still, he is comfortable with the mix of players and is looking forward to seeing how the season unfolds.
“We have a variety of different levels of skill and our senior leaders are doing a tremendous job showing patience and bringing everyone up to speed on what it takes to be a Central Aroostook Panther,” coach Kingsbury said. “I look forward to what this tight-knit group can accomplish come February.”
