STACYVILLE, Maine – Veteran Katahdin girls basketball coach Shaun McAvoy will once again have a younger squad on his hands, but that has not stopped him from experiencing success in the past.
The injury bug has hit the team for the second straight year as the Cougars enter a season without the services of one of their best players. Last year, Maizy Cullen missed several games at the start of the season due to a concussion.
This year, however, the news was considerably more difficult to hear as Katahdin will be without its starting point guard – junior Shelby Libby, who will miss the entire season due to an injury sustained during soccer season.
“This is a huge loss for us,” the coach said. “I call Shelby and Hunter Hartsgrove , the only other junior on our team, the ‘Dynamic Duo.’ Our team will be young again this year, with just one returning senior.”
Katahdin finished 8-9 last season and were ranked seventh in Class D North. The Cougars beat No. 10 Jonesport-Beals, 45-29 in a home preliminary playoff, earning a spot at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. In the quarterfinals, Katahdin fell to No. 2 Wisdom 63-34.
Hartsgrove will now be the focal point for the Cougars, playing both center and guard. “She is the key to our offense and defense.,” the coach said. “Her captain status is well deserved.”
The Cougars have just one returning senior on the roster, Maggie O’Hara. Coach McAvoy calls O’Hara a “hard worker, team captain and a team leader.”
Returning sophomores on the squad are Avery Cullens, McKenzie Landry, Jayden Stevens and Skylar Lewis. The coach said he has lofty expectations for this group and they will need to contribute right away if the team is to have any kind of success.
“A lot will be expected of these girls, but they are up to the task,” he said. “We are also excited to have five freshmen, they are very coachable and they are excited about the season.”
Those freshman are Lydia Qualey, Emily McNally, Raven Shields, Natasha Annis and Ayanna Lester.
Katahdin will also receive a boost from four or five eighth-graders who will join the team once the middle school season ends. The three eighth-graders expected to play up this year are Elizabeth Lane, Makenzy Dicentes and Lilly McDonald.
“It will be a great experience for them and they will help us tremendously to have a true JV (junior varsity) team.
“My goal is to improve our record from last year,” the coach continued. “I have a great assistant coach in Craig Hartsgrove and our plan is to stress the basics and build confidence and to hopefully end up with a group of girls that love this game as much as we do.”
