DYER BROOK, Maine – Is it possible to improve upon an undefeated state championship season?
Veteran Southern Aroostook girls basketball coach Cliff Urquhart certainly thinks so.
The Warrior girls have been the undisputed queens of Class D for a number of years, appearing in four consecutive state championships – and winning three of those gold balls. The icing on the cake, however, came after last season’s remarkable 22-0 state championship run.
But that does not mean the team is ready to rest on its laurels.
“I think we have a chance to be competitive in our division and get back to the tournament in Bangor,” said coach Urquhart, who is embarking on his 12th season at the helm of Southern Aroostook. “Our schedule will be very challenging as we play six class C teams – including two C powerhouses in Hodgdon and Penobscot Valley – and only three Class D schools.”
To be successful, the Warriors will do what they have done so well in recent years – focus on team defense.
“Last year, we had a motto ‘defense travels,’ meaning that teams might have a bad shooting night and I think players normally don’t shoot as well in away gyms, but good defense is always present and is far less likely to slump,” coach Urquhart said. “Offense has off nights, and slumps, but defense reacts well to energy … offense (shooting) does not.”
Members of the 2022-23 Warrior squad are seniors Madison Russell (point guard), Callie Russell (center); juniors Cami Shields (guard), Madison Shields (guard) Emmalee Landry (forward); sophomores Olivia Ellingwood (forward) and Libby Anderson (center); and freshmen Ally Shields (guard/forward) and Hannah McGary (guard).
When the Middle School season ends, the Warriors also expect to get some help from several eighth-graders who will be able to join the team, including Jazmyn Ellingwood and Emma Stubbs.
With Madison Russell, the Warriors will have arguably one of the best girls players in Class D on the court. “Maddie comes into her senior season with a wealth of experience,” the coach said. “Last season, she became more assertive offensively and she ended up having her best year. This year we’re going to need her to rebound more than ever.”
Callie Russell could be in for a much larger role this year as she will be called upon to provide a bundle of rebounds each game. “Callie is an intelligent basketball player,” the coach said. “She is in the right spots a lot of the time. I think she will be up for the task of stepping up in her role seeing more minutes at the center position as we lost our other rotational centers.”
With Cami and Madison Shields, the Warriors have a dynamic duo who complement each other well on the court. “Cami has really improved her shooting the last couple years and I think she is one of the best on ball defenders in Aroostook County,” Urquhart said. “Maddie is a pure shooter. She does a great job getting to the rim, drawing contact and finishing. Her defense got much better a season ago and we hope she continues to push herself in that de[artment this season.”
Two others who will be making an impact early in their careers are Landry and Ally Shields. “Emmalee has a great motor and we’ll need her to rebound the ball more this year if we’re going to be able to compete on the glass,” the coach said. “Ally is due for a breakout season. She is long and lengthy and that fits right into our style of trapping defensively. She got a ton of experience playing last year as an eighth grader.”
The Warriors lost two players to graduation, Emily Stewart and Breanne Daggett, but are also without the services of Lexi Rackliff, who transferred to Hodgdon.
“We have some invaluable experience,” the coach said. “Most of these kids have been playing varsity for three, four or five years now.”
Because SACS is a smaller school, eighth graders are allowed to play on the varsity squad, giving players an opportunity to play five years of high school sports.
The one area coach Urquhart hopes to address as the season progresses is rebounding. The last few years, Southern Aroostook’s bread and butter has been from running the floor and getting easy buckets in transition, but a team must be able to rebound if it wants to run a break.
“I really don’t know how we’re going to rebound the basketball or protect the rim yet,” he said. “One of our strengths last year was a trio at the center position and we could rotate those three girls in the game and they would always be rested and fresh. We are extremely limited in size this year. Everyone is going to have to chip in and rebound.”
The coach said he expects Wisdom to be among the top squads in Class D North as they return their entire squad from a year ago. SA faced Wisdom in the Regional Championship last year.
