ASHLAND, Maine — The Ashland Hornets are excited to turnout for the 2022-2023 basketball season for the girls varsity team hoping to play to their strengths in speed.
The 2021-2022 season ended at 7-10, which earned the No. 8 seed for the Hornets. Ashland hosted a preliminary round playoff, but lost to No. 9 Shead of Eastport, 42-38.
“I’m excited about the upcoming season since we have added several new players to the squad,” Coach Diana Trams said. “As the season progresses, I am hoping we will be able to play an uptempo game while trying to keep our unforced turnovers down.”
Coach Trams is going into her fourth year for Ashland High School, but she also helped guide Washburn to a state championship during her time coaching the varsity girls team at that school.
For the Hornets, keeping a good defensive pressure will be key this year, along with maximizing Ashland’s opportunities in transition. That same defensive intensity is what carried Trams’ Washburn squads to several years of success.
Members of the 2022-2023 Hornet team are senior Kayla MacLean; juniors Michaela Carney and Abby Doughty; sophomores Haily Poulin, Cailin Brown and Isabelle Ayotte; and freshmen Macy MacLean, Emma Doughty and Layla Burby.
Abby Doughty was Ashland’s leading scorer during the 2021-2022 season and she also proved adept on defense with about three steals per game. Carney is a returning team captain to play as a guard and forward for the Hornets, along with their second offensive threat Kayla MacLean, who was Ashland’s second leading scorer last season.
Brown is focusing solely on basketball for the 2022-2023 Class D season and improving her game inside the court, the coach said. Another offensive threat for the Hornets is Poulin, who has a great inside the paint presence in scoring and rebounds, Trams said.
Burby and Ayotte are newcomers to the Hornets varsity squad with Ayotte being an excellent perimeter shooter who can create multiple opportunities with her speed. Burby plays an aggressive style of defense that should bode well for the team.
Emma Doughty will get a chance to prove herself, having an injury last year that kept her from playing. Macy McLean played for the Hornets last year and generated multiple steals with her solid defense and helped spark her team on offense.
Ashland isn’t short of young talent and is eager to launch into the upcoming season. Only one senior (Mia Carney) graduated from last year’s team for the Hornets, so overall team chemistry should be excellent.
Coach Trams said she is looking at last year’s defending champions Southern Aroostook in the Class D as the team to beat, but she also feels the Wisdom Pioneers will be another tough match for the Hornets. SA and Wisdom faced each other in the regional championship a season ago and return most of the same players this year.
