CARIBOU, Maine — After not making it into the tournament since 2011, the Viking girls cracked the field a year ago under first-year head coach Kayla Brown.
Caribou went 8-10 during the regular season, defeated Oceanside in a home prelim and earned a matchup with No. 1 Hermon in the Class B North quarterfinals at the Cross Insurance Center, only to fall by a score of 59-36.
It was an encouraging debut season for Brown, who will greatly miss the talented guard tandem of Searra Herbert and Gabrielle Marquis but returns two starters and a few other rotational pieces in a bid for a return trip to the tourney.
“We are looking to build a sustainable program,” Brown said, “and last year we made great progress. The JV program also ended with a winning season, so I’m hoping to take that momentum into this season and future seasons.”
The Vikings suffered a huge personnel loss when junior center Paige Espling injured her knee during track and field season last spring. At 6 feet tall, Espling was the top rebounder in the Big East Conference, but will miss the entire basketball season.
Still, there is talent on the roster. Alexis Rodriguez, a senior, returns to the starting lineup and is a stellar defender who plays with a lot of heart. Taylor LaBreck also is back in a starting role and is aggressive and a tough player in the post.
Four other players who were reserves on the varsity team a year ago will take on larger roles. Juniors Kimmy Susi and Taylor Skidgel are guards with offensive abilities. Abbi Robbins, another junior, joins sophomore Emily Collins as returning post players who will try to alleviate the loss of Espling.
Sophomores Sage Dubay and Brooke Moir both had solid freshman seasons with the JV team and earned positions on the varsity. Alya Theriault, a junior, is a hard worker with a good basketball mind. Four seniors are new to the team and Brown says all bring a high level of energy and effort, setting an example for the younger players. That group includes Ashley Violette, Monica McLaughlin, Brianna Reece and Alexis Bruso.
Brown expects Winslow, the defending regional champions, and Big East stalwarts Presque Isle and Hermon to be favorites in Class B North, but she added that all the teams on Caribou’s schedule “will be tough and I expect every game to be competitive.”
Abby St. Peter, Olivia Picard and Taylor Devoe are the team managers and Marc Weeks returns as the JV coach and Brown’s varsity assistant.
“We are looking for continuous improvement from every player at all levels,” Brown said. “Another goal is to be competitive enough to earn a playoff berth, but that will take hard work from every player.”
