WASHBURN, Maine — The Beavers did not have any seniors on the roster of last year’s team that made it into the Class D playoffs.
So Jon Poisson, who begins his second season as the team’s head coach, is excited about the prospect of having a roster full of players with experience.
“As a player, it helps knowing a coach’s system and what they generally look for, and from a coach’s perspective, it helps you really know the team and what lineups work well and don’t work well,” Poisson said. “Knowing strengths and weaknesses of the team help a coach gameplan for the team’s strengths too.”
Washburn lost in the prelim round of the playoffs to Jonesport-Beals last year. Poisson is hoping his team can get back into the playoffs and advance farther, and believes the Beavers are capable thanks to their versatility.
“I like the balance of our team,” he said. “We have groups of shooters, ball handlers and strong defenders. We have some strong athletes, and Washburn always has great runners. We are looking to push the ball this year and use pressure defense to tire people out.”
Washburn will count on the leadership of its senior starters, Kassie Farley and Alexis Carney, as well as senior reserve Sam Churchill.
Farley gets the start at one of the guard positions and brings scoring and great playmaking and rebounding to the squad. Carney is a strong defender who will aid the team with her perimeter shooting ability.
Sophomores Emma Johnston and Trinity Saucier-Pellicer will start in the frontcourt. Johnston is a strong defender and plays great in transition, while Saucier-Pellicer is an excellent rebounder and defensive player.
Poisson finished up the preseason trying to sort out a battle for the fifth starting spot, with sophomores Kyli Farley and Raegyn Chavez the top candidates. Farley, who was out with an injury last year, is a solid interior scorer who uses both hands well and also possesses good defensive instincts, while Chavez is more of a scorer from the outside and also is a good weakside rebounder.
Churchill will come off the bench, as will sophomores Emerson Turner and Madison Miller and freshmen Amanda White and Natalie Charette.
Sydney Chavez, Hannah Dow and Hannah White will manage the team and Josh Poisson and Scott Olson are the assistant coaches.
Jon Poisson said he learned a great deal from his first season as the head coach, but the importance of communication was at the forefront.
“Communication on defense, on offense, and even from myself,” he said. “As a team, we need to communicate. That is a key point that we have really stressed this year. Great teams talk, and it all starts from the top.”
Poisson is expecting steady improvement from last season and hopes it translates into another postseason berth and the chance to play in the tournament during February vacation.
“Being healthy will be huge for us this year. We had some significant injuries last year that didn’t help us, so having everyone back and healthy is going to be very beneficial,” Poisson said. “We want to get to Bangor and make some noise when we’re there.”
