ASHLAND, Maine — The Hornet girls ended an 11-year drought by reaching the tournament last winter. Ben Lothrop would now love to make a visit to the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor in February an annual event, but wants to be able to enjoy a longer stay.
Lothrop begins his second season in his second go-around as Ashland’s head coach. He was pleased with last year’s 9-9 regular season record, which produced the No. 6 ranking in Class D North and an automatic berth in the tournament, but was disappointed it all ended with the 33-20 loss to No. 3 Deer Isle-Stonington in the quarterfinals.
Ashland has plenty of holes to fill as four key players graduated in Amber Chasse, Morgan Doughty, Micayla Driscoll and Megan Cote.
The Hornets did receive a big lift when Olivia Tardie, a leading scorer and rebounder from the 2016-17 team, decided to return after taking her junior year off. She is the lone senior and will be relied upon to contribute heavily on the offensive end.
“She’s strong and ready to play,” Lothrop said. ‘I see her being a force every night.”
Shelby Stolze is the only junior on the roster and sets the tone with her constant hustle on the court. She will start at the off guard slot but is capable of filling in at point guard if called upon.
The remainder of the nine-player roster consists of sophomores. Joining Tardie and Stolze in the starting lineup are Jamie Poulin, Hailee Cunningham and Danni Carter.
Poulin was Ashland’s second-leading scorer last year and played her best basketball in the second half of the season. She will be a frontcourt starter but can also run the point. Cunningham was a reserve last season but is ready to take on a larger role and will be needed to produce on both ends of the floor. Carter did not play last year but is back and will be the starting point guard. Lothrop calls her a solid ball handler who can shoot from the outside and play tough defense.
Willow Hall also returns to the sport after only skiing last year and will do both sports this season. Lothrop is counting on Hall to contribute heavily on the defensive end and in rebounding. Kaitlyn Dotson will provide depth off the bench in the backcourt and will see a large uptick in minutes.
Forward Kaitlyn Ferro is another of Lothrop’s reserve players and should contribute as she gains experience. Alli Kenney, a guard, is currently out due to injury. Liz Mayhew is back as an assistant coach. The team’s managers are Morgan Stevens and Brooke Harris.
Ashland plays a mixed Class C and Class D schedule and Lothrop expects many tough games throughout the regular season, but is hopeful his team can garner another tournament berth.
“We want to be competitive every night, get to Bangor, and see what happens from there,” said the coach. “With a small roster, we need to stay healthy and out of foul trouble, but we also must play great defense and find some consistent scorers every night on the floor.”
