DYER BROOK, Maine — A transitional season appears to be in store for the Southern Aroostook girls basketball program as the Warriors must deal with the loss of several key players.
Sixth-year coach Cliff Urquhart has one of the smallest rosters in the region, with just eight players committed to playing basketball. But what his team lacks in numbers, the coach hopes will make up for it with heart.
“We understand who we are,” Urquhart said. “We have a team that is learning how to play the game and learning to play with one another. Developing chemistry on a basketball court can take years. We have 18 games to put it together. We are hoping to compete in most games. Our biggest expectation is to become better by the end of the year. That’s the one thing all our girls have talked about. We want to get better and show improvement.”
SACS finished 12-6 a year ago and were ranked 11th in Eastern Class D. The Warriors fell to Penobscot Valley, 60-54, in a preliminary round playoff.
A similar showing might be difficult to come by as the Warriors lost 85 percent of their scorers either through graduation or transferring to different schools. Top among the list of players lost to graduation is Sable Altvater, who cracked the 1,000-career point scoring plateau for the Warriors last year. Mataya Hartin and Jessica Tucker also graduated the past spring, while Chloe Raymond transferred to Hermon and Hailey Heath transferred to Hodgdon.
The SACS roster this year features seniors Kennedi Smith, Cassidy Lyons and Jessica Nye; sophomores Marissa Boulier, Taylor Libby, Katrina Altsmanburger and Kianna Ramsay; and freshman Megan Russell.
Smith, a guard, is a good shooter and ball handler who will be called upon to take on both the point guard and leadership role for the Warriors following the loss of Raymond. She is an excellent perimeter shooter who hit eight 3-pointers to lead the team in scoring in the Warriors preliminary playoff game last season.
Lyons, a forward, spent a great deal of time in the offseason working on her game to earn a spot in the starting lineup, the coach said. “She is passionate about the game of basketball,” he said. “She has become an above average rebounder for her height and has also improved her scoring ability.”
Russell, a guard, brings speed and defense to the team and has potential to be one of the mainstays of the SACS roster for many years to come. “She has lots of potential and is going to get thrown into the mix early in her career,” the coach said. “She will also help with ball-handling duties.”
Nye, a forward, has not played basketball since the seventh grade, but brings lots of enthusiasm to the team, Urquhart said. “She is a very nice kid who will make an immediate impact on our team as a leader,” he said. “We are excited she is playing.”
Boulier, a forward, will split time as a starter or the first player off the bench. She has shown the most improvement on the team since last season and brings a great attitude to practice and games, the coach said. Libby, a center, is a strong athlete who will be called upon to do the bulk of the rebounding. She has not played competitive basketball since the eighth grade.
Rounding out the Warrior bench are Altsmanburger and Ramsay who have had little experience on the basketball court.
“We only have eight kids and we lost close to 85 percent of our scoring from last season, so we have to find creative ways to score points,” Urquhart said. “Our team’s strength is its togetherness. This is a great group of kids who have been a pleasure to have so far. They are truly a family. It’s important to them to get along and have good relationships with one another. It makes the year more enjoyable when there’s no drama or tension between players.”
Coach Urquhart said every team on the Warriors’ schedule will present different challenges, with Fort Fairfield and Washburn as the two favorites in class D. Assisting Urquhart are Dianna Rockwell and manager Devyn Lagassey.
