There aren’t many basketball programs across the state that have won as many games the last two seasons as the Ellsworth High School girls team.
The Eagles won 39 of their 43 games, including playoffs, and claimed their first ever state Class B championship two seasons ago before losing in the B North final to Old Town last year.
Ellsworth coach Andy Pooler came into this season already having lost his best player in Grace Jaffray, who graduated a year early and is currently leading her Johnson and Wales University team in scoring with a 24.3 points per game average.
But he still had a strong four-player senior class with which to make a run for another title.
Then they all got hurt.
Despite the injuries, the Eagles have still managed to produce a 9-4 record, including four wins in their last five games.
“I’ve never had a season like this before,” said Pooler, who is in his 14th season as the Eagles head coach. “It’s hard, especially losing seniors in their final year. That’s a tough pill to swallow. It seems like every night, something new happens.”
Forward Addison Atherton missed the first five games after having surgery on her finger, Pooler said. Lily Bean, also a forward, tore her meniscus in her knee in the second game of the season and just returned to the lineup recently, point guard Abby Radel broke her foot in the third game and hasn’t played since, and guard Elise Sargent has been lost for the season with a knee injury.
Four-year starter Radel is likely to miss the rest of the season.
But that’s not all.
Sophomore guard Sydney Mason tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee during the second preseason game and had season-ending surgery during the Christmas break. Junior guard Lizzie Boles recently learned she has blood clots in her leg and is out indefinitely and sophomore forward Camryn Clough pinched a nerve in her neck and has missed the last two weeks.
Pooler said he hopes to have Clough back next week.
Boles was one of the team’s leading scorers and was tops in assists and steals.
He said plenty of tears have been shed but they have also celebrated some noteworthy victories.
“It has been a roller coaster of emotions,” said Pooler, who has used “eight or nine different starting lineups.”
The injuries have given opportunities to inexperienced players who have been thrust into more prominent roles and they have been delivering.
Headlining the list is junior guard Kaylee Bagley, who is averaging more than 16 points per game.
“She always had talent but never had the opportunity to shine. She has been great,” Pooler said. “It’s a good lesson for younger players to keep working hard and to not give up on yourself.”
Sophomore forward Allie Bivins, sophomore guard Violet Ray and freshman forward Austyn Atherton, Addison’s sister, have also stepped up and provided Pooler with valuable contributions.
Addison Atherton has been grabbing eight rebounds per game and he called Bean “the heart and soul of the team.”
Bean played limited minutes in her return to the lineup last week.
He said he is very proud of his players for the way they have handled the adversity.
“They bust their tails night in and night out to keep us afloat,” Pooler said. “They play loose, they play hard, they play with energy and they’re having fun.”
Ellsworth will travel to Aroostook County for a 6 p.m. game against Caribou on Friday and a 1 p.m. contest at Presque Isle on Saturday.
