Oxford Hills of South Paris senior forward Ella Pelletier and Caribou High School senior guard Madelynn Deprey headline the Bangor Daily News’ 48th annual All-Maine Schoolgirl Basketball Team.
Pelletier and Deprey were joined on the first team by Lawrence High School of Fairfield guard Maddie Provost, Cony High of Augusta guard Abby Morrill and Cheverus High of Portland junior guard Kylie Lamson,
The second team features Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln junior forward Addison Cyr, Brunswick senior forward Lexi Morin, Oceanside of Rockland senior guard Aubri Hoose, Mt. Ararat of Topsham junior forward Julianna Allen and John Bapst of Bangor senior guard Claire Gaetani.
The third team is made up of Gray-New Gloucester senior center/forward Izzy Morelli, Fort Kent senior guard Lily Oliver, Penobscot Valley senior guard Ellie Austin, Wells High School senior guard Maren Maxon and Medomak Valley of Waldoboro senior guard Kytana Williamson.
This is Pelletier’s second straight first team berth after being a second team pick as a sophomore and an honorable mention as a freshman. Deprey had been a second-teamer last year and a third team selection as a sophomore.
Provost and Morrill had each previously been an honorable mention as had Hoose, Cyr and Morin. Austin had been an honorable mention on two occasions.
The team was selected by BDN sports staff with input from coaches and athletic administrators. Based on available statistics, some player averages reflect regular season performance and do not include playoff results.
First team
Pelletier scored her 1,000th career point against the Lawrence Bulldogs this season, and put up 36 points in that game, so Lawrence coach Greg Chesley is very familiar with what the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year can do on the court. He pointed to Pelletier’s ability to score both at the rim and from outside.
“She really can do it all,” Chesley said about Pelletier, who will play at Stonehill College next year.
Pelletier led Class AA North in points, rebounds and blocks, and was also third in assists and top 10 in the conference for steals. She averaged more than 24 points per game, 11.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.3 blocks.
Brunswick coach Sam Farrell wasn’t shy about his impression of Pelletier.
“In my mind, she was the best player in the state this year,” he said of the Oxford Hills forward, who was also a Miss Maine Basketball finalist. “And I watched a lot of basketball from Class D to AA.”
Pelletier is a “Dennis Rodman type of player who can really impact a game with just her rebounding and defending,” according to Gorham coach Laughn Berthiaume. “Then you throw in her ability to score at three levels.”
Farrell also stressed Pelletier’s versatile game, saying that she “can kill you inside and out, and she’s even more deadly in transition.”
Deprey showed her own versatile game throughout the season and Class B tournament, powering the Vikings to an improbable overtime win in the state championship game against Biddeford. It was a thrilling final flourish to an impressive high school career for Deprey, who was crowned Miss Maine Basketball in March and will continue to play at Southern New Hampshire University next year.
“She’s changed the history for Caribou basketball,” Vikings coach Kayla Brown said in March.
Deprey was also chosen the Most Valuable Player of the Class B North tournament as part of the BDN’s all-tourney team.
The sharp-shooting Deprey led the Big East Conference in scoring by averaging nearly 22 points per game, and was top 10 in the conference in rebounds, assists and steals. She averaged 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.4 steals per game on the season.
“She can singlehandly take a game over on both ends of the floor,” said Ellsworth coach Andy Pooler. “She is, arguably, the best player in the state.”
John Bapst coach Matt Smith called Deprey “the opposing coach’s worst nightmare” who can do it all, and who always finds a way to impact the game.
“She is incredibly smart,” Smith said about Deprey. “No matter what you try to do to adjust, she is a step ahead because she thinks the game at another level.”
Like Deprey a year ago, Provost has already crossed the 1,000-point career mark as a junior.
Provost led all scorers in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference this season by averaging 20.9 points per game for Lawrence. But as her coach and others stressed, she did much more than put the ball in the basket.
“She gets a lot of credit for being a scorer, but she’s a tremendous passer,” Chesley said about his team’s junior guard. “She sees the floor so well.”
Provost averaged 4.6 assists and 3.1 steals. Her 57 total 3-pointers were second-most in the conference.
Hampden Academy coach Nick Winchester called Provost “the most natural scorer we played in terms of being able to score at all three levels and make it look relatively easy.”
Like Chesley, he emphasized her ability as a passer.
“And her passing is underappreciated. She sees the floor as well as anybody at any level and really does have a natural feel for the game,” added Winchester.
Some players see the game a step or two ahead. For Provost, according to her coach, it’s more like three or four steps ahead. Chesley and his coaching staff have gotten used to seeing unbelievable plays from Provost, even during practice, that leave them wondering: Did she really just do that?
“We see something incredible out of her everyday,” Chesley said. “We’ve grown to see the incredible as just commonplace with her.”
Morrill was the KVAC Class A North Player of the Year after a remarkably balanced season in which she finished fourth in the KVAC in scoring (19.2 ppg), fifth in 3-pointers (39), tied for fifth in assists (3.8) and seventh in steals (3.4).
“She was probably the best competitor in the KVAC,” Winchester said. “She played just about every minute of every game and always seemed to make a huge play when it mattered for her team.”
Chesley and the Lawrence Bulldogs saw Morrill and the Cony Rams multiple times this season, and he called the senior guard a great shooter and great defender who “really carried Cony to a great season” with her efforts.
“She’s a hustler, a scrapper. One of the top defenders in the league,” Chesley said. Morrill scored her 1,000th career point in a game against Lawrence this year.
Morrill, a Miss Maine Basketball semifinalist, impressed Brunswick’s Farrell with her toughness.
“And it seems like her teammates love her, which is huge for a team,” Farrell added about Morrill, who will play field hockey at Colby College next year.
Lamson was AA North’s second-leading scorer at 21.9 points per game and her 2.7 threes per game was second-most. She also averaged 5.7 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.7 assists.
“She is a dynamic player, for sure,” said Gorham’s Berthiaume. “She was very good at scoring off the dribble. She could start to go by you with speed and then pull up and hit the mid-range jumper. She had very good range and demanded attention from multiple defenders.”
Cheverus coach Bill Goodman said Lamson is “one of the top players in the state.”
She and the Stags won the Class AA North tournament and fell one game short of a state title.
“She scores efficiently. She scored 40 points in one game against Sanford and didn’t take a lot of shots. She’s pretty talented,” Goodman said. “She can also handle the ball.”
Second Team
The 6-foot-2 Cyr was named the PVC Class C Player of the Year after she averaged 21.8 points, 13.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocked shots per game. She was also chosen to the Class C North all-tournament team.
“Her biggest attribute is her hands,” said Mattanawcook Academy coach Pat House. “She has amazing hands. She has really improved a ton since her freshman year. She has been able to find different ways to score around the basket rather than being a robotic big who only has one way to release the ball.”
Cyr helped lead the Lynx to the Class C North regional championship, falling to the eventual state champion Penobscot Valley Howlers. She also hit the 1,000-point mark in just her junior season.
“She does a really good job finding space to get the ball to the rim and she really runs the floor well,” added House, who noted that she has improved significantly as a ballhandler and defender.
Dexter coach Jody Grant said Cyr has really evolved as a player and called her a “great rebounder and a really good defender around the rim who takes a lot of stuff away from the other team.”
Penobscot Valley coach Nate Case said Cyr “reads the ball coming off the rim very well,” which is extremely beneficial in her rebounding.
Morin of Brunswick was another finalist for the Miss Maine Basketball Award this year, doing a little bit of everything for the Dragons this season.
“For us, Lexi played all five positions,” said Brunswick coach Farrell, noting that the 5-foot-7 Morin spent time in every role from point guard to center. “I doubt she ever goes against a player physically stronger than her.”
Morin is slated to be a three-sport athlete at the University of Southern Maine as a member of the basketball, soccer and track teams.
The four-year starter was a leader and “phenomenal” teammate, Farrell said. She averaged nearly 16 points and more than six rebounds per game. And her individual numbers could have been even better, according to her coach, if she wasn’t so focused on the team.
“She can score 30 in a game, but she’s happy scoring 12 with six or seven assists as long as the team wins,” said Farrell.
Farrell also heaped praise on Hoose, who averaged 19.9 points, 3.8 assists and 2.9 steals per game.
Oceanside coach Matt Breen noted how Hoose had already played an important role for a team that has won multiple Class B state championships in recent years.
“But this year she really stepped to the front,” Breen said of the Miss Maine Basketball semifinalist. “She’s what made us go.”
Breen pointed out that Hoose did more than put up points for Oceanside, leading the team in assists and proving to be an all-conference defensive player as well.
“She’s a great student, she’s a great kid, she’s a heck of a basketball player, and she’s tough as nails,” Breen said, noting that she would make a nice point guard in college. “So you can’t go wrong with her.”
Winchester called Hoose “the single toughest guard” that Hampden played this year, and one of the best in the KVAC.
“That kid is a working bucket,” Winchester said. “If they needed a basket, she could find a way to score the basketball.”
Allen had a solid year for Mt. Ararat, averaging 11.2 points during the regular season. She was top-five in the KVAC for blocks with nearly two per game, and impressed opposing coaches like Breen with her smooth work in the post.
But it was her efforts in the postseason that propelled her onto this list, as Allen helped lead the Eagles to their first Class A state championship over Winchester’s Hampden Broncos.
“She was the difference in our state game,” Winchester said.
Allen scored 17 points and brought down 12 rebounds in that 43-31 championship victory.
“She has the really rare combination of size, length and athleticism that makes her very difficult to guard,” Winchester said. “She can catch the ball in the high post and take it to the rim like she was a guard. She also had the ability on defense to cover up space really quickly based on her length and athleticism.”
Allen was chosen the most outstanding player in the Class A South tournament.
Gaetani had a memorable senior year as she led her John Bapst Crusaders to their first Class B North Tournament semifinal since 2018.
Gaetani, a career 1,000-point scorer, was the Big East’s second-leading scorer during the regular season behind Deprey, averaging 18.9 points per game. She was the leader in steals (4.3) and was sixth in assists (2.8).
“She has tremendous natural athletic ability,” said Smith, her coach. He called her a “gifted athlete” who wasn’t content to coast on that ability alone.
“Claire combined that natural ability with a work ethic that was above and beyond most of her peers,” said Smith. “When others would be resting from a down game, she was in the gym working out with her trainer.”
The Bates College-bound Gaetani then went on to average 27.3 points per game in her three tournament games with back-to-back 30-point games against Washington Academy of East Machias (30) and Old Town (35). She had 17 more in the Crusaders’ semifinal loss to Erskine Academy of South China.
“She is another one who wants the ball when the game is on the line,” said Ellsworth’s Pooler. “She plays the game the right way. She plays defense, she plays hard and she is definitely someone you’d want on your team.”
Third Team
Morelli has been the top scorer at Gray-New Gloucester for all four years of her high school career. Coach Mike Andreasen explained how the 5-foot-9 center/forward evolved from a 3-point shooter as a freshman to a dominant post player as a senior.
“That’s where she does most of her damage, with her back to the basket,” Andreasen said about Morelli’s campaign this season, noting that she still has her shooting touch as well.
A 1,000-point career scorer, Morelli was the second leading scorer in the Western Maine Conference this year, averaging 16.5 points per game. She was also top 10 in the conference in rebounds, bringing down 7.7 per game. Morelli will take that balanced game to the University of Southern Maine next year.
“I’ve never seen a player score as easy as she does,” Farrell, the Brunswick coach, said about Morelli.
Wells coach Sandy McPadden also emphasized Morelli’s versatility.
“No matter what kind of defender you put on her, there’s going to be a weakness and a gap that she’s going to find,” McPadden said about the Miss Maine Basketball semifinalist.
Senior guard Oliver was also a Miss Maine Basketball semifinalist for Fort Kent, repeatedly showcasing her scoring ability on her way to almost 1,700 career points. She averaged 22.4 points, 6.9 steals, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 blocks per game on the year while helping to lead the Warriors to a 16-2 record in the regular season.
Fort Kent coach Kelly O’Leary said Oliver “creates havoc defensively, for sure,” especially in his team’s 1-3-1 zone.
“Her length is outstanding and she anticipates and jumps the passing lane extremely well,” said Southern Aroostook coach Cliff Urquhart.
O’Leary said Oliver “had four tremendous years” for Fort Kent.
Austin, who will attend Husson University in Bangor this fall, has a well-rounded game as evidenced by her 16.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 3.4 assists per game.
Austin concluded her career at Penobscot Valley as a rare four-time all-tournament team selection.
“I love her game. She can do a little bit of everything,” said House, the Mattanawcook coach. “She can play on the perimeter, she can post-up on a smaller guard. She has all three phases of the game: she can attack the basket, she has a really good pull-up game and she can shoot the three.”
House added that Austin “does a lot of things that made her team go” and was a difference-maker in PVHS’ three wins over his Lynx.
“She’s versatile. She can score at all three levels and takes pride in her defense,” said Case, her PVHS coach. “And she took that final step and became a closer for us. When we needed her to step up and make something happen, she did.”
Yet another versatile player on this year’s All-Maine team is Maxon, a 5-foot-8 senior guard who became just the fourth player in school history to score 1,000 points for Wells.
McPadden, her coach, said Maxon was almost like another coach on the floor for the Warriors.
“She has such a mind for the game, and such a natural basketball IQ,” according to McPadden.
Maxon led the Warriors with 16.7 points per game and was second on the team with 3.1 assists.
Andreasen, the Gray-New Gloucester coach, called Maxon a “creator” who is good at finding others on the court. He noted how difficult it is to defend her jump shot because of the way she elevates.
“That jump shot is near-impossible to guard. It’s deadly,” McPadden agreed.
A Miss Maine Basketball semifinalist and 1,000-point career scorer, Williamson averaged 20 points and 4.4 steals per game for Medomak Valley this season, capping a stellar high school career for the senior guard. That career will continue in college next year at the University of Maine at Farmington. Oceanside coach Breen and his team became very familiar with Williamson in matchups over those four years. He called Williamson a solid player who’s good on both ends of the court.
“She’s the heart and soul of that team,” Breen said. “I’ve had to go against her for four years. She’s been consistent. She’s good offensively and defensively.”
