The best players step up in the biggest moments. And that was certainly the case in the state championship round that closed out another exciting year of Maine high school basketball over the weekend.
Five of Maine’s most talented players competed for a state title on Friday or Saturday, and each delivered an astounding performance at the most important time for their team.
Lawrence’s Maddie Provost, Fort Kent’s Aden Jeffers, Mattanawcook’s Addison Cyr and Cheverus’ Kylie Lamson all led their teams to championship wins while amassing a set of staggering statistical totals.
Nolan Ames and his Camden Hills Windjammers fell just short of their own state crown, but Ames had yet another dominant game to leave no doubt that he should be named Mr. Maine Basketball later this week.
Here’s a closer look at the unreal championship performances turned in by Maine’s top players:
Maddie Provost, Lawrence
As she was throughout her high school career, Maddie Provost was there once again for her Bulldog teammates in Friday night’s Class B championship. The senior guard poured in 19 points to help Lawrence overtake a formidable Oceanside team from Rockland in the second half.
But as important as those points were, it was Provost’s control of the boards that may have mattered most in the comeback win. She brought down 14 rebounds in the title game to help the Bulldogs hang tough with Oceanside’s size down low.
“We knew we were really undersized and if we struggled rebounding, it wasn’t going to go well,” Provost said after the win. “I made it a key and a point to myself that when any shot went up, I had to go get it.”
And thanks in part to another remarkable performance from Provost, Lawrence was able to go get another state title.
Aden Jeffers, Fort Kent
The Fort Kent boys made school history with their first-ever state championship, and there was no bigger factor than junior guard Aden Jeffers. His 27-point, 10-rebound night against Maranacook was the final flourish in a remarkable run through the Class C tournament.
Jeffers’ ability and humility were both on display game after game in the postseason. The North regional tourney MVP averaged 28 points heading into the state championship, sent his team to that final game with a last-second shot against Caribou in the regionals, and was always pointing to the teamwork that helped Fort Kent make history.
“It’s amazing. All the work we put in — early hours, late nights — it’s just an amazing feeling to win this game with my guys,” Jeffers said after Saturday night’s championship.
Jeffers has a knack for making incredible plays look almost routine, as he did with a spinning finish at the hoop in the second half of the state championship game.
Addison Cyr, Mattanawcook
Of all the eye-popping statistical performances from the championship round, Addison Cyr’s may be the most impressive. The senior forward from Lincoln not only scored 25 points in the girls Class C title game against Spruce Mountain from Jay, she also brought down 23 rebounds.
That’s not a typo.
So it is not hard to figure out why Cyr, along with Provost and Lamson, remains in the running for the Miss Maine Basketball Award that goes to the state’s top senior player. The Mattanawcook star looked downright unstoppable down the stretch in the Lynx’s historic championship victory.
“She’s still probably underappreciated,” Mattanacook head coach Pat House said about Cyr. “She’s so strong, she’s so nimble, she’s so skilled. And she can do a lot of different things with the ball.”
Nolan Ames, Camden Hills
The Camden Hills Windjammers from Rockport didn’t come home with the Class A state title on Saturday, falling to Portland 76-60. But that wasn’t for lack of trying from senior guard Nolan Ames, who had half of his team’s points in the contest.
Ames scored a game-high 30 points and added eight rebounds in the effort, once again doing everything he could for his team.
“He carried us. He did everything he physically could,” Camden Hills coach Joel Gabriele said about Ames. “He literally poured everything on to the floor. We expected nothing less.”
Ames proved throughout the season, including in the championship game, that he deserves his place at the top of Maine boys high school basketball.
Kylie Lamson, Cheverus
The Cheverus Stags wouldn’t be Class A girls champions without Kylie Lamson, who played a pivotal role in her team’s thrilling comeback win over Hamden Academy on Saturday night.
Two of Lamson’s 21 points were especially critical, as she knocked down a bucket in the final seconds of regulation to tie the game and send it to overtime. That basket with less than 5 seconds to go capped a furious turnaround for the Stags, who went on a 12-2 run to finish the fourth quarter. Lamson had six of those 12 points in the improbable championship comeback.
She also added five steals in the storybook state title victory for Cheverus.
