Quinn Pelletier scored a staggering 43 points in a high school basketball regional title game on Saturday night.
That would be an impressive feat for any high school basketball player. But it’s especially astounding given that Pelletier is not even in high school yet.
As an eighth grader on the Madawaska basketball team, Pelletier has repeatedly proven himself to be one of the best players on the floor — both in Class C North, and in all Bangor tournament action this year.
Saturday night’s 43-point performance was stunning, but also not totally surprising for anyone watching Pelletier work throughout the tournament. He opened Madawaska’s playoff run by leading his team with 18 points against Dexter. He had 10 points in the Owls’ semifinal win over Calais.
Pelletier was the best player on the court during his team’s game in Bangor Saturday night, but Madawaska still fell to Mattanawcook Academy 81-71.
Eighth graders playing on Maine high school basketball teams, especially in the smaller classes, is far from unprecedented. But the 43 points Pelletier scored on Saturday emphasized what many people at the Cross Insurance Center were likely already thinking this tourney season: This is not your average eighth grade player.
Madawaska coach Shawn Pelletier, who is also Quinn’s father, spoke after the game about a question he received early in the season: How can an eighth grader lead a high school team?
“And I think he showed that he can lead a team, and we probably should stop thinking about him as the best eighth grader in the state, but maybe one of the better players in the state regardless of class,” Shawn Pelletier said.
Both Pelletiers stressed that their team’s run was not about one person.
“I wouldn’t be here without my whole team,” Quinn said. “Our team got us here. It’s not a one-man sport.”
Coach Pelletier rattled off a list of other members of the team like Sam Thibeault and Isaac Beaulieu to highlight how the whole group contributed to its 19-2 season.
“There’s no way we get here with just one person,” the Madawaska coach added. “So it’s definitely a team effort. And we have a great group of guys, we just fell a bit short tonight.”
Shawn Pelletier explained earlier in the tournament that Madawaska had never been to a regional final like this before.
“We had a great season, a great tournament,” Quinn Pelletier said Saturday night. “We’re the only Madawaska team to ever do this.”
He said he is feeling good about next season. This reporter pointed out that he’ll have a couple more years to make another high school tournament run.
“I’ve still got four more,” he agreed.
Pelletier also didn’t know, and didn’t really care, how many points he had Saturday night.
“I would have cared more about the win,” he said.
