BANGOR — Nia Irving of Lawrence has long been recognized as the best player in the state. Now it’s official.

Irving was named Miss Maine Basketball, the award presented annually to the top senior girls’ high school basketball player in the state.

Nick Gilpin of Hampden Academy won Mr. Maine Basketball.

The winners were announced at the end of the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches banquet Friday night.

Maddie Hasson of South Portland and Shannon Todd of York were the other semifinalists.

“It’s incredible just to be named a finalist or a semifinalist for the award. To win it is that much more incredible,” Irving said. “Both Maddie and Shannon are very deserving candidates, so it’s an honor to be chosen for it.”

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A 6-foot-1 center, Irving averaged 25.6 points and 21.1 rebounds, shooting 57 percent. She led Lawrence to a 21-1 record and its second straight Class A state championship game.

Irving, a four-time Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference player of the year, had 1,761 points and 1,206 rebounds in her career, leading the league in scoring and rebounding each year.

Lawrence compiled a 73-10 record during her career, highlighted by a 35-game home winning streak. As a junior, she returned from a serious knee injury to average 22.5 points and 14 rebounds, leading the Bulldogs to a 21-1 record and the state title.

Irving became the first Lawrence player to win the award since Cindy Blodgett in 1994.

“I was really happy that I could bring a winning tradition back to Lawrence and help us do everything we could to get to a state championship,” Irving said. “Winning it my junior year, what an incredible experience.”

Irving is a member of the National Honor Society. She has volunteered on behalf of a local homeless shelter, as a peer tutor and as a youth basketball coach.

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She play at Boston University in the fall, and Thursday received the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year Award for the second straight year.

In accepting the award, Irving gave special thanks to Dominique Lewis, a teammate and classmate. Lewis hasn’t decided her future plans, and Saturday’s all-star game will be their last time on the court together.

“It is definitely mixed emotions,” Irving said. “It’s sadness and happiness. We’re both going to be moving on to play at the next level, but sadness because I’m going to miss playing with her so much. We’ve been playing together since we were in, like, third grade. It’s just been great having her as a point guard, and like I said, I couldn’t have asked for a better one growing up.”

Gilpin, a 6-foot-3 guard, averaged 17.6 points, 7.4 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 3.6 steals as a senior, finishing with 1,093 career points. He led the Broncos to an 82-4 record and two state titles.

Gilpin, whose older brother, Zach. was a finalist two years ago, will play at Bates College.

“Ever since I was younger, my brother and I have been playing basketball in our driveway, and I think that a lot of my skills have come with him pushing me to get better,” he said. “Ever since Zach was a finalist for this award, it’s something that I wanted to try and achieve.”

The banquet also honored regional all-stars who will take part in the Maine McDonald’s senior all-star games Saturday at Husson University.


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