AUGUSTA – Edward Little girls coach Craig Jipson acknowledged he wanted nothing to do with Amanda Johnson and Skowhegan, at least in the early going of the Eastern A tournament.

“I told all of our coaches that I didn't want to play Skowhegan in the first round,” he said. “You don't want to come into this building and play a senior on a mission. And Amanda Johnson is on a mission.”

The second-seeded Red Eddies (16-3) did avoid No. 6 Skowhegan (12-7) in the quarterfinals, but the two will square off in the semifinals at the Augusta Civic Center on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.

Johnson scored 27 points, including five in overtime, to lift the Indians over No. 5 Mt. Blue 56-55 in overtime on Friday. Edward Little weathered a late rally to hold off No. 7 Hampden Academy, 60-50, on Friday as well.

Now, the Red Eddies will turn their attention to Johnson, the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A North player of the year.

:”She's a great, great player,” Jipson said. “Skowhegan has a lot more tournament history than we do. (Skowhegan coach) Heath (Cowan) has won a lot of games in this building. I'd be a lot happier if they didn't have Amanda Johnson.”

About this Blog

VarsityMaine The Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram put a priority on high school sports coverage, and this blog is a place for all our reporters to put news and notes from around the state.

From football to field hockey, from cross country to volleyball, our goal is to keep you informed of the happenings in all high school sports.

Click below for sport-specific posts.

Baseball

Boys' basketball

Girls' basketball

Cheerleading

Cross Country

Field Hockey

Football

Golf

Boys' Hockey

Girls' Hockey

Lacrosse

Skiing

Soccer

Softball

Swimming

Tennis

Track

Indoor Track

Volleyball

About the Author

Maine High School Sports Bloggers

Paul Betit is an Augusta native and graduate of the University of Maine. He has covered Maine high school sports for more than 30 years and is entering his seventh season as a beat writer covering the Portland Pirates. In his spare time, Betit writes mystery-suspense novels. Occasionally, he tries to sink his second career hole-in-one.

Glenn Jordan came to Maine in 1994 to cover the nascent Portland Sea Dogs. After eight baseball seasons and three children – the last two within 18 minutes of each other – he became a part-time writer. Among the sports he covers are now are tennis, skiing, swimming and running. He has a degree in philosophy from Dartmouth, a decent forehand and a penchant for checkers.

Mike Lowe is a Massachusetts native who feels he's lived long enough in Maine (since 1982) to have roots here. He graduated from Boston University and has worked in New Hampshire and Maine, covering everything from the Little League World Series to the Summer Olympics. When he has free time – Ha! – he likes to read, collect comic books and watch the grass grow from his hammock.

Previous entries