Mt. Ararat senior forward Mallory Nelson certainly opened some eyes with her play in the Eastern Class A tournament at the Augusta Civic Center.

Nelson scored 22 points Friday in the Eagles' quarterfinal win over Oxford Hills. On Wednesday, she had 24 points in a 56-44 loss to Bangor in the semifinals.

In each game, Nelson went 12 for 12 at the free-throw line, despite playing at a venue that can cause havoc with the best shooters.

According to Mt. Ararat's scorekeeper, Nelson hit her last 37 free throws. Most of them didn't even touch the rim, just net.

"We work on our foul shooting a lot, especially before the playoffs,'' said Nelson. "We know that foul shooting can win or lose a game. It's very important to us.''

But what about her own shooting?

"I just relaxed a lot more this year,'' she said. "More confident. I knew I could make them.''

SITTING HIGH above the Bangor High bench Wednesday was Jack Cosgrove, the University of Maine football coach.

His daughter, Carly, is a senior reserve forward for the Rams and gave Coach Katie Herbine some valuable minutes when the Bangor starters got into foul trouble.

Asked if it was more nerve-wracking watching her in a close game or making a call on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter, Jack Cosgrove smiled.

"Well, I would have more control over my situation,'' he said. "So this is more nerve-wracking."

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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.

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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.

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