BRUNSWICK — Adrienne Shibles stood amid the traffic that’s common around the Bowdoin College women’s basketball bench.
Shibles, in her 10th year at the helm of the Polar Bears, directs this constant shuffle, sending players in and out of the game.
“That’s normal,” said junior Hannah Graham of Presque Isle. “We have a lot of depth this year.”
Among the 14 players Bowdoin uses, five are Mainers. And they contribute. The Polar Bears (7-0) are ranked 10th in the WABC Division III poll and 17th in the d3hoops.com poll.
Bowdoin’s impressive start continued Saturday with a 79-45 rout of Colby (2-3).
With the game still close in the first quarter, Shibles already had used 11 players.
“We have a lot of weapons,” Shibles said. “A lot of them are shooting the ball well. If someone is having an off shooting night, someone else will step up.”
Graham, a 5-foot-9 guard, did the stepping up Saturday. She came off the bench and sizzled, totaling 15 points and three rebounds in only 11 minutes.
The other Mainers on the roster are senior forward Lydia Caputi of Brunswick, junior center Cordelia Stewart of Bangor, sophomore forward Maddie Hasson of South Portland and freshman guard Moira Train of Cumberland.
“I definitely have an affinity for Maine high school players,” said Shibles, who grew up in Knox, which is 25 miles east of Waterville, and played basketball at nearby Mt. View High in Thorndike. Shibles played her college ball at Bates.
“Our goal is to bring in at least one Mainer in each class.”
Last year Bowdoin featured seven Mainers. Two graduated and another, Hannah Cooke of Portland, is now on the squash team.
Of course, Bowdoin recruits elsewhere. The Polar Bears’ leading scorers are from out of state, led by junior guard Taylor Choate (12.6-point average) of Nashua, New Hampshire, and senior guard Kate Kerrigan (11.3) of Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts.
Choate scored eight points Saturday, and Kerrigan shined with 11 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Ten players scored for the Polar Bears.
“There’s no dropoff (with the substitutes),” said Caputi, a starter and one of the three seniors. “We’re always competing. There’s no excuse for anyone not to be ready.”
Bowdoin is dominating with an average margin of victory of 30 points.
Its closest game was an 80-68 victory against seventh-ranked St. Thomas of Minnesota in a tipoff tournament.
“It’s a real impressive team,” said Colby’s second-year coach, Brittany Gaetano, who used to be an assistant for powerhouse Amherst. “Bowdoin always has a strong program. They have a great group this year and they’re obviously very deep.”
Shibles was hired in 2008, replacing the successful Stefanie Pemper, who is still coaching at Navy.
Shibles has kept Bowdoin a power. She won her 200th game with the Polar Bears last week and her overall record is 201-60, with eight NCAA tournament appearances in the previous nine seasons, reaching the Sweet 16 five times.
“We love the tradition here,” Graham said. “And she takes pride in the state players. Definitely. I am probably one of Maine’s biggest advocates. I love it when we bring in the Maine kids. Basketball is so strong here.”
Hasson, who is 5-11, starts in the post alongside the 5-10 Caputi – with the 6-2 Stewart a sometimes starter. Hasson scored 10 points Saturday.
Defensively, Bowdoin made 19 steals and forced 35 turnovers. Colby’s 5-11 center, Haley Driscoll, scored 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
“We had a good challenge with Haley Driscoll,” Hasson said. “(Post defense) is something we’ve emphasized. When we get later in the season, we’re going to go against a lot of good post (players).”
Some of those players will come from Tufts (6-0), a league rival ranked No. 1 in the d3hoops.com poll, and Amherst (6-0), which is No. 1 in the WABC poll. Bowdoin plays host to Tufts on Jan. 6, and is at Amherst on Jan. 27.
The Polar Bears will play Colby again Jan. 20 in Waterville.
Saturday’s game was tied at 9-9 with 3:42 left in the first quarter when the Polar Bears shifted to another gear, scoring 16 straight points to end the quarter with a 25-9 advantage.
Bowdoin built the halftime lead to 44-21, then 61-33 after three quarters.
Bowdoin played the last half of the fourth quarter with a sophomore and four freshmen, including Train (two points).
Stewart finished with four points and three rebounds. Caputi recorded six points and four rebounds.
Caputi has been on strong Bowdoin teams before (68 wins over the previous three seasons) and sees another one building steam.
“If you look at our record, there’s no denying that,” she said. “But we’re not taking anything for granted, not getting complacent.
“Just because we’re 7-0 doesn’t mean we’re perfect. We have a lot of things to work on.”
Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:
kthomas@pressherald.com
Twitter: @KevinThomasPPH
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