BRUNSWICK

Rebounding in a basketball game is one of those statistics that often goes unnoticed.

But, ask Bowdoin College coach Adrienne Shibles the importance of her team’s ability to get up and grab a missed shot, or scramble to the floor to get two hands on a loose ball, she answers with one simple word — KEY!

“Rebounding can be underrated, but for us to have success, we need those hard-working players to get after it and get those loose balls and rebounds,” said Shibles, who leads her team against Wartburg in the NCAA Division III national semifinals on Friday in Rochester, Minnesota.

Twice this season, the Polar Bears lost as part of a sensational 28-2 season heading into Friday. Against D3hoops.com top-ranked and undefeated Amherst, the Polar Bears were outrebounded, 28-27.

Then came the NESCAC semifinals against Tufts. A goal for Bowdoin heading into the season was to win the NESCAC title, and after Bowdoin rolled to a 66-53 win over the Jumbos in Brunswick back in January, there were high hopes of that championship finding its way to Brunswick.

In that regular season victory over Tufts, the Polar Bears outrebounded the Jumbos, 49-36. But, in the semifinal, Tufts turned the tables, out-hustling and out-rebounding the Polar Bears, 47-34, on the way to a 60-48 victory.

“We knew that we needed to reset, get back to working on things in practice,” said junior forward Hannah Graham after the loss.

As fate had it, Bowdoin met up with Tufts one more time for the rubber match. But, it was so much more than that, as the teams played in the “Elite 8” at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania on Saturday, with a spot in the “Final Four” on the line. This time around, Bowdoin owned the boards to the tune of 46-30, and not surprisingly, the game, 66-48.

“Rebounding was a huge focus for us coming off that loss, and we feel that we are an outstanding rebounding team,” said junior Cordelia Stewart. “Sometimes the shots are not falling, so you better learn to play defense well and get after rebounds. We did that last Saturday, a huge reason that we won the game.

“Coach told us to attack those defensive and offensive boards. Those two things we did well and turned out to be a key reason of why we won. We left it all on the court.”

“We didn’t feel like there was a ton of mystery in playing Tufts again,” said Shibles. “We have a rivalry with them, so it wasn’t about scouting. It came down to winning 50-50 balls and winning the rebounding game. We did that.”

Cordelia Stewart

A Bangor native, Stewart stands over 6-foot tall, with long arms and legs. Bowdoin’s starting center/forward, Stewart averages 5.7 points and nearly four rebounds a game.

The daughter of Jonathan and Barbara, the double major (bio-chemistry, Hispanic studies and a future doctor) came to Bowdoin after a successful high school career at Bangor.

“We made states my sophomore year and made it to the Class A Eastern regional final as a senior.

Coming from a busy household (seven kids in Jonathan and Barbara’s home), Stewart made the trip to Brunswick and joined the Bowdoin College women’s program. Then, she sat and learned.

“That first year here was an important lesson, teaching me how to buy into the program, get into the weight room, get stronger, and work hard,” said Stewart. “I have become so much stronger mentally, and Bowdoin has taught me several life lessons. All of those things are intangibles of being a Bowdoin College student/ athlete.”

“Cordelia has become an important part of our game plan,” Shibles said.

Stewart feels the popularity of women’s basketball in Maine has never been higher, with the University of Maine winning the America East title and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, while her Bowdoin team is two steps away from its first national title.

“I have strong connections with the UMaine program, and to see them doing well is very special to me,” said Stewart of the Black Bears, who will face the University of Texas on Saturday.

As far as her Bowdoin teammates go … “it is special to celebrate one another,” said Stewart. “We hold each other accountable, and that has allowed us to play our best.”

Hannah Graham

The Presque Isle native and two-time Maine state basketball champion is a junior forward, averaging 6.3 points a contest along with 2.4 rebounds.

Typically, Graham is one of the first players Shibles brings into the game from her talented bench.

The sociology major with an education minor is the daughter of Corey and Melissa, and sister to Presque Isle High School freshman Ben. Graham certainly saw success prior to heading south to Brunswick.

“We won 64 games in a row at Presque Isle, two state titles, and we made it again to the state final in my senior year (a loss to Greely),” said Graham.

Just like Stewart, Graham sat and learned throughout her freshman year.

“It was an adjustment, but I quickly learned how much more physical college basketball was,” said Graham. “Coach cultivates a culture of shared leadership and trust here.

“I don’t mind coming in off the bench, to hopefully give the team a burst of energy.”

“Hannah has been huge for us and underrated,” said Shibles. “Hannah is exceptional in taking care of the ball and playing good, smart defense. She is a hard-working player.”

Also like Stewart, Graham is excited for the future of women’s basketball in Maine.

“It is really exciting to see. There was a huge crowd in Bangor for that UMaine game (a win over Hartford), and it is about time that their hard work has paid off,” Graham said. “For us, it’s exciting to be going to the ‘Final Four,’ to be able to represent our school. We are super excited about more basketball.”

For Shibles, playing Wartburg will come down to a couple key elements for her Polar Bears.

“We will look to play up-tempo, but we must rebound the ball and play good, solid defense once again,” said the Bowdoin coach. “Our effort has to be just like last weekend, keeping Wartburg off the glass.”

With Stewart and Graham standing in the way, Bowdoin looks to be in good rebounding hands.