KITTERY — Jeff Gray, coach of the Traip Academy girls’ basketball team, uses the phrase “equal-opportunity basketball.”
So far, it’s been working for the Rangers.
Hannah Thorsen had 13 points and 12 rebounds, Emme Hale scored eight and grabbed 10 boards, and Traip took down Sacopee Valley, 49-29, Thursday night.
Traip, which defeated a Class C South favorite in Old Orchard Beach in its opener, improved to 2-1. Sacopee Valley fell to 0-3.
“I think we’re off to a great start,” Gray said. “I’m really fortunate that I have a senior group that’s been with me for a little bit, but also, they’re all leaders on the court. That goes a long way.”
The Rangers are hoping to take a step forward this season. Traip fell in the C South quarterfinals last season, but with four seniors in this year’s lineup the team feels poised to be a contender for the later rounds.
“We have an older team this year, and I think that’s going to help us,” said Thorsen, a senior forward. “We kind of have a seasoned group, and I think that’s going to help us mentally. By playing team basketball, I think we’re going to be able to go far.”
Team basketball has carried Traip so far, and it did so again Thursday. The Rangers were patient with the ball, working inside-out and outside-in and making the extra pass to find players for open looks and easy baskets.
“We’ve learned that teams break down after four or five passes,” Thorsen said. “Instead of taking that first shot, if you keep passing, you’re going to get an open layup. We just have to keep thinking about that.”
Thorsen, the Rangers’ post anchor, frequently sent the ball back to open shooters or players cutting into the paint, while guards Hale and Emerson Bouffard (eight points) worked the ball around the perimeter.
“It’s all about teaching them how to play the way we’re best at playing,” Hale said. “Coming back with a lot of the same girls definitely brings a lot of confidence, but it’s also about teaching the younger girls, leading by example and showing them how we work here.”
Traip led 23-15 at the break but went on an 8-0 run to start the second half and put the game out of reach. Thorsen had eight rebounds in the second half to help the Rangers pull away.
“They’re competing each night,” Gray said. “Not just game night, in practice. I think that’s starting to translate out on the court. Now, you look in the book, I’ve got seven, eight, nine girls touching the ball.”
The Hawks were led by Emma Boulanger, who scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Brooke Landry scored five points. Sacopee showed life by cutting a 15-point deficit to six at 21-15 after Boulanger banked in a jumper with 30 seconds to go in the first half.
“We’re steadily improving, I’m proud of how we performed today,” Coach Laura Landry said. “You just take every game and try to get better, and that was our focus. We got better from the last game.”
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