Mt. Ararat players celebrate during the second half of their Jan. 9 victory over Westbrook. The Eagles (9-2) are second in the Class A South standings, behind rival Brunswick. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald
TOPSHAM — At the midway point of the 2023-24 girls basketball season, the battle for the top of the Class A South standings are between programs that sit a mere five miles away from each other.
Brunswick (9-1) — the defending A South champion — currently sits atop the standings. But rival Mt. Ararat sits just behind the Dragons as the No. 2 seed, with a 9-2 record.
“Every year, (the rivalry between Mt. Ararat and Brunswick) is crazy, in every sport,” Mt. Ararat guard Cali Pomerleau said. “The rivalry, everything, the atmosphere, it’s just so fun.”
The Eagles’ position in the standings isn’t overly surprising; they finished 14-5 last season, third in the A South standings. Mt. Ararat fell 58-53 to Freeport in the quarterfinals. The Eagles started the season hot, winning their first seven games, before back-to-back losses to Deering on Jan. 2 (37-31), then to Brunswick on Jan. 4 (44-38). Since then, Mt. Ararat has won three straight, including a 43-40 revenge win over Freeport on Jan. 6.
Mt. Ararat has found success on both ends of the floor, averaging 49 points per game offensively, while allowing 39 points per game on defense. Multiple members of the Eagles’ starting five — including Pomerleau, guard Kennedy Lampert, forward Julianna Allen and center Abbie Doble — have taken turns as the lead scorer.
Mt. Ararat’s Jenna Jensen, left, goes up for a shot during a Jan. 9 game against Westbrook. Brianna Soukup/Portland Press Herald
“Everybody can handle the ball, I don’t think anybody in the state can press us (defensively),” said Pomerleau, a senior. “I think we can break the press easily, and we all work extremely hard and we can lock down a team. On defense, we’re really strong. (Offensively) we’re deep. I don’t think there’s a player on the floor that can’t score 10 to 15 points a game. We’re all a threat, they can’t key in on just one or two players. We’re all a threat.”
“We can shoot, I think sometimes we hesitate (with it),” said Mt. Ararat head coach Julie Petrie. “Our depth is key. We play a lot of kids, and we try to run with a high-energy motor.”
The Eagles have also shown some resiliency. In their loss to the Dragons, the Eagles trailed 38-22 entering the fourth quarter, before Mt. Ararat outscored Brunswick 16-6 in the final period. With 1:57 left to play, the Eagles trailed the Dragons by four points, before Brunswick put the game away for the final 44-38 score.
“I’m very proud (of the comeback), I just wish we had played with an edge right out of the gate,” Petrie said after the game. “It’s disappointing to get into a hole that deep and kind of get it together, because it’s too late at the end.”
Aside from a 38-28 loss to Oxford Hills on Dec. 23, not much has gone wrong for Brunswick. The Dragons average 50.6 points per game as an offense, while allowing just 35.6 points per game defensively. Brunswick has several starters back from last year’s team, including junior forward Alexis Morin, senior forward Dakota Shipley and senior forward Maddy Werner.
“I think defense is strong for us, that’s where we strive the most,” Morin said. “But we have so much diversity on the team. We can shoot it. We can go down low (in the post). We can do anything with (the ball). If we put our heads to it, we can do anything.”
“It’s nice when you’ve got four seniors contributing (on the floor),” Brunswick head coach Sam Farrell said. “That’s four years of varsity experience, four years of leadership. They’ve matured. We bring back three (starters) that have played a ton, and (forward) Abby St. Pierre has given us unbelievable minutes. They just make plays. And you have juniors making plays, and some freshmen coming off the bench. It’s a lot of fun, because I’ve coached them for so many years.”
Brunswick girls basketball coach Sam Farrell looks on as the Dragons make a 3-pointer during the Class A final against Lawrence last season at the Augusta Civic Center. Morning Sentinel file photo
The Dragons — who fell 58-43 to Lawrence in the Class A championship game last year — also have the added fuel of unfinished business.
“I think the loss in the state championship game just makes us more hungry for (a title),” Morin said. “We just want it so badly. We’re pushing each other in practice and just working hard.”
“They appreciate (the trip to states), but they’re still not satisfied,” Farrell said. “Last year, it was a hope to go to states. This year, the goal is, ‘Let’s win it.’ They practice like that, they compete like that. It’s a different mindset. It’s not a good taste in your mouth when you lose. (Winning states) was the first thing they brought up at the first meeting in the spring.”
The Eagles and Dragons are far from done with one another. They meet again Feb. 6 in Brunswick. Of course, there’s still the potential to meet one another in the A South playoffs. Regardless, the atmosphere between the two teams should be electric. The two teams played in front of a packed gym in the Jan. 4 game in Topsham.
“It’s amazing to see so many people come out and come to the games,” Morin said. “The environment feels amazing, I love it.”
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