OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The Old Orchard Beach girls basketball team played at a breakneck pace this season, and the motor that ran the Seagulls was senior forward Abby Dubois. Only when head coach Dean Plante substituted her out of the game did Dubois stop on the court, and when she was on it, the Seagulls truly flew.

Plante said that Dubois “was a huge key” for his team, but also “a true piece of the puzzle.” The Seagulls won much more than they lost during Dubois’ career, and while Plante kept OOB a balanced team, Dubois was the puzzle piece that would be sorely missed had it not been there.

Dubois was a player that virtually no team could stop, and for that she has been named 2014-15 Journal Tribune Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

“Abby, obviously, is a very difficult matchup for everybody. She’s great off the bounce. She’s just got a motor. She’s a scorer; she finds ways,” Plante said of Dubois early in the season, as OOB jumped out to a 6-0 start to the schedule.

Dubois’ play never faded, however, as she led the Seagulls with 16.5 points per game, to go along with 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 steals.

“She was obviously well scouted and a target to stop, but she still excelled and performed to a very high level,” said Plante.

The one time a team found a way to stop Dubois, it meant an end to the Seagulls’ season. She was held to just six points in a Western Class C quarterfinal loss to Mountain Valley, as OOB went cold all around and Dubois couldn’t find her usual cutting lanes.

The season-low scoring output helped prevent Dubois from reaching the 1,000-point plateau for her career, as she finished her four years with 988.

Plante said his four-year varsity player could have eclipsed the milestone if Dubois and the Seagulls worried more about individual stats than team success. Old Orchard Beach had six games this season where the starters played less than half of the 32 minutes, as Plante instead gave playing time to reserves and young players.

There was never a concern from the starters about more playing time, according to Plante, which is one thing he said that made Dubois and her three fellow seniors so special.

“To me, (Abby) and the team’s highlights were the way they won, and lost. She always carried herself with class whether in a blowout win, where she sacrificed playing time, or handling a loss with dignity. She and the seniors will be very difficult to replace and will be greatly missed due to their leadership.”

Dubois often turned the basketball court into an indoor track, as she played the game at a pace few opponents could match. It’s no wonder two of the things that Plante said made Dubois special were “her drive and energy.”

“Abby was and is her biggest critic. She was rarely satisfied and always wanted to do more for the team,” said Plante.

There wasn’t much more that Dubois could have done for the Seagulls, who made at least the quarterfinal round each of her four years on the team.

Dubois was a rare talent on the court, and one that could take a while for Plante and the Seagulls to replace.

— Sports Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.