Size, versatility headline the 47th BDN All-Maine Schoolgirl Basketball Team
Headlined by Miss Maine Basketball Maddie Fitzpatrick, the 47th annual Bangor Daily News All-Maine Schoolgirl hoops teams are filled with size, versatility and experience.
Featuring guards with elite post skills and forwards capable of running the floor, this year’s All-Maine teams include 12 seniors and three juniors, ten of which range from 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-3.
The players were chosen by members of the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches and the BDN Sports staff.
The first team consists of Fitzpatrick, Oceanside junior forward Bailey Breen, Oxford Hills junior guard Ella Pelletier, Scarborough senior guard Caroline Hartley and Old Town senior forward Saige Evans.
The second team includes Gorham senior guard Ellie Gay, Thornton Academy seniors Emma Lizotte and Addisen Sulikowski, Cheverus senior forward Ruth Boles and Caribou junior guard Madelynn Deprey.
Making up the third team is Brunswick senior forward Dakota Shipley, Sanford senior guard Julissa McBarron, Lewiston seniors Natalie Beaudoin and Koral Morin, and Southern Aroostook senior guard Cami Shields.
First team
Maddie Fitzpatrick did it all for the undefeated Stags this year, leading Class AA North in points (25.5 ppg), rebounds (11.3 rpg) and steals per game (4.9 spg), guiding Cheverus to its second Class AA state title in three seasons.
At 5-foot-11 and capable of playing all five positions, Fitzpatrick also averaged 4.4 assists and made two 3-pointers per game, winning Miss Maine Basketball, Maine MaxPreps Player of the Year, and her second Maine Gatorade Player of the Year award.
“She’s the most complete player in the state — she’s effective in every category,” veteran Gorham girls basketball head coach Laughn Berthiaume said. “She’s so versatile, an underrated passer, and an excellent playmaker.”
In the playoffs, Fitzpatrick averaged a 15.6-point double-double, and helped hold the Gorham Rams to just 24 points in the state final. She is committed to play for coach Amy Vachon and the University of Maine Black Bears, who have won three America East titles since 2018.
“She can really affect the game without even scoring, and can be there for her team in a bunch of different situations,” Berthiaume said. “She fits any need coach Vachon [could] want.”
Similar to Fitzpatrick, Bailey Breen led the Oceanside Mariners to a perfect 22-0 record and the team’s second Class B state title in three years this season.
The 6-foot-3 junior forward was dominant in all aspects, averaging 28.8 ppg on 65 percent shooting, 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.2 steals per game. Breen averaged north of 19 points per game as a freshman, yet somehow finds room to improve every year.
“Her footwork and her finishing are at the top of Maine girls basketball,” B North head coach of the year Andy Pooler of Ellsworth said. “She can post up, has soft hands around the rim and has developed an outside shot.”
Breen was already a two-time All-Maine second-teamer prior to this season, and has only lost one game in her entire high school career. She is a two-time Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B Player of the Year.
At 5-foot-11, junior Ella Pelletier moved from the post to the point guard role last season, and has exhibited continued growth as a versatile facilitator for Oxford Hills.
Pelletier finished second in Class AA North in assists (4.5), points (19.7), and blocks (1.1) per game this year, in addition to finishing third in rebounds per game (10.8). Despite the departure of All-Maine first-teamer Sierra Carson last season, Pelletier guided the Vikings to a 16-6 overall record and two playoff wins.
“She did everything for them,” AA North head coach of the year Billy Goodman of Cheverus said. “She can handle the ball, post you up, and her outside shot has really improved.”
“She’s a do-it-all player. You can tell she’s a coach’s daughter,” veteran Brunswick head coach Sam Farrell said. “She’s a heady, smart kid that gets after it. She has the intangibles, and wills her team to win.”
Caroline Hartley is a 5-foot-10 shooting guard who embodies the modern wing defender role. A Miss Maine Basketball finalist, Hartley averaged 15.7 points, 1.4 threes, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks this year.
“She has excellent range, is dangerous on the free throw line, and defensively plays out of position,” Berthiaume said. “She proved she was capable of battling against post players.”
As Scarborough’s lone senior, Hartley led the Red Storm to a 16-6 overall record and their second Class AA South regional final appearance in three years. She will be playing at Colby College next fall.
“She’s so physically strong, and sees the value in defending, passing and rebounding,” Farrell said. “She found ways to get open, and always seems to be in the right spot. She’s a winner.”
Saige Evans played some fantastic postseason ball this year, leading her Coyotes to their first regional title since 1980 and winning the BDN’s Class B all-tournament MVP award.
The 5-foot-9 Husson University signee averaged a 14.5-point double-double in the playoffs, including a 26-point, 16-rebound outburst against reigning state champion Ellsworth in the regional final. In the state final, Evans helped hold Oceanside’s Bailey Breen to just four points.
“She’s not the tallest, but she’s strong and an absolute workhorse,” Pooler said. “She is a hard girl to keep off the boards, wants to win and plays the game the right way.”
In the regular season, Evans led Old Town to a 16-2 record and averaged 18.7 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. She shot 50 percent from the field and 78 percent from the stripe.
“She can rebound well, hit the midrange jumper and is unselfish,” veteran Old Town head coach Heather Richards said. “She plays as a big, but can play pretty much anywhere. The team went how she went.”
Second team
A natural leader, 5-foot-9 Ellie Gay guided Gorham to its third consecutive Class AA state title game this year, finishing as the AA South tournament MVP and as a Miss Maine Basketball finalist.
A relentless scoring threat and physical defender, Gay averaged 12.1 points and 1.9 steals per game this year, shooting 75 percent at the free throw line and nailing 2.1 threes per game. She scored a tournament record 51 points leading up to the state final versus Cheverus.
“She’s a very good shooter, a tough player and a tough defender,” Goodman said. “She did a great job leading her team.”
Emma Lizotte transferred from Cheverus to Thornton Academy this past offseason, and was a terrific post player for her new team, leading Class AA South in points (17.3), rebounds (11.4) and blocks (2.7) per game.
Lizotte is also capable of distributing under pressure, dishing out three assists per game. The 6-foot-3 Quinnipiac University signee has earned All-Maine recognition for three years in a row, previously making the third team in 2023 and 2022.
“She’s an excellent rim protector that can clean up any mistakes,” Berthiaume said. “She’s gonna go to the free throw line or score if she catches the ball around the rim.”
In Thornton’s backcourt, 5-foot-11 Sulikowski was an equally formidable threat for the Trojans, tallying 16.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, three assists, and 2.3 steals per game this year.
A pure shooter, Sulikowski also sank 2.1 threes per game, and converted on 83 percent of her free throws. She will be playing for St. Anselm College next year.
“She has unlimited range, and has a pretty high motor,” Berthiaume said. “It was a matchup that caused a lot of problems.”
Ruth Boles was Cheverus’ valued X-factor this season, exploding for 21 points against Oxford Hills in the Class AA North regional championship game, and 17 against Gorham in the state finals, both game highs.
The 5-foot-10 small forward did all the little things for the Stags, tallying seven rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.6 blocks per game this year — in addition to scoring 10.7 points per game. She will be playing for Springfield College next year.
“She did so many things to help the team win, was very coachable and became an All-star level player this year,” Goodman said. “When Fitzpatrick was in foul trouble, she stepped up for us. She can handle the ball like a guard, and her rebounding was amazing.”
Two-time Big East Player of the Year Madelynn Deprey is an expert at creating her own shot on or off the ball, and averaged 22.9 points, 2.1 threes, 8.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.8 steals per game this year.
The 5-foot-10 junior guard has led the Caribou Vikings to a combined 31-11 overall record the past two seasons, and was an All-Maine third-teamer last year. She surpassed the 1,000-point threshold in January.
“She has great athleticism, handles the ball well, and sees the floor very well,” Richards said. “Her step-back jump shot makes her hard to guard. She’s a natural leader because of her knowledge of the game.”
Third team
Under Dakota Shipley’s leadership, Brunswick has compiled a 57-8 record over the past three seasons, including a Class A state championship victory over Cony this March, in which Shipley tallied a 21-point double-double in the 54-30 win.
The 6-footer stuffed the stat sheet this year, averaging 16.9 points, two 3-pointers, 9.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.5 blocks per game. She is committed to the University of Southern Maine.
“She’s a vocal leader who plays all over the court,” Farrell said. “She was one of the best rebounders in the state, can defend, and can handle the ball like a smaller guard. She’s tough as nails and never quits.”
Sanford’s Julissa McBarron was a bona fide star point guard for the Trojans this year, capable of pushing the pace, weaving through traffic, orchestrating plays and picking the opponent’s pocket.
Standing at 5-foot-5, McBarron led Sanford in scoring (12.4 ppg), rebounds (7.2 rpg), assists (3.3 apg), steals (2.3 spg) and blocks (1 bpg) this year, guiding her team past Lizotte and Sulikowski in the AA North quarterfinals in February. She is also committed to USM.
“She has excellent body control and an array of moves,” Berthiaume said. “She is very quick, very skilled, and hard to corral in the open floor. She can elevate and easily create her own shot.”
Natalie Beaudoin is a 6-foot shooting guard from Lewiston who led the Blue Devils in scoring (17 ppg), rebounding (9.3 rpg) and shot-blocking (2 bpg) this year, and is committed to the University of Vermont.
Capable of handling the ball and scoring at all three levels, Beaudoin was a matchup nightmare all season long, dishing out two assists per game this year and exhibiting continued growth as a defender throughout her career.
“She’s a 6-footer with guard skills that can score inside and out,” Farrell said. “She was a smart shot blocker, too.”
Alongside Beaudoin in Lewiston’s backcourt was formidable 5-foot-8 point guard Koral Morin. The speedy and shifty Morin could blow past opponents at will, averaging 15.1 points and four steals per game, and leading all of Class AA in assists with a whopping 5.5 per game.
“She was one of the better point guards in the state,” Goodman said. “She is a very good all-around player that can shoot and drive. You have to give her a lot of attention.”
Cami Shields has been a centerpiece of a Southern Aroostook dynasty boasting three straight Class D state titles, most recently a 60-42 championship win over Upper Kennebec Valley in which Shields scored 20 second half points (28 total) to overcome a 14-point deficit.
“I was very impressed by her leadership and coolness — she’s the ‘takeover’ type,” veteran Valley head coach Gordon Hartwell said. “She’s highly competitive, sees inside and out, and is a wonderful ball-player. She was their leader.”
Standing at 5-foot-7, Shields averaged 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.4 steals per game this regular season, and averaged 24.7 points per game in the tournament.
