
Lawrence’s Maddie Provost dribbles the ball away from Nokomis defenders Jan. 11 in Newport. Lawrence is 16-0 thanks, in part, to its transition game. Anna Chadwick/Morning Sentinel
With the regular season ending later this week, teams and coaches are reflecting on their successes — including those that go beyond the scoreboard.
Lawrence (16-0), the top-ranked team in the Varsity Maine poll, is one of the three undefeated girls basketball teams in the state, with Penobscot Valley (16-0) and Valley (16-0). Transition basketball has been a major part of the Bulldogs’ success.
“We get out and run pretty well, and we focus on each possession rather than trying to focus on the total outcome and get our little wins that way,” Lawrence coach Greg Chesley said. “Our transition game has been very good; teams have had difficulty slowing us down.”
The Bulldogs average 68 points per game with 16 scored in transition. They also are close to a 50% offensive rebounding average. That’s important, Chesley said, because not only do half of the team’s shots get a follow-up attempt but opponents aren’t able to have as many offensive opportunities.
Transition excellence has also been a catalyst for Mt. Ararat (14-2), which was won nine straight games.

Edward Little’s Alexis Creaser, left, defends Mt. Ararat’s Kayleigh Wagg during a game on Jan. 20 in Auburn. Mt. Ararat is 14-2 this season, including nine straight wins. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
“We really harp on our defensive intensity,” Eagles coach Julie Petrie said. “I think that they say defense wins championships, but defense is what gets us going. We’re blessed with the athletes that we have and we can do a lot of different things. And I think those are really two key things for us: lockdown defense that can turn into our transition game, which we like to play fast.”
Petrie added that team chemistry is strong, with several returners from last year’s Class A South finalist. The Eagles are playing loose and having fun, while working hard and earning their wins.
“We’ve talked about if we don’t come to play our game and do the little things well, we can be beat,” Petrie said. “Our goal every year is to be playing our best basketball by tournament time.”
Wins have been hard to come by for Old Orchard Beach (3-13). Coach Torey Carr said the team, primarily underclassmen, has worked on individual skills, building basketball IQ and playing better defense.
“I think our team defense has gotten better; we’ve struggled to score the ball, but we’ve had some games where we’ve held teams in the 20s and low 30s,” Carr said. “Sometimes it’s either kept us in the game or led to some victories.”
The Seagulls were giving up 45 to 50 points per game earlier in the year, but Carr said thanks to defense, rotations, on-court communication and commitment, that number now hovers around 32.
SOPO SHOWING OUT
South Portland landed a big win Friday night when it erased a 21-15 halftime deficit to beat Cheverus, 59-47. It was the Red Riots’ first victory over Cheverus since January 2020, making it the first time any current player had beaten the defending state champion Stags.

South Portland’s Emma Travis is guarded by Cheverus defenders Anna Goodman, left and Maddy Nalls during the Red Riots’ 59-47 win on Friday in South Portland. Travis scored 13 points. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald
And for a team looking to make a run at a Class AA South title, it may have been just the victory the Red Riots needed.
“It shows our resilience,” said senior guard Emma Travis, who scored 13 points. “It’s huge to come out knowing we’re going in the right direction.”
The players’ joy, and perhaps relief, could be heard throughout the Beal Gymnasium hallways as they left the court after the final buzzer.
“It’s bigger than just this season for some of those girls on our team,” South Portland coach Brianne Maloney said. “It goes back a little further for them, in years past. It’s definitely a great win but it means a little bit more for some of them.”
EXPO FAMILY TIES
Lake Region (7-10) is one of the teams still contending for a postseason berth. Should the Lakers earn the 10th and final playoff spot in Class B South, then win a prelim game, they’ll play at the James A. Banks Sr. Portland Exposition Building — the Portland Expo — the namesake of Doug Banks’ father.
“We’ve downplayed this over the years but the kids really want to get back to the Expo,” said Banks, Lake Region’s third-year coach. “They always say, ‘Coach, we want to get back there for you,’ and I tell them, ‘No, you’re not doing this for me; this is about you.’”
Lake Region enters the week in 10th, ahead of Lincoln Academy (7-9) by 2.5 points. The Lakers travel to Fryeburg Academy (3-12) on Tuesday while the Eagles host Maine Central Institute (4-12) on Tuesday and Erskine Academy (13-3) on Thursday.
Should Lake Region edge out Lincoln, it likely will face Mountain Valley or Yarmouth in the prelims. With wins against both teams already this season, Banks is optimistic about what the Lakers can do if they qualify for the postseason.
“Like I told one of my kids the other day, ‘You don’t want to let us into the playoffs,’” Banks said. “You let us, you don’t know what we can do.”
SPARTANS’ YOUNG STANDOUT
A big reason why Sanford (12-4) has a chance to climb into the top spot in Class AA South has been the play of a freshman.

Sanford’s Mollie Puffer averaged 15.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game as a freshman. Brewster Burns photo
Mollie Puffer has emerged as a nightly double-double candidate for the Spartans, with AA South-leading averages of 15.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game through the first 12 contests. Her most recent game may have been her best; she scored 19 points while pulling down 17 rebounds in a 57-42 victory over Kennebunk.
Puffer has a good offensive game with an ability to both shoot and finish with contact inside, and coach Rossie Kearson said her skill is matched by her tenacity.
“Mollie understands, a lot of the time with her skill set, you can’t shoot it if you don’t get it,” he said. “She’s got the grit and the nose for the basketball, and she knows where to be.”
Mike Mandell of the Morning Sentinel and Drew Bonifant of the Press Herald contributed to this story.
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