Rangeley counts on its starting five to get the job done.
By Kevin Mills
Staff Writer

AUGUSTA – Two players often come to mind when you talk about the Rangeley girls’ basketball team, but this season, opponents have been forced to recognize a few other names.

Most have heard of Sarah Schrader and Krysteen Romero, but there are three other key starters to this year’s regional championship team. Rosie LaPointe, Sabrina Clark and Justine Frost-Kolva have played a major hand in the Lakers’ unbeaten season.

“They all have different roles,” said Rangeley coach Heidi Deery, whose team plays Lee Academy in Saturday’s Class D state championship game at the Augusta Civic Center. “Some nights it’s Rosie. Some nights it’s Justine. Some nights it’s Sabrina.”

“What makes us dangerous is you can never count those three out. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a five offensively that was this potentially threatening. There’s a potential that all five can contribute, and that’s a good feeling.”

LaPointe was the only one who started last year. When the Lakers graduated Sarah Drosdik and Alicia Frost-Kolva and Katie Drosdik didn’t return, there were key voids to fill.

“There was no one else to really step up,” said Frost-Kolva. “We only had one senior and we’re a junior-oriented team. So I definitely felt like I had to step up and fill my sister’s shoes.”

Schrader and Romero were big targets for the opposition. So the Lakers were determined to be more balanced.

“We knew we needed depth,” said LaPointe. “We didn’t want teams to feel like they could shut Krysteen down or shut Sarah down. We had to have another alternative. When they shut them down, we learned to shoot, and we learn to make it. We stepped up our games a lot because we knew that would be their game plan.”

In last week’s tournament that was obvious. Clark hit some huge outside shots in the win over Valley and Waynflete. Frost-Kolva also helped inside on the boards. LaPointe helped deliver the ball and was the team’s defensive “pit bull” as Deery describes her.

“It would be Romero and it would Schrader (without that balance),” said Deery. “I don’t want to be one or two dimensional. We’ve got to come at them five different ways, and we’ve got to be able to do it. These guys have really answered the call as far as believing that they can contribute.”

LaPointe started last year and handled some point guard chores. She was a strong defensive player and could chip in with some offense. This year she took those assets to new levels. She plays with greater confidence and authority.

Frost-Kolva came off the bench and hit some shots last year, but she’s a more consistent threat and has elevated her role inside, helping Romero on the boards.

“I had some pressure on me,” said Frost-Kolva. “It wasn’t from the coach but pressure I put on myself. There was really a lot of stress sometimes, but I tried to be open-minded.”

Clark, the team’s only senior, also came off the bench last year and chipped in occasionally. Deery told her she needed to improve her defensive game to earn minutes. She’s worked her way into the starting lineup and has become a real outside threat to compliment her solid defensive game. She had a career-high 16 points against Valley.

“Last year, I didn’t play a lot,” said Clark. “I knew that this was my year to step up and show everybody what I was all about.”