Just four boys basketball teams statewide remain undefeated inthe aftermath of the Eastern Maine tournament and this year'srecipients of the William C. Warner Most Valuable Player Award arethe main reasons why.
Seniors Jon McAllian of Bangor, Ryan Martin of Maranacook ofReadfield, Rod Tirrell of Calais and Cameron York of CentralAroostook all played pivotal roles in helping their teams survivethe challenges of regular-season play. They subsequently stood tallwhen postseason existence was on the line, as all four led theirteams to regional titles.
Two MVP recipients, Martin and York, were unanimous choices, withMartin earning the honor in Class B for the second time in threeyears and becoming just the seventh two-time winner in the 14-yearhistory of the award.
York joins Andrew York, Class D Warner Award winner for CentralAroostook in both 2005 and 2006, as one of the few brothercombinations to receive the honor.
The Warner Award, established in 1994 in memory of a formerBangor Daily News sports editor and reporter, and all-tourney teamswere selected by a vote of media, tournament personnel andrepresentatives of the Maine Principals' Association.
McAllian, a 6-foot-5 guard, shot 61 percent from the field andaveraged 12.7 points to lead Bangor to its second consecutive EMtitle. That effort was highlighted by a 17-point game in the finalagainst Edward Little of Auburn, when he made three consecutive 3-pointers to open a third-quarter lead for the Rams that they wereable to maintain en route to a 61-54 victory.
McAllian, who also received the Al Halliday Award as outstandingplayer-sportsman of the Eastern A tournament, was joined on theEastern Maine Class A all-tournament team by Ryan Weston of Bangor,Corey Therriault and Ben Hartnett of Edward Little and Jamie Sawyerof Mt. Blue of Farmington.
Weston, an all-tournament choice for the second straight year,averaged 12 points during the tournament and rose to the forefrontin the championship game, when he scored a team-high 23 points andgrabbed 12 rebounds.
Therriault kept Edward Little close in the EM final with a 27-point performance, and the junior forward averaged 15.3 points pergame. Hartnett led a veteran Red Eddies backcourt with an average of12.3 points an outing, highlighted by 18 points in EL's semifinalwin over Lawrence of Fairfield.
Sawyer was an offensive catalyst for a Mt. Blue team that reachedthe semifinals for the second straight year. The junior guard had 17points in a quarterfinal win over Cony of Augusta, then helped Mt.Blue stay close to Bangor for much of their semifinal thanks to 12points and solid ballhandling.
In Class B, Martin sparked a Black Bears offense that averaged86.5 points in its semifinal and championship game victories. The 5-9 guard scored between 23 and 27 points in each tournament gamewhile shooting 26 for 50 (52 percent) from the field and 16 of 18(89 percent) from the free-throw line.
Joining Martin on the Eastern B all-tournament squad wereMaranacook's Devin Gerrity, Paul Campbell of Camden Hills ofRockport, Derek Libbey of Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln and AdamKingsbury of Presque Isle.
Gerrity set an Eastern B tourney record with 11 3-pointers andshot 79 percent (11 of 14) from beyond the arc. Campbell and Libbeyearned all-tournament honors for the second straight year. Campbellled Camden Hills to a second straight trip to the regional final andscored a team-high 17 points in the final. Libbey shot nearly 50percent (19 of 39) from the field while averaging 23.0 points as theLynx reached the semifinals.
Kingsbury, an honorable mention all-tourney choice in 2006,averaged 23.5 points in two games, including a 31-point outburst ina one-point semifinal loss to Camden Hills.
In Class C, Tirrell was the model of consistency in leadingCalais to its third straight regional title, scoring 22 points inthe quarterfinals and 23 points in both the semifinals andchampionship game. The 6-4 senior forward shot 68 percent (26 of 38)from the field, including 11 of 15 (73 percent) from 3-point land.
With Tirrell on the Eastern C all-tournament team are Sam Bell ofCalais, Luis Medina and Devan Parker of Lee Academy and Mike Lowellof Schenck of East Millinocket.
While Tirrell was the primary finisher for Calais, Bell was theBlue Devils' main creator - an effort highlighted by his 21 pointsand seven assists in the final. An honorable mention all-tourneychoice last winter, Bell shot 53 percent (19 of 36) from the floorfor three games, including 10 of 14 in his team's 77-54 win over Leein the final.
Medina provided a steady perimeter influence for the Pandasduring their postseason run, ranking among the team leaders inrebounds and assists as well as scoring. Parker led Lee inrebounding, including a career-high 18 in the Pandas' semifinalvictory over Schenck, when he added 19 points to lead his team to anarrow victory.
Lowell was named to the all-tourney team for the second straightyear, scoring 16 points in each of the Wolverines' two games andsparking a semifinal comeback against Lee that fell just short.
In Class D, York led Central Aroostook to its third Eastern Mainechampionship in the last four years. The 5-11 guard shot 52 percent(23 of 44) from the field in three games and scored a tournament-high 40 points in the Panthers' semifinal win over Fort Fairfield.In that game, York tied a tournament record by making 17 free throws- in 18 attempts.
York is joined on the Eastern D all-tourney team by CentralAroostook guard Manny Martinez, Woodland guards Chad James and BenSears and Deer Isle-Stonington forward Eben Powers.
Martinez joined York as a double-figure scorer in each of CentralAroostook's three games, and his 3-pointer in overtime gave thePanthers the lead for good against Woodland in the final.
James led Woodland in scoring while shooting 82 percent (23 of28) from the free-throw line in three tourney games. He also playeda key defensive role in limiting 2007 tourney MVP Collin Ciomei tojust four points in the Dragons' semifinal victory over defendingstate champion Deer Isle-Stonington.
Sears nearly matched James' offensive output and also was an ablerebounder for the Dragons. He had 20 points and eight rebounds inthe quarterfinals, then added 16 points in the final.
Powers scored 21 points in each of Deer Isle-Stonington's twotournament games, shooting 81 percent (17 of 21) from the field forthe Mariners.
eclark@bangordailynews.net
990-8045
BDN All-Tourney Teams
Class A
Pos. Name School Yr. Ht. PPG
G Jon McAllian* Bangor Sr. 6-5 12.7
C Ryan Weston Bangor Sr. 6-5 12.0
F Corey Therriault Edward Little Jr. 6-3 15.3
G Ben Hartnett Edward Little Sr. 5-11 12.3
G Jamie Sawyer Mt. Blue Jr. 6-0 14.5
Honorable Mention: Billy Zolper (Bangor), Kyle Philbrook (EdwardLittle), Lee Suvlu (Bangor), Wes Sexton (Lawrence), Adam Bernstein(Bangor)
Class B
Pos. Name School Yr. Ht. PPG
G Ryan Martin* Maranacook Sr. 5-9 25.0
G Derek Libbey Mattanawcook Sr. 6-0 23.0
C Adam Kingsbury Presque Isle Sr. 6-3 23.5
F Devin Gerrity Maranacook Jr. 6-2 15.3
G Paul Campbell Camden Hills Sr. 6-2 10.3
Honorable Mention: Mike Poulin (Maranacook), Will Bardaglio(Maranacook), Brady Vose (Mattanawcook), Christian Pieri (CamdenHills), Alex Goldrup (Medomak Valley)
Class C
Pos. Name School Yr. Ht. PPG
F Rod Tirrell* Calais Sr. 6-4 22.7
G Sam Bell Calais Sr. 5-11 15.0
G Luis Medina Lee Acad. Jr. 6-2 10.7
F Devan Parker Lee Acad. Sr. 6-0 11.4
G Mike Lowell Schenck Sr. 6-2 16.0
Honorable Mention: Cal Shorey (Calais), Hakeem Rodriguez (Lee),Parker Brown (Houlton), Ryan Hill (Houlton), Nick Saunders (GeorgeStevens)
Class D
Pos. Name School Yr. Ht. PPG
G Cameron York* Central Aroostook Sr. 5-11 24.3
G Chad James Woodland Jr. 5-9 17.0
G Manny Martinez Central Aroostook Jr. 5-7 15.7
F Eben Powers Deer Isle-Stonington Jr. 6-0 21.0
G Ben Sears Woodland Jr. 5-11 15.3
Honorable Mention: Logan McCarthy (Central Aroostook), Ryan Noyes(Fort Fairfield), Collin Ciomei (Deer Isle-Stonington), Cody Closson(Fort Fairfield), Kasey Brewer (Central Aroostook)
*Warner Award winners
