Rare is the schoolboy basketball star who twice is named arecipient of the William C. Warner Award as most valuable player ofhis Eastern Maine tournament.
Even rarer is the player honored in back-to-back years whileplaying for two different schools.
In fact, Josh Madden of Calvary Chapel Christian School is thefirst member of that latter category. The 6-foot-1 forward wasrecognized a year ago while leading Bangor Christian to the EasternMaine Class D championship. Now a student at Calvary Chapel, a second-year school based in Orrington, Madden capped off the Sabers' run tosimilar championship glory with a 31-point, 18-rebound effort in theregional final - and for that effort has been named tourney MVP forthe second straight year.
Madden is only the second player since the inception of the Warneraward in 1994 to win two straight MVP titles at any school. SamHenderson of Hodgdon won the honor in both 1995 and 1996.
Joining Madden as 2004 Eastern Maine tournament MVPs are sophomoreforward Mark Socoby of Houlton in Class C and senior guard Matt Donarof Erskine Academy of South China in Class B. Like Madden, bothSocoby and Donar used the versatility within their games to leadtheir teams to EM titles.
The Warner Award was established in 1994 in honor of the late BillWarner, who served as Bangor Daily News sports editor for 17 years.
The Eastern Maine tournament MVPs and NEWS All-Tournament Teammembers are selected by a vote of tournament officials, MainePrincipals' Association members, and members of the media.
CLASS B - Donar led Erskine to its first regional title in boysbasketball since the school opened in 1883, and for his contributionwas named to the NEWS All-Tournament Team for the second straightyear. The 6-foot Donar averaged 17.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.0assists, including 15 points and seven assists as the Eagles defeateddefending state champion Winslow in the EM final.
Donar is joined on the Class B squad by Erskine teammates DarrellHaskell and Josh Jones. Haskell, a 6-3 junior point guard, averaged12 points and six assists during tourney play. He had 18 points,eight assists, and six rebounds in a quarterfinal win over Maranacookof Readfield and 16 points and five assists in the title game.
Jones, a 6-4 junior forward, was named to the team for the secondstraight year. He averaged 14.7 points and six rebounds per game andshot an astounding 81 percent (18 of 22) from the field despitebattling periodic foul trouble.
Adam Duplisea, a 6-3 senior forward, led Hermon to its berth inthe regional final by blending a strong perimeter game with timelywork near the basket. Duplisea averaged 20 points and seven reboundsfor the Hawks, highlighted by a 27-point, nine-rebound effort in aquarterfinal win over Ellsworth.
Junior Matt Carey led Foxcroft Academy to its second straightsemifinal appearance. The son of Foxcroft coach David Carey, Mattaveraged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two tourney games for thetop-ranked Ponies. The 6-3 forward scored 21 points and grabbed sixrebounds in Foxcroft's quarterfinal victory over Presque Isle.
CLASS C - Socoby averaged 18.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, fiveassists, and three blocked shots per game while showing his abilityto play virtually every position on the court. Those skills wereperhaps most noticeable during the fourth quarter of Houlton'schampionship-game victory over Washington Academy, when the 6-6sophomore amassed four points, three assists, two steals, and ablocked shot. For the game, he had 27 points, 12 rebounds, fourassists, and three blocks.
Teammate Dustin Edwards was the Shiretowners' top complementaryscorer, particularly from the perimeter where he made nine of 19attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. The 6-2 senior had five 3-pointers in the regional final and finished the tournament withaverages of 16.7 points and five rebounds.
Washington Academy of East Machias was led to its berth in the EMfinal by the tandem of guard Jared Gray and forward James Ramsdell.Gray, a 5-11 senior who averaged 16.3 points and 6.7 rebounds, scored17 points in the final, including eight over the first 3:39 of thesecond half to rally the Raiders to a six-point lead.
Ramsdell worked the interior for top-seeded Washington Academy,averaging 12.3 points and eight rebounds. He had 16 points and 12boards in a semifinal win over Stearns of Millinocket, including twokey offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter that he converted intobaskets to give the Raiders the lead for good.
Derek DiFrederico, a lightning-quick senior guard, led Stearns toits semifinal berth with a 28-point effort in a quarterfinal victoryover Calais. He followed that up with a 13-point, six-assistperformance in the semifinals against Washington Academy.
CLASS D - Madden was the primary offensive threat for anundefeated Calvary Chapel team that averaged 86 points in threetournament games. The 6-1 senior averaged 30 points and 12.3rebounds, and set Eastern D records for most 3-point goals in a game(seven) and tournament (13). Madden, who made 13 of 25 tries fromlong range overall, helped the Sabers set team marks of 13 3-pointers in a game and 30 in a tournament.
Madden was aided in that long-distance assault by teammate KyleBradford, a 6-foot senior guard who made 12 3-pointers during thetournament, including six in a semifinal win over East Grand ofDanforth. Bradford, an honorable mention all-tourney pick as asophomore playing for Bangor Christian, averaged 17.7 points and fiverebounds for the tournament.
Bradford's younger brother, sophomore point guard Brock Bradford,was the architect of Calvary Chapel's high-scoring attack, as well asthe Sabers' top perimeter defender. Brock Bradford averaged 14points, 9.3 assists, and five rebounds per game, with 20 points, 12assists, and seven rebounds in a quarterfinal victory over Van Buren.
Bryan Grew returns to the All-Tournament Team for the secondstraight year after leading Central Aroostook of Mars Hill to thebrink of an Eastern Maine championship. The 6-foot senior forward had21 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists in the Panthers' overtimeloss to Calvary Chapel in the regional final. For the tournament, heaveraged 22 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists.
Teammate Andrew York, a 6-1 sophomore guard, scored a team-high 22points for Central Aroostook against Calvary Chapel. He also had 20points in the Panthers' semifinal win over Katahdin of Stacyville,and averaged 20.0 points and six rebounds for the tournament.
All-Tourney Teams
Class B
Pos. Name School Yr. Ht. PPG RPG
G Matt Donar* Erskine Academy Sr. 6-0 17.3 4.7
F Adam Duplisea Hermon Sr. 6-3 20.0 7.0
G Darrell Haskell Erskine Academy Jr. 6-3 12.0 4.0
F Josh Jones Erskine Academy Jr. 6-4 14.7 6.0
F Matt Carey Foxcroft Academy Jr. 6-3 14.5 8.5
Honorable Mention: Jesse Keith (Hermon), Erik Lopez (Winslow),Brandon Hall (Foxcroft), Adam Haskell (Winslow), Steve Childs(Erskine)
Class C
Pos. Name School Yr. Ht. PPG RPG
F Mark Socoby* Houlton So. 6-6 18.3 12.7
G Jared Gray Washington Acad. Sr. 5-11 16.3 6.7
F Dustin Edwards Houlton Sr. 6-2 16.7 5.0
F James Ramsdell Washington Acad. Jr. 6-2 12.3 8.0
G Derek DiFrederico Stearns Sr. 5-10 20.5 4.0
Honorable Mention: Whitney Stevens (Washington Academy), MattLeGassey (Stearns), Mark Hanington (Schenck), Jordan Allen (Penquis),Brett Miles (Houlton)
Class D
Pos. Name School Yr. Ht. PPG RPG
F Josh Madden* Calvary Chapel Sr. 6-1 30.0 12.3
F Kyle Bradford Calvary Chapel Sr. 6-0 17.7 5.0
G Brock Bradford Calvary Chapel So. 6-0 14.0 5.0
F Bryan Grew Central Aroostook Sr. 6-0 22.0 10.7
G Andrew York Central Aroostook So. 6-1 20.0 6.0
Honorable Mention: Darius Parker (East Grand), Jason Woodworth(Central Aroostook), Patrick Willett (Katahdin), Jimmy Griffin(Hodgdon), Tyler Gans (Calvary Chapel)
*William C. Warner Award winner
