Skowhegan’s Jaycie Christopher, middle, draws four Messalonskee defenders during a game last season in Skowhegan. Michael G. Seamans/Morning Sentinel
SKOWHEGAN — The last two seasons, the Skowhegan girls basketball team had a fatal flaw.
The team had an all-star player in Jaycie Christopher, on her way to becoming arguably the state’s best player, but there was a drop-off. The River Hawks were young, inexperienced, and unaccustomed to big roles.
And it was something that coach Mike LeBlanc knew was going to have to be different this season.
“This is all about her supporting cast,” he said on Nov. 29. “If we’re able to shoot the ball with any consistency, that’ll help (Christopher). If we’re not, we’ll be in the same boat we have been for the last two years.”
Fast forward through the first three games of the regular season, and the River Hawks have been answering the call. They’re 3-0, averaging 73 points per game and winning them by an average of 40.3 points. The latest win was 78-33 over Messalonskee on Friday, and Eagles coach Keith Derosby was quick with his answer when asked if the River Hawks were looking deeper than they used to.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “Those other kids really are playing well around her. They know their spacing, they know how to work with her, they know how to help her out when she needs it, not that she needs it. They understand where they can be to contribute.”
Friday night looked more like previous years, with Christopher accounting for nearly half her team’s points with 38, but that hasn’t been the story of the season. Junior Callaway LePage, who had 13 points Friday, was the leading scorer in a 73-45 win over Brewer and a 68-20 victory over Mt. Blue, and players like Maddy Morris (eight points Friday), Annabelle Morris (five) and Aryana Lewis (seven) have stepped up to turn the River Hawks into one of A North’s best offensive teams.
Skowhegan’s Callaway LePage, left, goes up for a shot as MCI’s Natalie Sites defends during a game last season in Skowhegan. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
“Most definitely,” LeBlanc said. “We’ve seen the zones, we’ve seen that we’re able to knock down shots, so it’s going to give other teams something to think about. Now we have a few more kids that are stepping up offensively.”
“We have a lot of athletic kids, (and) we returned most of the kids from last year,” Christopher said. “Last year, we just wanted to kind of build for this year, and figure out how everybody fits together and how we can play together to win.”
The big word after the game Friday night was “confidence.” Skowhegan, still a young team with only two seniors, had the talent in previous years but the players supporting Christopher lacked the conviction to pull the trigger if the ball came to them.
“I think this year, everyone’s put in the work in the offseason to really come back,” LePage said. “Last year, I think the confidence wasn’t there. But this year, we’re all confident. And this summer helped a lot. We played all together this summer, I think that’s what really built us.”
“We talk about it all the time,” Christopher said. “If you’re open, you’ve got to have the confidence to shoot it. A lot of teams, if they help hard off you and you get a wide-open shot, you’ve just got to knock it down.”
Skowhegan’s Annabelle Morris, left, draws MCI defenders, including Hannah Robinson, during a game last season in Skowhegan. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
One of the big developments in Skowhegan’s quest for depth has been the emergence of LePage, who finishes well under the basket and who, along with Christopher, keys the River Hawks’ fast break.
“I personally have been running on transition a lot, getting ahead of the ball, looking for the pass ahead,” LePage said. “I’ve been realizing that I’m not going to be the biggest girl in the division or league, but I need to act like the biggest girl. I think my outside game has gotten better too, it’s not just layups.”
LePage said she’s seen more engagement from her teammates as well.
“They do well on off-ball movement, so they get themselves open,” she said. “They’re not just standing there and waiting for the pass, either a kick-out from me or a pass from Jay. They know where to go on the outside (so) they’ll be ready for a shot.”
With the offensive depth developing, Skowhegan’s showing it could be with the Gardiners and the Lawrences as the A North race heats up.
“Our goal is to get better every day, to see improvements so that we’re playing our best basketball in February,” Christopher said. “So whatever that might look like, the goal is always to win a championship.”
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