HALLOWELL — There’s no championship rust for the Hall-Dale girls basketball team.

Nearly a year after winning the program’s first Class C title since 2011, the Bulldogs are 7-0 to start the 2022-2023 season and sit atop the Class C South standings. Hall-Dale has dominated the Mountain Valley Conference competition on both sides of the floor. In the first seven games, the Bulldogs have averaged 73.4 points per game offensively, while allowing just 29.4 points per game on defense. The average margin of victory between Hall-Dale and its opponents is 44 points.

“I’m very happy (with the start),” said junior guard Hayden Madore. “This year, I came into it kind of thinking it was a rebuilding year. We lost seniors and (looked to gain) that leadership back. But I think we’re doing a really good job and just keep going and stay positive, that’s the biggest thing.”

“The offense takes care of itself,” Hall-Dale head coach O.J. Jaramillo added. “Defensively, we’re young, and sometimes we can be timid and we’re trying to work on that. We’re trying to work on a lot of ball pressure. Last year, we were man-on, full court (press). It wasn’t so much a trap team, we just wanted to pressure quicker. This year, we’re changing some stuff up. We’ve got some traps in there, we’ve got some zones. We’re throwing some new things at them. And 35 is our number, we don’t want anyone scoring more than 35 (points per game).”

The Bulldogs have reached that goal in four of their seven games.

After a perfect 22-0 season a year ago, capped by a 57-42 win over Stearns in the Class C title game, the Bulldogs entered a transition period. Hall-Dale graduated six players from its title team, including standout guard KK Wills.

This season, the Bulldogs have just two seniors on the Hall-Dale roster — guard Rita Benoit, as well as guard Amanda Trepanier, an MVC second team all-star selection a season ago.

“We lost six seniors, four that started,” Jaramillo said. “For the underclassmen, I call them underclassmen, the juniors, it’s the first time they’re running the offense. Some of the other teams we’re playing against (require) girls that know how to step up and break the press, girls that have to step up and recognize what defense (the opponent) is doing so we know what offense to run. These girls are now really starting to get things figured out. We’re five, six, seven games in. They’re starting to figure these things out. Some of these girls are getting in (new) roles and are getting more comfortable.”

Madore said she’s been impressed with the team’s offensive play early on.

“Last year, we were very transition based. This year, we’re transition based first, but our offensive sets are working much better,” Madore said. “Our post (players) are getting more involved, which is great. They’re getting in and out and back in (plays). We’re finishing, which is always a positive.”

“Our transition has been really good,” added junior center KJ Greenhalgh. “When it’s working, it’s really working and is fun to be a part of. We’ve really come far with that.”

Hall-Dale has also been able to get several players some valuable varsity roster minutes. In the Bulldogs’ latest victory, a 72-11 win over Wiscasset on Saturday, four different players — Madore (11), Greenhalgh (10), Marie Benoit (12) and Aubrey Gilbert (11) — all scored double-digit points. Everyone, from starters to backups, got significant minutes, a move the team hopes will give needed depth come tournament time.

“It’s awesome,” Greenhalgh said. “The girls who are getting in who might not get much time now, are the girls that’ll be leading the program eventually. It’s really important to include and incorporate everyone so that everyone gets used to the style of play. It’s really fun to see, because those are the girls that are going to lead when we’re gone.”

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