GMS basketball teams wrapped up their seasons, with seventh graders gaining valuable experience and eighth graders looking forward to bringing their skills to the high school next year.
7th Grade Girls’ Basketball:
The 7th grade girls, coached by Lisa Curley, had a fast and furious season of basketball ending with a record of 10-2. This group of girls has been coached by Dean Walker in their travel league and they play an aggressive but patient style of ball.
Curley said, “We had a great run with Scarborough as we played them three times this season. Our first game was snowed out twice, so the first time we saw them was in their holiday tournament.” The girls beat Scarborough by one point 33-32, taking second place in the tournament. When the Scarborough team came to GMS, they got redemption in an exciting OT game beating the Lady Rams 38-34. In the final meeting at Scarborough, the Gorham girls came away with the 34-27 win.
The only other loss this season was to Westbrook when four players were out sick.
“The girls were top notch in treating all of the players on this team with respect and compassion. On and off the court they worked hard,” Curley said. Offensive players to keep an eye on are Vanessa Walker, Piper Forgues, Julia Reed, Hadley Foster and Payton Thibodeau. There also was a strong cast of defensive players led by Kat LaPierre and Lily Tukey.
8th Grade Girls’ Basketball:
The 8th grade team included Julia Wareham, Makayla Quintal, Caroline Morrell, Andi Cloutier, Summer Gammon, Amber Bretton, Kalin Curtis, Marrissa Reno, Sophia DiPhillipo, Ellie Gay, Grace Desmond, Claire Boudreau, and Brooke Farquhar.
“The future for this group looks very bright because all of the girls contributed to the success of the team,” Coach Bob Gould shared. He went on to say there was a good balance of scoring, rebounding, ball handling, and defense within the group that led to a very satisfying year.
The team finished the regular season with 10 wins and two losses.
Gould is proud of his team, and while he doesn’t like to “point out individuals because it is all about the team,” he feels they will be exciting to watch at the high school level.
Finally, Gould added, “Let me also say that this group of girls are keeping up the tradition here in Gorham of not only being good athletes, but also great kids.”
7th Grade Boys’ Basketball:
“The 2019-2020 seventh grade basketball season got off to a slow start as the team battled injuries to a couple top players, Wyatt Nadeau and Owen Spera. Jack Karlonas and Mason Finck did a great job of stepping up in their absence shouldering more offensive responsibilities while Griffin Gammon and Andre Dube anchored the defense,” Coach David Willis said.
With the return of Spera and Nadeau, the boys began to gel, finishing the season with a six game winning streak, and ending the year on a high note. Willis said throughout the season Lucas Legage and Jack Adams provided a strong back court with a scoring punch. Jeff Legere and Reichen Albert made countless big plays that helped determine the outcome of games.
“Casey Skolfield was the perfect glue guy willing to play any role to help the team succeed and always quick to provide the boys with a laugh,” Willis added.
8th Grade Boys’ Basketball:
Coach Eric Lelansky said, “The 8th grade boys started their season with five straight wins capped by a narrow three point win at Lyman Moore that led them into the holiday break on a high.”
The team participated in the Scarborough Holiday Hoops tournament and was able to win all five of the games played. The boys were crowned champions after a hard fought victory in the championship game against Bonny Eagle.
Lelansky said the team continued its success in the second half of the season, finishing with an impressive 13-4 record. “Gorham 8th grade boys were a very hard working and well-rounded team from top to bottom,” Lelansky said.
Players to watch in high school include Ashton Leclerc, Caden Smith and Gabe Michaud.