McDonald's All Star Weekend

In the opening game of the 2020 McDonalds Senior All Star Weekend at Husson University, the North girls representing classes AA, A, and B were victorious over their southern counterparts 95-84.  The North opened up a 45-34 lead after the first half behind the sharp shooting of Silver Clukey of Winslow High School, who drained 4 3-pointers. Paige Espling of Caribou scored 6 of her 7 points in that half.  

In the second half Nina Howe of York HS scored 9 points as the South made runs in an attempt to catch the North, but the northern girls responded to every challenge to win comfortably. Cecelia Dieterich, teammate of Miss Maine Basketball Julia Colby at Oxford Hills, led the North with 22 points. Clukey finished with 18 and Davina Kabantu of Portland HS added 10.

The South was led by Maggie Whitmore of South Portland HS and Brooke Obar of Greely HS, who each scored 15 points. Howe finished with 13 points while Jordan Grant of Gray-New Gloucester HS tallied 11. 

In the second game of the 2020 McDonalds Senior All Star Weekend, the high-scoring South AA/A/B boys defeated the North, 124-99. The South came out firing to open up a 64-49 halftime lead. Leyton Bickford, a 6’5” shooting guard/forward who averaged 19 PPG for Sanford HS, led the South with 11 first half points. Jackson Curtis of Ellsworth HS dropped in 9 points to pace the North in the first half.

The South continued its strong offensive display in the second half and closed out the game with a 60-53 second half for the victory.

The South was led by Mr. Maine Basketball finalist Logan Bagshaw, a 6’3” guard from Greely HS, who scored 20 points. Maxwell Murray of Kennebunk and Geremi Baez of South Portland HS each scored 19, while Bickford finished with 17. State Foul Shooting Champion Will MacDonald from York HS added 16 points and South Portland’s Pamba Pamba dropped in 11.

Curtis finished with 15 points on 5 three pointers to lead the North offense. Scoring 13 points each were Parker Deprey of Caribou HS and Mr. Maine Basketball Bryce Lausier of Hampden Academy. Other players scoring in double figures for the South were Max Cresser of Edward Little HS and Owen Williams of Maine Central Institute, who each scored 11.

The North C/D Boys All-Stars opened the afternoon session of the 2020 McDonald All-Star Games with a 101-83 victory over the South. The North jumped out to a 53-42 halftime using a balanced scoring attack, with no player scoring more than 7 points. Hall-Dale’s Patrick Rush tallied 10 first-half points for the South. 

The North outscored the South 48-41 in the second half to extend their lead. Leading the North in scoring was Brayden Bradbury, a 6’2” guard from Central Aroostook HS, who scored 16 points. Woodland High School guard/forward Chris Plissey was right behind him with 15 points, including three 3-point baskets. Jace Rocheleau of Fort Kent HS scored 13 points and also in double figures was Adam Robinson of Jonesport-Beals HS with 10 points.

North Yarmouth Academy’s all-time leading scorer Te’Andre King, a 6’4” power forward, led the South All-Stars with 17 points. Rush finished with 14 points and Hunter Crocker of Boothbay Regional HS chipped in with 10.

In the final game of the 2020 McDonalds Senior All-Stars, the North made it 3 out of 4 wins over the South as the C/D North girls won by a score of  67-54. The girls in gold took and early advantage, leading 29-22 at halftime. Makaelyn Porter of Southern Aroostook HS led the North in that stanza with 8 points. 

The North continued to play well and extend their lead in the second have to win by 13 points. Leading the way for the North with 12 points was Katherine Alley, a 5’7” point guard from Stearns HS in Millinocket. Kaci Alley, a 5’6” Center for Narraguagus HS, scored 10 pts. Despite her relatively small stature, Kaci averaged 18.6 points and 12.8 rebounds per game during the regular season. Porter finished with 10 points.

Greenville High School’s 5’11 center Halle Pelletier led the South with 12 points. Katie Worthen , a 5’7” forward from Madison HS scored 11 points. 5’10” Forward/Center Libby Clement from the Monmouth Academy Mustangs, scored 9 points.

The game concluded a special weekend of camaraderie and friendly competition. 100% of the net proceeds will directly benefit the children and families served by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine.

Bryce Lausier and Julia Colby have been named Mr. & Miss Maine basketball for 2020. The announcement was made at the McDonalds Senior All Star Banquet at the Anah Shrine Hall in Bangor, Maine on March 6th. Lausier, a 6'4" guard for Hampden Academy in Bangor, averaged 27.7 points, 5 assists, and 8 rebounds per game for the Broncos in his senior year. He was also the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Player of the year for 2019-20.

Lausier led Hampden to a 17-1 regular-season record and the top Heal Point seeding in Class A North. For his performance in the team's Northern title run, Bryce was named the outstanding player-sportsman of the regional tournament. He went on to score 23 points in the state championship game as Hampden Academy defeated York High School 65-56. 

Colby, a 6'6" point guard for Oxford Hills High School, averaged 17.4 points, 3.1 assists, 3.6 steals, and 4.8 rebounds per game in her senior season. She was named a KVAC First Team All Conference All-Star and the Class AA North Player of the Year after while leading the Vikings to a 17-1 regular season record. The Viking senior led her team to Class AA state championships in her junior and senior years. 

Colby was selected the outstanding player of the regional tournament for the second straight season in leading the Vikings to the AA North Championship. She then scored a game-high 22 points as Oxford Hills defeated South Portland 49-38 in the state final, their second straight state championship. She plans to attend New York Institute of Technology in the fall to study nursing and play basketball.

Peyton Grant and Will MacDonald captured the 2020 MABC State Free Throw Shooting Championships at Husson University on March 7th. The competition took place prior to the Senior All-Star Games during McDonalds All Star Weekend. Grant, who was also the 2019 state champion, equaled her 2019 total by sinking 49 of 50 shots. The Dexter High School junior had made all 50 of her shots at the regional championship. Also competing in the state championship were regional champions Faith Sjoberg of Presque Isle HS, Courtney Rollins of Carrabec HS, and Carolyn Clement of Greely HS.

MacDonald, a 6'4" senior guard at York High School and McDonalds All Star, dropped in 47 of 50 of his shots to claim the boys' championship. Other regional champions who competed in the festivities were Dalson Watson of Fort Fairfield High School. Caleb Crocker of Foxcroft Academy, and Forest Hills High School's Mason Desjardins.

Congratulations to all the competitors for their outstanding marksmanship, good spirit, and regional championships.