YSCC Women's Basketball Elite 8 Quarterfinals Preview

(YSCC) – It's the most wonderful time of the year. No, we're not talking about the holiday season. It's Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) postseason basketball. There's nothing quite like it: the underdog story, the rivalries, the chance at redemption. But who's at the center of it all? The student-athletes on the court. As our teams are getting ready for the quarterfinals, we asked for coaches to reflect on the regular season, evaluate expectations heading into postseason play, and most importantly, speak more about their student-athletes and the contributions they've made for their teams. 

2022 has been no ordinary season, and our coaches were sure to highlight that for us. The 2022 competition was going to be fierce with challenges from COVID-19 rules and restrictions, coaching changes, injuries, and first- and second-year students making up a bulk of team rosters. Coach Katie Stannard of Southern Maine stressed that with a young team and a demanding schedule, the girls "learned how to play together and learned how to win" as a team this season. Coach Andrew Morong of Central Maine noted that the Mustangs fielded the youngest team in the conference this season, with only one returning player. 

Two teams also had to find a rhythm with their coaches. Coach Josh Clemens of Paul Smith's took on "double duty," coaching both the men's and women's basketball teams. Clemens has been the men's coach for the past two seasons, and this was only his first time with the women. Doing a complete 180 with the Bobcats, the women managed to end the season 9-10 overall, having not won a game since December 2018. Coach Heath Cowan of the University of Maine Augusta also stepped up to the plate. His team started the season with a different coach altogether, overcame the obstacle, and rolled with punches. The coaching transition occurred right before conference play, and Cowan says the team "reacted well" to the change.

As is always expected from a highly competitive conference, a conference championship and a chance for a United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national berth are on the line. Central Maine, Southern Maine, UMaine Augusta, NHTI, and Paul Smith's finished the regular season in the top 20 of the USCAA Division II Coaches Poll. 

ELITE 8 SEEDING SHOW

Heading into the postseason, Coach Lauren Stock of Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences notes that "there are always obstacles." Still, her team's priority heading into the weekend "is staying within ourselves. Taking it one game at a time and giving it their all in the game plan to generate success on the court." NHTI Atheltic Director Paul Hogan emphasizes the importance of team health heading into the weekend, stressing the point of playing "in unison to put our best effort forward." Great Bay Herons Coach Brian Scott notes continual improvement for his team. Coaches Morong and Stannard emphasize the need for their teams to play with confidence. Further, Coach Cowan notes the importance of controlling the game's pace for his team to generate success on both ends of the court.

When asked to highlight one or more student-athletes, our coaches shared more than one, focusing on the team. Coach Cowan says it's hard to pick just one player because "everyone contributes in different ways." The YSCC coaches were unanimous in citing the success of the student-athletes in the classroom. Coach Hogan notes that student-athletes Shanowa Brown and Jess Allen compete in multiple sports seasons while also enrolled in NHTI's "very demanding" nursing program, on top of working part-time jobs. Impressive, to say the least. Coach Stannard highlights freshman Hannah Richards, demonstrating a lot of growth and improvement "on and off the floor" for the Seawolves. From Stannard, "[Richards] is finding her voice and really emerging as a leader" as well as performing in the classroom, embodying "the ideal student-athlete." 

Young teams mean young players are stepping up on the court. Coach Scott gives the nod to newcomer Jocelyn Miller, as she's settled into the team and became their "most consistent shooter." Coach Morong gives massive props to first-year guard Emily Strachan for her contributions to the Mustangs as a "tremendous all-around player." Coach Clemens highlights three of the Bobcats freshmen, Jordan Louis, Justice Eleby, and Jayla Gray, the former being "two top-five scorers" and the latter being the team's "defensive anchor." 

More first-year student-athletes noted by coaches include Mustangs' Safena Williams. CMCC Coach Morong calls Williams a "gym rat," always putting in the time and emerging as a leader for the team. Coach Scott of Great Bay commends first-year guard Sydney McCarthy, who has led her team all season while also having "to play out of position" for her team. NHTI's Coach Hogan highlights a recent conference player of the week, Arianna Maxwell. Maxwell averages 11.4 rebounds per game and 13.1 PPG. Coach Cowan of UMA notes the work of his trio of guards, including freshman Taznejia Valencia for the Moose. 

Along with Valencia, Cowan points to the work and contributions of upper-level students. Two other guards, senior Sydney Leblanc and junior Hope Butler contributed significantly to the team. Cowan also credits senior Madeline Suhr for leading "in every statistical category" for the Moose. Coach Scott also notes junior Madison Lovely's works for the Herons "leads the conference in rebounds per game and blocks per game" despite battling injuries throughout the season. Coach Stock noted two players who have stepped up for the Panthers. She notes senior Erica Scholl and junior Clare Snell "are constantly putting in the work to be better players but more importantly working on leading by example and continuing to grow as young adults." 

The YSCC provides its student-athletes with opportunities to play their sport at a high level of competition and grow and develop wholistically at their institutions. Make sure to tune in and support your team as they battle this weekend for a sport in the semi-finals.  

Saturday, 2/19

Great Bay @ Southern Maine, 1 pm

Sunday, 2/20

ACPHS @ UMaine Augusta, 1 pm

Paul Smith's @ NHTI, 2 pm

Central Maine – Bye Week

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You can live stream all the Yankee Small College Conference championship games on our new BlueFrame YSCC Sports Network App. Visit the iOS or Android mobile app store and Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV stores and search YSCC Sports.

Jordyn Kamis, YSCC Intern