BANGOR — For 2 gamers hoping to obtain prime honors on the Maine Affiliation of Basketball Coaches awards banquet, their paths there couldn’t have been a lot totally different.
Gardiner’s Lizzy Gruber, the tallest of her friends ever since she was little, has been a standout on the courtroom for a few years. For Thornton Academy’s Will Davies, although, the highway to each of these issues – a extra preferrred body for the game and success on the ground – took a bit longer.
Each had been rewarded Friday with the state’s prime particular person prizes, as Gruber acquired the Miss Maine Basketball award and Davies was named the Mr. Maine Basketball winner.
Davies is the primary Thornton Academy participant to win Mr. Basketball, and he and his father, Thornton Coach Bob Davies, are the primary father-son duo to win the award. Bob Davies gained in 1994 for Outdated Orchard Seashore Excessive.
“It’s only a nice honor,” Davies stated. “Simply to have the ability to be right here on this constructing, it’s wonderful. You consider all the nice basketball gamers on this state who’ve gained this, and also you’re capable of stroll throughout that stage and be part of that. It’s actually cool.”
Gruber, the Kennebec Valley Athletic Convention Participant of the Yr, averaged 20.7 factors, 15.7 rebounds and 5.6 blocks per sport to steer Gardiner to an ideal common season and 20-1 total mark. The 6-foot-4 senior reached the 1,000 mark in profession factors and rebounds this season, capping an illustrious highschool profession for the St. Joseph’s College-bound senior. Gardiner was 67-11 in Gruber’s profession, going undefeated at house.
Gruber beat out fellow finalists Sierra Carson of Oxford Hills and Elise MacNair of Outdated Orchard Seashore. The three have been AAU teammates for years, and the award, Gruber stated, was one thing that basically belongs to all of them somewhat than her alone.
“When it got here out that the three of us had been the finalists, we texted one another immediately,” Gruber stated. “It was a win-win-win state of affairs; there was no means we may lose from there. These are my ride-or-dies, and I truthfully do consider it as a three-way tie. It’s nice to go down in Maine basketball historical past collectively.”
Davies, stood simply 5-3 his freshman 12 months and performed on Thornton Academy’s freshman workforce. Then his sophomore season was truncated by the pandemic.
By the beginning of his junior 12 months, although, Davies had grown to his present peak of 6-3. He shortly emerged because the star of final 12 months’s Thornton workforce, averaging 17.6 factors, 5.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists to set the stage for a senior season wherein he may really shine.
Davies improved his averages to roughly 20 factors, eight rebounds and 7 assists as Thornton went 17-4 and completed because the runner-up in Class AA South. Within the South semifinals, he made a buzzer-beater towards Bonny Eagle that, although controversial, will without end be an all-time match second.
“My junior 12 months was undoubtedly an enormous adjustment for me,” Davies stated. “My freshman 12 months, I used to be so little and didn’t play varsity, and my sophomore 12 months, we had COVID, and I got here off the bench. I had two nice leaders, Dylan Griffin and Payton Jones, who helped me turn out to be a frontrunner myself. I owe lots to them and my coaches.”
In his speech, Davies referred to as having the ability to share the stage with fellow finalists Silvano Ismail of Cheverus and Brady Saunders of Brewer “an award in and of itself.” He thanked everybody from his coaches and teammates to his mother and father, drawing a chuckle from the viewers as he talked about his mother and pop’s numerous stays at motels.
Gruber’s speech was written not simply from her personal perspective but additionally from these of Carson and MacNair. She hardly ever spoke of her personal accomplishments, as a substitute deflecting credit score for her success as a participant to her teammates, coaches and group, whether or not in Gardiner, on the AAU circuit or elsewhere.
“That’s simply who she is,” stated lately retired Gardiner coach Mike Grey. “All the pieces she’s ever accomplished has been about what her workforce wants or what she will do to make her teammates higher. For her to get this recognition, I’m thrilled for her.”
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