Members of the 2015-16 Highview Christian Academy Knights. From left to right: Senior Captain Rachel Pomerleau, Brianna Viera, Captain Cassidy Burns, Cassidy Lessner and Head Coach Mike Rowe.
Charleston- The Highview Christian Academy Knights girls varsity basketball team is coming off a one win season in 2014-15, but Head Coach/Athletic Director Mike Rowe is confident in a turn around coming into this season. This will be the first year for the Knights in Class D South for basketball with the tournament to be held at the Augusta Civic Center in February. I sat down with Coach Rowe and a few of his players on Thursday afternoon to talk about his team.
Challenges: “Bringing a whole bunch of girls together, that don’t have a whole lot of experience playing together. We have three tranfers that came from a different school that we have to mesh into the team. We have a lack of experience that we have to overcome, we also show a lack of confidence at times, that we need to also overcome, so that’s a big challenge. If things like that come together, we are gonna be a good team”.
Expectations: “We have one goal, going to the ACC, that’s our goal going to the Augusta Civic Center, we aren’t gonna accept anything less.”
Key returning players: Kelsea McDonald, Megan McDonald, Brianna Viera, Rachel Pomerleau. Kelsea McDonald averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds while her sister Megan McDonald averaged 8 points and 5 rebounds and 2 steals as a freshman. Viera is in just her second year of playing the game of basketball and the Knights are getting her back just in time for Friday’s home opener after suffering a broken finger. Pomerleau, a senior captain is in her third year with the program, and is a great defender and rebounder and also just realizing what a good offensive threat she is as well.
Keys games on schedule: North Haven at home Friday and Saturday 12/4 and 12/5, 12/8 at Augusta Civic Center vs Forest Hills, 12/19 home vs Shead, 1/18 home vs Woodland, 1/20 at Shead, 1/25 at Woodland, 1/29 home vs Forest Hills
Coach Rowe also mentioned that the Highview girls basketball program (which has been off and on since 1996) has never made the tournament and their best finish has been 8-9 but Rowe believes that is about to change. The success of the Knights softball team last spring in making the postseason and winning a game in the playoffs after being 0-9 the year before then carried over to the soccer fields where the girls went 5-7 and narrowly missed making the Class D playoffs as compared to 3-11 the year before. Several of the girls played on both the softball and soccer teams and that has rolled over and helped their confidence on the basketball floor. “The girls have gotten a taste of success and now they want more, they don’t wanna settle for being middle of the road anymore, we wanna make the tournament”, Rowe said.
Three transfer players from Central of East Corinth also hope to make a big difference for the Knights. Sophomores Cassidy Burns (also a team captain), Cassidy Lessner and junior Kelsi Upham all played for the Class C Devils (now B) last season. Lessner said on her transfer to a new school and new team, “I think mainly having Brianna Skolfield last year helping me, made me a stronger player. And although I don’t exactly have the height that some teams have, it’s gonna be hard to matchup, but it’s definitely made me tougher and able to play against players bigger and stronger than me”. Skolfield was a 1,000 point scorer for the Red Devils in her 4 year career. Burns said,”What has been a challenge for me coming in is playing with new girls cause Cassidy and I have played with the same people since 3rd grade. So coming in and adjusting it’s been a little tough, but we have adjusted and it’s gone very well”. Coach Rowe added, “I believe the girls we got from Central are gonna make a huge impact. They got some good training there, but I believe they are gonna blossom here. I think they are gonna become stars, because they are gonna get the opportunity. Where they were just a number there, they are the players here in our program”.
The Knights were supposed to have a brand new gymnasium ready for the start of basketball season but unfortunately some problems with sprinkler systems delayed the opening until next season. Home games will be played at the UMaine-Augusta campus in Bangor at the Fitness Center located on Taft Street. Eastern Maine Sports will be providing scores and recaps of the team all season long. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We will also be doing some live audio podcasts of a couple games and information about that will also be provided from the Highview Athletics Facebook and webpages.
