The Lady Seahawks basketball program hosted the third annual Boothbay Lobster Jam on July 19 and 20. Teams competing included Boothbay, Cape Elizabeth, Cheverus, Foxcroft Academy, Gray-New Gloucester, Kennebunk, Lincoln Academy, Poland, Schenck, Spruce Mountain, Westbrook and Woodsville (New Hampshire).

The field was divided into three pools with each team playing three games. Three pool winners and one wild card team squared off in a single elimination “Final Four” bracket. The “Final Four” included Cape Elizabeth, Cheverus, Spruce Mountain, and Woodsville, N.H.

In the championship game, Cheverus edged Spruce Mountain, 55-50, in a physical game that featured multiple lead changes and was only a one-point game with under 30 seconds to play. The Lady Stags were able to hold on though, making a couple key plays to take home the championship.

Cheverus’ Jess Willerson was named the tourney most valuable player. The 6-foot-3-inch Willerson proved to a force throughout the tourney, recording a double-double in points and rebounds in each of her five games in the tourney.

The Lobster Jam also featured a Skills Competition relay, similar to the event held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. Players were asked to dribble through obstacles, successfully pass a ball through a target, make a free throw, make a 3-point shot, and dribble the length of the floor for a lay-up in the shortest possible time. Nicole Hamblin of Spruce Mountain took the crown finishing with the fastest time of 27.57 seconds.

The tourney was a smash hit with players, coaches and fans. Many thanks go out to the parents and student volunteers who helped organize and run the event. The Lobster Jam is a huge fundraiser for the Lady Seahawks program.

We received many contributions from local businesses and townspeople and would like to thank the following: Andrews Harborside, Coastal Maine Popcorn, Grover’s Hardware, Hannaford, The Lobster Dock, Boothbay Region Ambulance Service, Eddie Tibbetts and the lobstermen of Atlantic Edge, Dave Bean and the lobstermen of Bristol Lobster, Hugh Thompson and the lobstermen of Robinson’s Wharf, Douglas Carter and the lobstermen of Sea Pier, P.T.A., Boothbay Region High School Boosters Club, the YMCA and Channel 7.

Special thanks go out to Eric Dunton for setting up both gyms and being on call all day.