Cony grad Josie Lee is still making a major contribution to the Tufts women’s basketball team, which is ranked fifth in the country in the latest poll. The Jumbos are 24-1 heading into Saturday’s New England Small College Athletic Conference semifinal against Williams.
Tufts finished 30-3 last season, but most of Lee’s on-court time was in practice. She was a freshman, and over those 33 games she played a total of 77 minutes, averaging 0.6 points per game.
This winter, Lee’s playing time has increased as the season has gone on, and she’s playing her most minutes in close games. In a 73-66 win over Hamilton earlier this month, Lee had career highs of 26 minutes and 11 points. In back-to-back wins over Regis and Babson in January, she had a total of nine assists.
Lee is one of only five Tufts players to see action in all 25 games. She’s currently averaging 4.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. She’s also averaging 19.8 minutes per night, and is often the second player off the bench for the Jumbos — not bad for a player whose apprentice was to sit and watch last season.
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Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Southern Maine Community College qualified for the USCAA Division II national tournament, which begins March 5 in Uniontown, Pa. Both teams also feature one local player in their starting lineups.
The SMCC men are the No.1 seed in the nationals, and will enter the tournament with a record of 23-3. Two of those three losses were in overtime — one to No. 3 Central Penn College, and another to the College of St. Joseph’s of Rutland, Vt., the sixth seed.
Sophomore Jordan DeRosby, a 5-foot-10 guard and Waterville graduate, has started 25 games for the Seawolves, and was even mentioned in the official selection show broadcast on the USCAA’s web site. DeRosby is averaging 7.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and a team-high 3.0 assists per game.
SMCC opens the tournament with a game at 5:30 p.m., on March 5, against one of three possible opponents.
The SMCC women are the No. 6 seed in their bracket, and take on third-ranked Central Penn College at 4 p.m. on March 5. The Seawolves are 20-8, and on Sunday, lost by five points to No. 1 seed the College of St. Joseph’s.
Jaimi Poland, a Skowhegan grad, is averaging 6.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. Poland is a 5-foot-8 senior forward and co-captain.
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The University of Maine at Farmington Nordic Skiing teams have qualified for United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association national championships.
Google maps estimates the trip to get there at 10 hours and 30 minutes. By plane.
The USCAA Nationals are being held March 1-7 at Mount Bachelor in Bend, Ore. On the women’s side, Emily Ramsey, Ellie Pinto, and Alisha Labbe are making the trip. The Beavers finished fourth at the regional championships. Ramsey stood out at the regionals last week in Vermont, placing sixth out of 30 racers in both the 8.5 interval start and the 0.8K sprint qualifier. Ramsey took fourth in the 15K mass skate.
Bryce Neal and Joshua Richards are representing the UMF men after qualifying as individuals.
The races will be live-streamed on the USCSA’s broadcasting network.
Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
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