Lawrence seniors Nia Irving and Dominique Lewis are among 10 semifinalists for Miss Maine Basketball, given annually to the top senior basketball player in the state.

Irving and Lewis have led the defending Class A champions to a 20-0 record. The Bulldogs play No. 2 Messalonskee in the Class A North final on Friday at 1:05 p.m.

Lawrence senior Nia Irving was named a semifinalist for the Miss Maine Basketball award. Staff photo by David Leaming

Lawrence senior guard Dominique Lewis looks for the ball during a game against Messalonskee this season. Lewis was named a semifinalist for the Miss Maine Basketball award. Staff file photo by Michael G. Seamans

Irving, a 6-foot-1 center, a four-time Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Player of the Year recipient, was the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior.

“I’m really glad Domi and I get to be chosen for such an award,” Irving said. “It’s an honor just to be chosen as a semifinalist.”

Lewis, a 5-foot-5 guard, is a KVAC all-star who has scored over 1,000 points in her career at Lawrence.

“It’s an honor, of course,” Lewis said. “It’s such a huge award. And for me and Nia (to be semifinalists), it’s just amazing.”

“That’s quite an honor for both Nia and Domi,” Lawrence coach John Donato added. “Domi’s our point guard and runs the show. Nia’s our rebounder and our scorer. Both of them are well-deserved. But they’re more concerned about winning the next game than they are the accolades.”

The eight other semifinalists are: Maddie Hasson of South Portland; Shannon Todd and Chloe Smedley of York; Emily Jacques of Edward Little; Jess Willerson of Catherine McAuley; Tianna Sugars of Oxford Hills and Kelsey Shaw and Sierra Tapley of Mount Desert Island.

Ten Mr. Basketball semifinalists were also announced on Wednesday: Nick Gilpin of Hampden Academy; Andrew Fleming of Oxford Hills; Matt Pushard of Brewer; Riley Robinson of Dirigo; Thomas Coyne of Falmouth; Amir Moss of Portland; Shyheim Ulrickson of Mt. Ararat; Jackson Lesure of Lake Region and Donovan Savage of Caribou; Nicholas DePatsy of Medomak.

The candidates will be narrowed down to three finalists and the winners announced at the Maine McDonald’s All-Star Banquet in Bangor on March 11.

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The rosters for the Maine McDonald’s All-Star teams were announced Wednesday and they included a number of area seniors.

Among the girls, Irving and Lewis of Lawrence and Mt. Blue’s Caitlin Kane were named to the Class AA/A/B North. Carrabec’s Mikayla Willette, Madison’s Kayla Bess, Hall-Dale’s Dani Sweet, Rangeley’s Blayke Morin, Monmouth’s Sidney Wilson and Haley West, and Linda Riley of Forest Hills were named to the C/D South all-star team. Rangeley’s Heidi Deery will serve as a coach.

C/D South boys all-stars include: Winthrop’s Anthony Owens; Madison’s Chase Malloy; and Valley’s Cody Laweryson and Luke Malloy. Jason Furbush of Madison and Luke Hartwell of Valley were named coaches.

The 2016 Maine McDonald’s all-star games are March 12 at Husson University’s Newman Gymnasium. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for children. Tickets are good for all four games, along with the slam dunk and free throw contests. All net proceeds benefits the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine. Games start at 9:15 a.m. with the girls AA/A/B game.

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With Wednesday’s 55-47 loss to Messalonskee in the semifinals, Gardiner’s first season back in the Class A tournament ended one round sooner than its last season in the Class B tournament. But the Tigers should be sticking around for a while.

Gardiner graduates two senior reserves, forwards Heidi Owen and Nichole Parlin, but will still have plenty of ammunition for another run in Class A North, which could be more competitive next year.

“We’ll have all of our starters back, so we’re looking forward to getting back to work and getting back here next year and hopefully going deeper,” Gardiner coach Mike Gray said. “Next year could be wide open with (Lawrence seniors) Nia Irving and Domi Lewis gone.”

Wednesday’s starting five of current juniors Lauren Chadwick, Mary Toman and Leah Weymouth and sophomores Logan Granholm and Leslie Stevens should be back next year after leading the Tigers to a 15-5 record.

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