There were only five girls basketball coaches in the state who celebrated a win in their final tournament game this season, so it’s understandable Monmouth Academy coach Scott Wing didn’t jump for joy when his Mustangs were eliminated in the Class C South semifinals.

Upon further reflection, though, it was a pretty good season for the Mustangs.

“Overall, any time you go 18-3 it was obviously a decent season,” Wing said.

Wing just completed his fifth year as head coach and the Mustangs have shown steady improvement under his guidance, Last year they went 11-8 and the future looks promising since many of this year’s players are returning.

“We’ve been kind of building toward this situation,” Wing said. “I’ve worked with this sophomore group since they were in kindergarten.”

For his efforts Wing has been selected Kennebec Journal Girls Basketball Coach of the Year. Also considered were Richmond coach Mike Ladner and Gardiner coach Mike Gray.

The Mustangs, who field a small overall lineup, continued to launch three-point shots this season — they had the top two long-range shooters in the Mountain Valley Conference — but not at the expense of getting the ball inside.

“We did start to get the ball inside a little more,” Wing said. “We weren’t getting to the foul line enough.”

Wing said as a general philosophy he and his assistant coaches teach defensive concepts and skills first. But he admits a love of offense, too.

“I’m probably more of an offensive coach,” he said. “I’ve never told a kid not to shoot.”

Senior Sidney Wilson, one of the team’s prolific three-point shooters, appreciates the confidence Wing afforded her at the offensive end. She also likes his style.

“He’s definitely encouraging,” she said. “The team doesn’t respond to yelling.”

Wing is involved in the program from top to bottom and estimates there are about 80 girls playing overall. The Mustangs were the only team to defeat regional champion Boothbay during the regular season and those two clubs will be among the favorites in the MVC over the next few years. They gave away several inches across the board to the Seahawks but found a way to beat them by a point.

“You always have to figure out how to stop an opposing player,” he said. “Our kids always play hard, they never give up.”

Wing, who teaches at the school, grew up in Monmouth where he played soccer, basketball and baseball. He’s also a well-known football and baseball official. Being part of a small-town atmosphere with a strong fan base is just another perk of his job.

“The interesting thing about this team is 10 of them, either one or both parents went to school at Monmouth Academy,” Wing said. “A lot of these kids parents I went to school with.”

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