Lawrence’s Cindy Blodgett dribbles against Nokomis in a game on Dec. 3, 1993. Blodgett’s high school career, in which she won four Class A state titles and scored 2,596 points, is unlike any other in Maine. Morning Sentinel file photo

Before the sold-out crowds that came to see her play, before the championships and before the records, Cindy Blodgett was a child in Clinton, watching the girls basketball state tournament on television, waiting for her turn.

“That’s when I fell in love with high school basketball, watching game after game in my PJs, all day long,” she said. “Dreaming of, ‘Wow, I want to experience that some day.'”

Blodgett got her turn and flourished. In 50 years of girls tournament play, there hasn’t been anyone like the Lawrence High legend, who drew attention from all corners of Maine from the moment she arrived as a freshman until well after she played her final game as a senior.

The resume remains unmatched. Four Class A championships. A total of 2,596 points, the most by any boys or girls player. To many of the people who saw her in action, she was the best Maine high school basketball player ever. And as the girls tournament completes its first half-century, she remains its signature performer.

“There has not been a player who had that kind of impact,” former Cony coach Paul Vachon said. “She might have had the Caitlin Clark effect in high school. At that time, she packed gyms wherever she went. And when she played at (the University of) Maine, guess what, they had 3,000 people there.”

Former Portland coach Ed Feeney, who took the Bulldogs to 11 state finals, including 10 in a 12-year stretch from 1983-94, had to face Blodgett in championship games three times and saw her average 28.7 points per game in three victories.

“She knew the game. She could do everything in the game. She could rebound, she could shoot, she was just a real good team player,” he said. “You knew you weren’t going to stop her, because she was that good. … You could switch defenses, you could go from man-to-man to a zone. It was very hard to contain someone like that, as good as she was.”

Blodgett wasn’t daunting physically at 5-foot-9, but she could handle the ball like a point guard, rebound like a forward and shoot from anywhere.

“If you took the 3 away, she had that between-the-legs dribble, hesitation and go by you, and shoot that short jump shot from the key,” Vachon said. “Maybe some other teams could stop her, but I know one coach that couldn’t.”

Lawrence’s Cindy Blodgett enjoyed plenty of success at Lawrence High, winning four Class A state championships. Morning Sentinel file photo

Blodgett paired those unrivaled technical skills with a burning competitiveness that may have been her greatest strength.

“I wanted those fans yelling at me. I wanted them to be silenced, based on our play,” said Blodgett, who is now the athletic director at Lincoln School in Providence, Rhode Island . “I loved it. I thought the more, the merrier.”

When those Lawrence teams took the court, there were always fans and there was always noise. As Cindy’s career progressed, the attention only grew. In January of her senior year, a game in Fairfield between Lawrence and Cony became the first televised regular-season game in state history. Lawrence won, 63-59, and Blodgett scored 44 points.

“When we played Cindy, no one could get into the auditorium,” said Vachon, a seven-time state champion with the Rams. “We got used to large crowds, but the ones with Cindy, let’s get serious. Those were special.”

The crowds came out to the Bangor Auditorium as well for the tournament games. And the bigger the audience and the brighter the lights, the more ready Blodgett was to shine. She recalled a moment when her coach, Bruce Cooper, sensed pressure on his young standout and went to check in on her.

“I was like ‘I’m good.’ This is what I dreamt of doing. So listen, I’m ready to roll,” Blodgett said. “I think I was wired differently. I wanted those moments, I couldn’t wait to get there. … I personally felt like that’s what we’re here for, what I practiced hours and hours for.”

Media pressure — countless interviews, her name in headlines, cameras pointed at her — was an adjustment for the admittedly introverted and team-oriented Blodgett. Game pressure, and the high stakes of championship basketball, was a natural fit, and if anything, an escape.

“My mom and dad played a big role in my overall experience,” she said. “My dad was a constant reminder of ‘This needs to be fun. That’s why you play. Don’t forget that.’ … It was just such a nice, clear, simple message. You love what you’re doing, you have fun with what you’re doing, and don’t let anything else get in its way.”

For Blodgett, nothing was more fun than those weeks in February and March. And even now, when this time of year comes around, she remembers the feeling.

“I think back to those such memorable times with my teammates and our coaches, and our community. Because it really is all-encompassing,” she said. “It was a magical time.”