Meet 11 surprise standout players in Seacoast high school girls basketball in 2022-23

The high school girls basketball season has reached the midpoint of 2022-23, and there have been many standout performances in Seacoast New Hampshire and southern Maine.

Portsmouth, which has advanced to the Division I semifinals the past two seasons, is off to a 7-1 start this season, including Tuesday's thrilling 55-53 win at previously undefeated Bedford.

The Division I success doesn't stop there as Dover and Exeter, both with first-year head coaches, are 7-2, and Spaulding is above .500 as well at the halfway point.

St. Thomas Aquinas is off to a 6-4 start in Division III, and Newmarket, at 8-3, is near the top of the Division IV standings.

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This success would not be possible without some unheralded players rising to the occasion. Here are 11 players on Seacoast teams who are being highlighted by their coaches as standout surprise players of the season:

Nya Avery, York, freshman, forward

Avery has certainly adjusted to the high school varsity game so far in her freshman season with the Wildcats.

“You are always kind of cautious about expectations with a freshman and them making that jump from eighth grade to the varsity level, but (Avery) has been a huge impact for us offensively and defensively,” York head coach Jess Stacy said.

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Avery leads the Wildcats with 9.6 points a game and offensive rebounds (32) and is second in overall rebounds a game at 7.5.

“She’s absorbing so much information in practices and games,” Stacy said. “The things she struggled with at the beginning of the season, she has learned from and is much better. Teams are now starting to focus on her. She has been huge for us.”

Mackenzie Brochu, Spaulding, senior guard

Brochu is averaging just over 2 points more a game this year, than her junior season, but she has doubled her average in rebounds, steals and assists.

“She’s filling up the stat sheets this season which has been a total buy in to the team concept we are playing with at Spaulding.

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Brochu averages 9.6 points and 6 rebounds, and Philbrook averages 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds. Her highlight game so far in her senior season was a 19-point, 5-rebound, 4-assist, 4-steal showing in Spaulding’s 53-49 win at Merrimack. 

“She really put the team on her back down the stretch making crucial free throws,” Spaulding head coach Scott Blake said. “Mackenzie has been great at getting to the rim and creating contact to shoot free throws.”

Casey Coleman, Winnacunnet, senior, center

Coleman is a four-year varsity player for the Warriors, and is averaging 6.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3 blocks a game this season.

“Casey has really stepped into a larger role for us this season,” Winnacunnet head coach Andrew Marden said. “Her defensive presence has been huge and she has really helped to set the tone on that side of the ball.”

Coleman, who is first on the team in rebounds and second in scoring, had 12 points, eight rebounds and five blocks in a 45-43 loss at Alvirne.

“She’s a true rim protector and has embraced her role as a defensive stopper for us,” Marden said. “Her offensive game has grown in both confidence and consistency. She has already scored more points this season than last year and nearly doubled her points per game."

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Coleman suffered an ACL injury last year, but returned to team activities this past fall.

"Coming into this season, we knew she could be an impact player as she showed last year, but the big question mark was how she would recover from her ACL injury,” Marden said. “She really hasn’t missed a beat since coming back in the fall and has put together a strong season so far.”

Payton Denning, Dover, junior, guard

Denning turned in an inspiring game in Dover’s 3-point win at Londonderry earlier this month. One Lancer had scored 18 points in the first half when Dover head coach Jimmy Flynn made a halftime adjustment and put Denning on the high-scoring forward.

Denning, who averages 3 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals a game, held the opposing player to just two points in the second half and the Green Wave escaped with a 54-51 win.

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“It was the most exciting basketball I’ve seen in a long time,” Flynn said. “She’s been a top defender for us all season; just a girl who plays with a ton of heart. She’s going to jump on every loose ball, and we ask her to go out there grab rebounds, and take the other team’s best player out of the game. She’s a girl who plays to win. Just a competitive, team-first type of player.”

Kaya Dobberstein, Newmarket, freshman, forward

Newmarket head coach Meghan Averill really didn’t expect much from Dobberstein this season, but she has played her way into some meaningful minutes for the Mules so far this Division IV season.

“Kaya is a player I thought we might need to use in rotation sparingly, but has been someone we are coming to rely on to be a spark plug on offense and defense,” Averill said. “She’s a zone killer in the middle and her intensity on defense has been huge. She is just a nice energy boost coming off the bench for us this season.”

Dobberstein is averaging 3 points in 18 minutes a game. She had a career-high of eight points against Farmington and 6 points against Portsmouth Christian Academy.

“Those games were against two solid, veteran teams,” Averill said.

Savannah Emery, Portsmouth High School, senior, forward

After sitting out last season due to a knee injury, Emery has reached double-figures in points on four times this season, averaging 7.3 points and 3 rebounds a game.

“The game is slowing down a bit of late for Savannah, as she's shown more and more of the player she was prior to her injury,” Portsmouth head coach Tim Hopley said. “She tends to be her own worst critic, but we'll rely on her experience a great deal as we head toward the second half of the season. She’s working to round back into form.”

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Hopley noticed in the first day of tryouts in late November that Emery had cleared the biggest hurdle in her recovery process - the "mental" part that she could make a move without reinjuring herself.

"She doesn't have the explosion she used to have, but she's smart, she knows what we're trying to accomplish, and she'll be a big factor for us through the rest of the season for sure," Hopley said.

Emery started playing like her old self in Portsmouth's three games in the Portland holiday tournament against Deering, Oceanside and Brunswick. Collectively in the three games, Emery had 30 points and 12 rebounds.

Maddie MacCannell, Portsmouth High School, junior, forward

MacCannell is one of the reasons why the Clippers are off to a strong start in Division I this season. The junior is averaging 9.4 points and 6 rebounds a game. Furthermore, she’s shooting 61% from the field, and has scored in double figures five times this year, and had a season-high 12 rebounds in a 71-62 win over Pinkerton at Stone Gymnasium.

“Maddie has been a steady, consistent contributor through the games (of the season), including the holiday tournament,” Portsmouth head coach Tim Hopley said. “She has played her best against the best opponents, and we'll need her to continue her strong play over the final six weeks of the regular season.”

Ellie Odess, Seacoast Christian, sophomore, guard

Odess missed the majority of her freshman season due to health-related issue, and almost quit during the Guardians' run to the Class D championship.

However, she battled through and remained with the team.

"She realized how much she loved being a part of what we were doing," Seacoast Christian head coach Lee Petrie said. "She got into a few games near the end of the season and even scored during our quarterfinal game in Augusta.  She worked hard this summer on her shot, and this year. has slid into a starting role."

Odess directs the the team defense whether if its in the press or match-up zone.

"She has remarkably quick feet and has taken on the responsibility of frustrating our opponent's best ball handlers," Petrie said. "Her confidence level has risen through the roof."

She scored a career-high 10 points earlier this year against Temple Academy. She is averaging 2.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.5 steals a game.

Jenna Philbrook, Spaulding, senior, guard

Yes, Philbrook is in her fourth year as a starting guard for the Red Raiders, and, yes, she had enjoyed success at the varsity level her first three seasons, but what she’s doing this year is even exceeded the expectations of head coach Scott Blake.

Philbrook, who is averaging 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals a game, had her highlight game in a loss to Goffstown where Spaulding was shorthanded. She had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals.

“She really stepped up,” Spaulding head coach Mark Blake said. “Jenna has become a large part of our rebounding presence while being the floor general at crucial times.”

Emma Toriello, St. Thomas Aquinas, freshman, guard

Toriello arrived at St. Thomas Aquinas in the fall, and has quickly established herself as one of the top underclassmen in Division III.

Toriello, a North Berwick, Maine resident, is averaging 12 points a game, including 16 against undefeated Conant; 12 of her points came on four 3-pointers.

“Emma just loves to play and as the smallest player on the court on most nights is fearless,” St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Kevin Giannino said. “She possesses exceptional quickness averaging three steals per game, has excellent 3-point range and the uncanny ability to get to the hoop and finish with either hand often against much bigger defenders.”

Giannino says he loves watching her play.

“She’s so confident with tremendous energy and effort on every possession both offensively and defensively,” he said. “She’s off to an impressive start."

Tory Vitko, Dover, junior, forward

Vitko, a three-sport standout with the Green Wave, is proving her value on the basketball court this season.

“I knew she was a smart basketball player,” Dover first-year head coach Jimmy Flynn said. “The impact she has had on the team and on the court has been huge for us. It’s not just about her scoring the ball, it’s the way she passes the ball, how she looks to get her teammates involved, and the way she plays defense. She’s just an all-around a solid player that has been a main reason why we have had success so far this year.”

Vitko, who had a season-high 14 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Winnacunnet, is averaging 7 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists a game so far this season.

“She has been a strong impact player for us,” Flynn said. “Defensively, she’s always in the right positon and protecting the rim.”

Vitko also has come up big on offense on two occasions this season. Her two free throws with less a minute left gave Dover the lead for good in a 54-51 win at Londonderry. She also hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 19 seconds left in a game against Spaulding.

“She’s one of the girls that when the pressure is on, she steps up,” Flynn said.

Editor's note: Exeter, Oyster River, Marshwood and Traip Academy coaches elected not to feature players to be included in this story.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: 11 Seacoast high school girls basketball surprise players 2022-23