Top Returners Among Maine AA North Schools Part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are quickly approaching the start of the high school girls basketball season in the New England region. Soon, we'll be getting to see some of the best players go at it, and in Maine, there will be a clash for who will be the next top player in the state. Plenty of great choices to go about finding, but here's a look at some of the top returning prospects among AA North schools.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='412220' first='Ella' last='Pelletier'] - Oxford Hills (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We start with a HEAVY hitter in Oxford Hills senior [player_tooltip player_id='412220' first='Ella' last='Pelletier'], one of the best overall players last season, coming into this season as a potential Player of the Year favorite in the state. What she accomplished as a junior was incredible: near 20-PPG averages, a double-double average on the year and 4.5 assists per game, truly an unstoppable force on both sides of the ball. Playmaker, game-changer and a future college star.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Baleria Yugu - Portland (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yugu provided consistent and effective offense last season for Portland, averaging 15 points a game against tough competition all season. Very much one of the better perimeter defenders that we've seen in the state in recent years, a multi-steal per game player. She can affect a game in so many different ways and has so much confidence on the floor doing what she wants while teams just can't find a way to stop her.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ellie Legare - Lewiston (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Legare will have quite a lot of production to fill after some significant departures for this season from a big senior class last year. In players finding ways to step up, she's toward the top of the list, a double-figure scorer last season who was one of the best and most efficient three-point shooters in the state. If Lewiston wants to continue their competitive ways, they're going to need to rely on Legare to light things up from the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Avery Clark - Bangor (2026)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bangor should have a solid team going into next season, much due in part to Avery Clark's junior year, a balanced piece that really excelled in a number of different facets of the game. Consistent threat defensively, great rebounding player with equally impressive passing stats, able to get the ball to teammates for open looks often. Definitely great offensively, able to score in-and-out on the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bailey Tardiff-Mockler - Lewiston (2026)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lewiston does have some supplementary help going into next season and you don't have to look any further than Bailey Tardiff-Mockler, an efficient shooter and great defensive piece. She enters this season as one of the best perimeter defenders in the state, not afraid to be aggressive and make opponents uncomfortable. At the same time, when she gets the ball in the midrange or at the foul line, she's making those shots consistently.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Stella Jarvais - Windham (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jarvais is expected to be the go-to player for Windham going into her senior season and she's certainly shown a lot of reasons why she's getting so much buzz. Team's top scorer as a junior with plenty of room to grow in her game. Plenty of maturity shown over the last three seasons, a patient player waiting for her opportunity to strike. We can see that on both sides of the ball, dishing the ball off to teammates and causing turnovers defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Marley Jarvais - Windham (2026)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As Stella enters her senior season with Windham, her sister, Marley, is now a junior on the team and is expected to have a breakout campaign as a junior. The two create quite the tandem down low, a forward duo that's fueled by success and by family. While we don't fully know what we're going to be getting out of Marley this season, she's laid a foundation for success, starting on the boards and building from that point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->