Olivia Shaw wasn’t suppose to have as big of a role as she did in the 2011-2012 basketball season.
Shaw, a sophomore, was to be a complementary player for the Thornton Academy girls basketball team, one of many offensive options in an attack led by point guard Hannah Murphy and forward Meghan Agger.
But then Murphy sustained a knee injury, missing the entire season. Agger, too, had knee problems forcing her to be in and out of the lineup throughout the year.
The injuries forced Shaw to step up. She accepted the challenge so much so that Shaw has been named the Journal Tribune Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
While others had higher statistics in points (Massabesic’s Morgan Reny led the area with an average of 14 points per game) and rebounds (Maria Veino of Sanford averaged 11.2 rebounds per game), Shaw showed the best all-around game of any player in the area. With an average of 12 and eight rebounds, Shaw nearly averaged a double-double per game for the Golden Trojans.
Shaw was a key asset in leading the Trojans to a trip to the Western Class A quarterfinals this season.
“To say that Olivia was instrumental in our team’s success this season would be an understatement,” Thornton head coach Eric Marston said. “It sounds cliche, but Olivia can truly do it all. She can score from inside and outside, she’s an excellent passer and rebounder and her defense is second to none.”
Shaw’s family is no stranger to the game of basketball. Her brother, Andrew, was also a standout for the Trojans during his career. He was a former Journal Tribune boys basketball player of the year, and is wrapping up his freshman year at Bentley College. Their mother, Ruth, the volleyball coach at Biddeford High School, is among the leading scorers and rebounders in the history of the University of New England women’s basketball program.
Shaw still has two years left at Thornton, and with Murphy returning next season from injury, the Trojans will surely be a contender going forward.
“Without a doubt, over the course of the next two years, Olivia Shaw’s name will be mentioned in the same breath as the other elite players in the the state of Maine,” Marston said.
As of today, it already has.
— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 323 or follow on Twitter @Dave_Dyer.
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