Hall-Dale High School senior Amy Skillings and Lawrence High School senior Kelli Murray have both committed to play basketball at Husson University next season, according to a press release from the school. A 5-foot-9 forward, Skillings averaged 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists to help Hall-Dale to a 12-6 regular-season record in the Mountain Valley Conference. Murray helped Lawrence to a 13-7 record and a berth in the Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal, averaging 12.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

After battling the Eagles inside, University of South Florida guard Janae Stokes decided to play outside, drilling five 3-pointers to lead the Bulls to an 82-65 victory over Boston College last night in a WNIT semifinal at Conte Forum. South Florida (26-10) kicked off the game in attack mode, scoring the first points on two steals within a minute of each other by freshman guard Jasmine Wynne (19 points). Although BC (23-12) seemed off-balance from the start, the Eagles countered the Bulls' defensive energy by winning the boards, totaling 22 rebounds in the first 20 minutes.

Boston College’s Stefanie Murphy is reveling in her March moments. The 6-foot-4 sophomore forward from Londonderry, N.H., started a numerically rewarding run during the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and it has carried over in the Eagles’ drive for the Women’s NIT title. BC (23-11) will host South Florida (25-10) in the semifinals tonight at 7 at Conte Forum. If the Eagles prevail, they will hit the road to play the winner of the Illinois State vs. Kansas game on Saturday.

TRENTON, N.J. — - On a day such as this, the most important of the season so far, it seemed appropriate that the players who carried the No. 1 UConn women to this point would carry them one step further. Ask any of the 36 teams the Huskies faced prior to Arizona State who they feared the most. Invariably, the answer would be the same — Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery and Tina Charles. On Tuesday afternoon, they were named Associated Press All-Americans. Moore and Montgomery were first team.

USA Today sports columnist Christine Brennan was right last week when she wrote that President Obama should have filled out both men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournament bracket sheets. Of course the president has a lot more important things to worry about than a basketball tournament, but if Obama is going to make a big deal about his bracketology, he should have picked both men’s and women’s teams.

Southern Maine players Mick DiStasio of Cheverus, Diana Manduca of Deering and Sloane Sorrell of Noble are finalists for the top awards in Maine high school basketball tonight. DiStasio is a candidate for Mr. Basketball while Manduca and Sorrell are up for the Miss Basketball award. Gordon Fischer of Camden Hills and Thomas Knight of Dirigo are the other finalists for Mr. Basketball. Morgan Frame of Waterville is the third finalist for Miss Basketball. The award is given annually to the state´s top high school senior.

There will be new Class D champions in high school boys and girls basketball next winter, if recommendations of the Maine Principals’ Association Classification Committee gain final approval this spring.

BANGOR, Maine — Sometimes a team’s best offense is its defense. With its offense stuck in neutral, the Woodland girls basketball team shifted into overdrive defensively and slammed the brakes on Valley’s attack.

Some things never change. Take Rick Clark, the York High girls´ basketball coach for the last 27 years. All you need to do is look at his feet and notice his white Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars to know he´s pretty old school. "I´ve had these for 16, 17 years," he said before a recent York practice.

Jay High School’s girls basketball team has never set foot in the Bangor Auditorium, let alone played in a state championship game. So when coach Chris Bessey’s Western Maine Class C champion Tigers arrive for Saturday’s state championship against Eastern champ George Stevens Academy, it could be similar to when the Hickory Huskers walked into Butler Field House in the movie “Hoosiers” and were awestruck.

On the opening day of the Eastern Class A girls´ basketball tournament at the Augusta Civic Center, Paul Vachon was sitting in the far corner of the bleachers, watching the action. For the first time in decades, he wasn´t scouting. Just watching.

BANGOR, Maine — When Larry Gardner’s Fort Fairfield girls met Arnie Clark’s Woodland team in Saturday’s Eastern Maine Class D championship basketball game, it was a bit of a rivalry reunion for the head coaches.

Deering High's defending Class A state champion girls' basketball team has been playing with great expectations – and pressure – all season. Saturday night the Rams took one giant step forward toward achieving those expectations.

The basketball net, which minutes earlier was cut from the hoop at the Cumberland County Civic Center, hung around Elaina Yeomelakis' shoulders like a necklace. "I'm probably never going to take it off," said Yeomelakis, a senior guard on York High's girls' basketball team. "I'm probably going to sleep with it tonight."

After losing to Scarborough by 11 and 10 points in the regular season, Biddeford Coach Ron Cote knew his Tigers couldn't get into another running game with the Red Storm. So the Tigers changed their colors. Instead of pressing full court and playing its usual match-up zone, Biddeford settled back into a 1-3-1 halfcourt zone. And it worked to perfection.

Just over two weeks ago, York High's undefeated girls' basketball team was pushed to the final seconds of a three-point victory over Falmouth. The teams met again Thursday in the Western Class B semifinals, but the top-ranked Wildcats ended any suspense very early.

BANGOR, Maine — Courtney Hill was expecting the worst Tuesday night, even though she and the No. 1 Calais girls basketball team had defeated No. 8 Houlton by 22 and 25 points in two regular-season meetings.

BANGOR, Maine — Top-ranked Woodland used its fullcourt pressure to force 31 Lubec turnovers, and Ashley Laking scored 22 points as the defending state champions fought off the ninth-seeded Hornets 66-47 Monday in an Eastern Maine Class D quarterfinal.