The players on the Lady Seahawks travel basketball team, ages 9-11 — Lilly Brown, Eleanor Erwin, Arabella Hodgdon, Nerla Bates, Xavi Hall, Addie Barter, Jessica Raburn, Maddie Alley, Savannah Alley, Sammy Colby and Meabh Hennessy — have skills.

Coached by Lisa Hallinan, this newly formed team has won all scrimmage games played to date: at the CLC Y Feb. 24, and the most recent this past Saturday, March 5 at the Boothbay Region YMCA against Topsham/Mt. Ararat. The young team is headed for Bath on Wednesday, March 9 for more scrimmage games.

Hallinan has coached the travel team twice before — when daughters Cody, Evie and Dana were on the courts. And this time, it’s with her granddaughter Lilly who, Hallinan says, gets all her talent from grandmother Sherri Brown and her mother, Cody Orne, who was an outstanding soccer and basketball player.

“I grew up in the YMCA, I lived there to play ball. But I got into sports big time with my girls who all started out in the kindergarten program with I.J. Pinkham. I have lived vicariously through them,” said Hallinan. “I played basketball in 7th and 8th grade, but I worked all through high school. And I regret it. I try to explain to these kids, you only get to live through high school once, you gotta say the heck with money (chuckles). You have to play because you just can’t get it  back.”

Hallinan noted how hard the team played in the scrimmages, “Both teams were very aggressive. I was starting to worry a little near the end. We played four 15-minute halves and won every time; that’s two full basketball games. We’ve got huge potential. Huge. I’m hoping we can contend in some of these tournaments and bring home a trophy.”

The tournaments begin this coming weekend, Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13 (championship games for the two winning teams on Saturday) in Topsham; the weekend of March 19 and 20 tourney games will be played in Waterville; and the final games will be in Brunswick at the old Air Force base.

Hallinan says between tourneys she’s working on a few pop-up scrimmages. “Topsham wants to scrimmage. If I can get some playing time, we’re getting playing time!”

These young Seahawks are tourney bound thanks to the generosity of the community. Hallinan  posted on her Facebook page: “Who wants to donate to sponsor my girls traveling team?”

The “first responder” donor names on the back of the team’s shirts are: Shore Hills Campground, Blake’s Boatyard, Pinkham’s, Hawke Motors, Janson’s, Lori and Bill Bailey, Sherri Brown’s Daycare, Nell Fund, Marine Wiring Electronics, Heads of the Harbor and Lewis Excavation.

“The response was overwhelming! We live in the best community ever. People are still PM-ing (private messaging) me saying they want to help next time,” said Hallinan. “One day in Hannaford, a woman wanted to give some money for the team, I told her we were all set, but she insisted saying, ‘give them a pizza party then!’”

Coach Hallinan wants to see the program grow, and not just for the potential victories and trophies. “I believe if you do well in sports, you’ll do well in life because it’s a team effort, you learn discipline, and how to work with people,” Hallinan said. “It’s about community.”