High school girls’ basketball will bounce back into action Friday and Saturday, July 28 and 29 as Boothbay hosts the Lobster Jam tournament. This year, seven teams join Boothbay in pursuit of the summer tournament championship. Defending champion Cheverus returns along with several other large schools: Medomak, Oceanside, Mt. Ararat, Brunswick, Greeley and Richmond. 

All games are played at Porter Memorial Gymnasium. Organizers wanted to keep this year’s field to eight instead of the traditional 16. “We are slowly building it back up to 16, plus the elementary school gymnasium wasn’t available,” Seahawk coach Bruce Orne said. “We have a great field with many teams who have played here in the past. We are looking forward to this.”

The tournament will be double elimination with a winner’s and loser’s bracket. All teams are guaranteed three games. The tournament begins at noon on July 28 with five games. On July 29, play begins at 9 a.m. with two games followed at 1:30 p.m. by a 3-point shooting contest and skills competition. The championship game is at 3 p.m. followed by two consolation games. 

This summer, nine Lady Seahawks have consistently participated in summer basketball: Bella Orr, Tatum French, Maddie and Abby Orchard, Magen Burge, Anna Gosselin, Bailey Lewis, Sophie White and Meg Sledge. The Lady Seahawks will be a young squad as Orne only has Sledge as a returning senior. During summer sessions, the team has focused on drills and dribbling. “As a young team our biggest challenge is on defense. We need to communicate better with our help-side defense and switching,” Orne said.

The tournament is a fundraiser for the Boothbay girls’ basketball program. Sponsors for this year’s tournament are The First, Samoset Boatworks, The Knickerbocker Group and Harbor Home Construction.