This article was written by guest contributor Olivia Andersen (’25).
A big senior night win propelled the Oyster River High School (ORHS) girls basketball team one step closer to their playoff goal, with the seniors on the team hoping to end their high school careers with success in the playoffs.
On February 13th the Bobcats faced the Sanborn Indians, resulting in a 49-32 win. The night celebrated the two seniors on the team, Riley Drapeau and Maeve Hickok. Whether it was the fans, parents, or players, it seemed like everyone in the gym wanted to celebrate the leaders that these girls have become in these past four years.
As Captain Hickok, who has spent the last four seasons on varsity, reflects on her time as a part of the team, she sees a lot of personal growth. “I was really shy when I came in freshman year,” said Hickok. She added that you usually see growth in performance and communication over time. “That’s how you get confidence, and so, by senior year, you can just be a leader and be a better communicator.”
Ever since she was a freshman, Drapeau always wanted to be the leader and role model that she didn’t have. “I was like that small freshman on varsity, and I was definitely looked down on by the captain and a few of the older girls.” Drapeau said she uses her experience to make her a better captain. “I use that and I try to include the freshmen and make everyone feel welcome. I try to just be the positive person, even if I make a mistake or someone else makes a mistake, I try to pick them up.”
Drapeau’s mom Heidi Drapeau has also noticed her daughter’s leadership skills. “Well, I’ve always been proud of Riley’s quiet leadership, even as a freshman. And how she always has treated others with kindness.”
Friendships made on the basketball team have shaped both Hickok and Drapeau’s journeys at ORHS. “It’s definitely made my overall high school experience a lot better because I’ve been able to make a lot of different friends in all different grades,” said Drapeau.
Hickok added, “Seeing people in the hallway saying ‘hi’ — it’s always great. I think it’s cool when you have friends that play multiple of the same sports with you, people I can see throughout the year.”
Coach Bryan Wall also had nice things to share about the seniors. Sometimes people say that the seniors are the leaders by default, but Wall said despite that, “those two girls are truly the captains of the team.” He also added, “They command attention and they lead the team on and off the court. Whether it be planning this or doing that, they’re just kind of doing everything and everyone kind of leans on them.”
Coming off two back-to-back losses in the previous games, the Bobcats were looking to get their momentum back with a win and that’s exactly what they did.
Going into the game, junior point guard Vivian O’Quinn was confident in her team’s ability to pull off a win, saying, “We did beat them 70 to 33 last time we played them, but I don’t only think we’re going to win because of that. I think it’s because we have lost two games in a row, and we want this bad.”
Despite securing the win, the Bobcats started the game unlike they expected, with the score at the end of the first quarter being 11-10. “At the beginning of the game, not going to lie I was a little nervous. The score was a little too close for comfort,” Drapeau said.
However, the Bobcats pulled away in the second quarter, only allowing Sanborn 3 points, going into halftime 24-13. The Bobcats scored 19 fourth quarter points to secure the win for the seniors. “We were all able to pull it together and I think we ended up playing really good in the end. We were all just having a good time,” said Drapeau.
With one game left in the season tied as the sixth seed, the Bobcats are looking at entering playoffs as the eighth seed, since they lost to both the teams that they share the sixth seed title with. Although they’ve been playing well, the team still believes there’s room for improvement.
“I think the biggest thing is just slowing down because this team is fast and sometimes that can get us in trouble,” said Wall, adding, “If we can be smart and just settle it when we need to, I think we’re going to be in really good shape.”
When asked what the team needs to work on, O’Quinn shared that the mental part is just as important as the physical part. According to O’Quinn, one of the ways they can do this is by, “keeping our heads up when mistakes happen, because when that happens it gives the other team the advantage and then we go down 10 and never get it back.”
As the season comes close to its end, Drapeau’s mom has one piece of advice for incoming freshmen parents. “Enjoy the ride, because the four years do go quick.”
Come out and support the Bobcats as they take on the number two seed, Laconia, at home on Wednesday, February 21st as their last game in the regular season.
– Olivia Andersen
Mouth of the River 
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