Gorham Alumn Mackenzie Holmes returns home and draws a huge crowd

By Ava Hudson, STAFF WRITER

SANFORD, Maine – The Sanford Girls Basketball team attended the Indiana vs. Maine basketball game on Thursday, Nov. 30 at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland. Nearly 6,000 fans attended the game to watch.

Mackenzie Holmes, a Gorham Alumna who plays for Indiana, played in her homecoming game. Holmes played for Gorham High School and won two state championships as well as earning Gatorade Player of the Year. 

Rossie Kearson, girls varsity basketball head coach who is a University of Maine alumni, was happy to bring along the team to watch. He chose for the girls to attend this game because he wanted them to witness the division one level of play and what hard work it takes for those women to play at this level.

“We enjoyed ourselves and it was a good time,” Kearson said. “The best thing for me was just seeing how many young girls from grade school up to high school and even college were there watching the game and hoping that that’s something that continues.” 

Kearson hopes that participation in women’s sports starts to increase. 

“I don’t look at {coaching} as wanting to produce division one basketball players,” Kearson shares. “More so than them just being strong young women when they leave here. And if so, they decide that they want to play basketball on the next level, then good for them.” 

Sanford Girls Basketball had a good experience and they felt that this game was important for women’s basketball in Maine, creating more awareness for the game and the excitement around it.