Tori Maynard Steps Up to Leadership Role for Tri-County Basketball

Basketball seemed to be in Tori Maynard’s blood right from the beginning. As a second grade, Tori would tag along with her older brother to his games as her father coached. It was here that the youngster found that basketball seemed like a fun and interesting sport. Soon after, she joined the recreational league in her home town and eventually moved onto AAU basketball, camps and clinics. This year, she enters her fourth and final season at Tri County looking to keep the school’s program advancing in the right direction.
“Since my freshman year, this team has had a lot of success,” Maynard said. “We won the Mayflower League for the first time that year in over three years, and entering this season, we have the potential chance to make it four in a row.”
Although it was her Dad and brother that inadvertently introduced her to the sport of basketball, it was her older sister Kelsey that made her the player she is today.
“When it came time to enter high school, I really wanted to play basketball for Tri-County,” she said. “My older sister was already playing for the team, so she got me ready for tryouts. She helped me with the drills and got me in good shape and told me to give it everything I had – she really prepared me well.”
During her freshman season, Maynard got the chance to play with the older sister that got her ready for her first season with the Cougars.
“It was really great to play with Kelsey and all her friends that year, but when they graduated it was a real wake-up call, and we really needed to step up our game.”
As a freshman playing for the Cougars, Maynard didn’t find herself starting, but was an instrumental piece to the team coming off the bench and helping them earn their first Mayflower League Championship. And, although the team went on to have success once again the following year, Maynard did not produce on the court as she would have liked.
“I guess you could say I had a sophomore slump during my second season,” she said. I had an ankle injury and did not play as well as I had hoped to, but I worked extremely hard in the off-season so I would have a better junior year.”
Over her first three years, Maynard was coached by Ryan Hippert, who moved on to coach boys’ basketball outside of Tri-County. Hippert inserted Maynard into the starting lineup her junior campaign and never looked back.
“Prior to Tori starting for us, she was a great role player and last year brought her game to the next level,” the ex-Cougar Coach said. “Last year, she had some huge games for us and was the team’s leading scorer. This year, I expect that she be tops as she closes in on 500 career points as the team’s power forward.”
New head coach Julie Caffrey is familiar with Maynard having been the Cougars’ junior varsity and assistant varsity coach the past few season.
“Tori is a great all-around player that will give 100% day in and day out. She’s a very coachable athlete that will do anything that is asked of her from the simplest task to the toughest,” Caffrey said. “This year, she is going to be our go-to player; she’s going to need to pick up that role as we lost quite a few seniors that she learned from, over the past two years.”
As a team captain this season, Maynard doesn’t mind the extra work load that will be put on her shoulders.
I have the confidence that I can be a big scoring threat,” the senior said. “I wanted this type of role and I’m excited about taking it on. We also have a team of underclassmen who have really developed and should be able to step up and play.”
Maynard, who also plays volleyball that has won four straight Mayflower League Titles, is hoping to make it a perfect eight for eight in the two sports once the basketball season gets underway. She would also like to guide the Cougars into the playoffs and post a better record than they’ve had over the past three years.
Playing in the Division 4 Central Tournament Tri-County has accumulated a 51-9 record season record over the past three years, only to be eliminated by Millis, the eventual champion, in the Semi-Final of her freshman year and the Quarter Finals of her junior year. Tri-County was also upset by Ayer Shirley 48-45 in overtime during her sophomore campaign in which the Cougars were the number one seed.