Grace Fontaine drives to the hoop during Sunday’s season-opening scrimmage against New York’s Mount Vernon Shamrocks at the Lewiston Armory. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — Grace Fontaine’s return to competitive basketball didn’t go as planned.

Fontaine, who won a state championship her junior season at Edward Little High School in 2018, is now playing for the semipro Lewiston-Auburn Maples in their inaugural season. During the Maples’ preseason opener Sunday against the Mount Vernon Shamrocks, Fontaine was knocked to the ground while playing defense on a fast-break. 

She broke her wrist on the fall and was sidelined for the rest of the game. 

“It’s too bad the way it happened,” Maples coach Jim Seavey said. “She got pushed, and there was a no-call.” 

Fontaine will see an orthopedic specialist this week to get an idea of her recovery timetable, but she told the Sun Journal on Monday that she is determined to come back once her wrist is healed. 

RETURN TO HOOPS 

The Auburn native excelled at Edward Little, hitting the game-winning free throw with less than a second left to give the Red Eddies their only state championship, and earning Sun Journal All-Region honors after her junior and senior seasons.  

Grace Fontaine of the Lewiston-Auburn Maples shoots while being pressured by Nadia Duncan of the Mount Vernon Shamrocks in the Maples’ first preseason game Sunday at the Lewiston Armory. Fontaine graduated from Edward Little High School in Auburn. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

She then played at Southern Maine Community College, but her hoops journey was quickly halted due to COVID-19. 

“I only got one year of college basketball due to COVID and stuff, so that was really a bummer because I was looking forward to playing basketball,” Fontaine said. 

Then, after graduating from SMCC in 2022, Grace realized it was time to get back on the court.

“My dad actually saw them (the Maples) on Instagram, and he direct messaged me the post and was like, ‘You should definitely do this,’” Fontaine said. “I was like, I definitely have to give it a try, because why not? I get to play basketball again.” 

Despite her extended break from competitive hoops — from mid-way through her freshman year of college to one year out of college — Fontaine has been staying ready for the moment, and her skills have not waned. 

“I go to MBC (Maine Basketball Club) and I train, shoot and do ball handling. Just a lot of shooting,” Fontaine said. “I think that I’ve become a lot more court smart, like mentally,” which she attributes to being older and more educated.

Fontaine has already made a positive impression on her new teammates and coach. 

“She’s a good teammate. … She’s a good shooter,” Kaitlyn Mathieu, a center for the Maples, said. “I just came to the team, so I’ve only had one full practice with her and then another shootaround practice, but everyone on the team has been welcoming, and she’s a good teammate.” 

Grace Fontaine takes the ball to the basket during Sunday’s season-opening scrimmage against New York’s Mount Vernon Shamrocks at the Lewiston Armory. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

“We need her on the floor,” Seavey said. “She is a good leader, she knows rotations defensively. She can shoot the ball. She knows how to play the game. She’s got a very good basketball IQ, and that is what you want.”

“Grace is all about team,” Seavey added. “She is the epitome of a good teammate, that is for sure.” 

DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE 

The WABA will present a different challenge for Fontaine. 

“It’s older women, stronger women (than college),” Fontaine said. “This level is going to be way faster, just because the rules and stuff. The 24-second shot clock, the seven seconds to get it over (halfcourt). There’s a bunch of different rules compared to college, so that’s going to be hard adjusting to.” 

Mathieu, one of the aforementioned “older, stronger” women, played professionally in Macedonia this past season. Fontaine, if given the opportunity, can see herself following a similar path. 

“My goal is to just have fun and be able to play basketball again,” Fontaine said. “But if in the future something like that (playing professionally) comes up, I would definitely take advantage of that.” 

Once she returns from injury, Fontaine will have a chance to showcase her skills again and continue her basketball career, whether it be for enjoyment or for a contract. Or, perhaps, both.