alookbackatcindyblodgett

Here's a look at the highlights of Cindy Blodgett's basketball career:

1983: Cindy Blodgett, a second-grader, plays her first organized basketball with a boys Police Athletic League team.

1984: Joins the Clinton Middle School team as a third-grader.

March 16, 1991: Makes her presence known statewide by helping Lawrence win its first of four straight Class A state championships. She averages 22.1 points a game that season, and scores 25 in the Bulldogs' 77-67 state final win over Portland.

March 14, 1992: Lawrence beats Portland again for the state crown. Blodgett scores 29.

March 17, 1993: Scores 40 points, including two free throws with 35 seconds remaining to lead Lawrence past Westbrook, 68-66, in the state final.

Nov. 16, 1993: Announces that she would attend the University of Maine on a basketball scholarship, ending a recruiting battle. Notre Dame and Colorado are among the schools that want her.

March 12, 1994: Lawrence's reign is threatened by Cony, which is top seed in the Eastern Class A tournament. But Blodgett scores 47 in the Eastern final as Lawrence beats the Rams 78-69. After Cony closes to 72-69, Blodgett makes six straight free throws.

March 19, 1994: Lawrence collects fourth gold ball, beating Portland again, 56-53. Blodgett finishes with 32 points. Her steal and three-point play put Lawrence up 54-51. Blodgett finishes her high school career with 2,596 points, the most ever scored by a high school basketball player in Maine, boy or girl.

Nov. 25, 1994: Makes her college debut with a team-high 17 points in a 71-59 win over Mercer. Blodgett makes her first shot, a 3-pointer.

Jan. 5, 1995: Establishes herself as a big-time player with 30 points to lead Maine in a 75-73 upset of 10th-ranked Alabama. "She made every play," Alabama Coach Rick Moody said. "You can't leave her at any time."

March 11, 1995: Already named the conference Rookie of the Year, Blodgett also is named the conference tournament MVP after she scores 26 in Maine's 70-59 win over Northeastern in the North Atlantic Conference championship game. Maine would go on to its first-ever NCAA tournament, losing to eventual national champion Connecticut in the first round.

July 30, 1995: Earns title of Most Valuable Player at the U.S. Olympic Festival in Denver. She leads the undefeated East team to a gold medal by scoring 64 points in four games, a tournament high. She also averages 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 3.8 steals.

March 9, 1996: Scores 31 points in the conference championship, an 88-55 victory over Vermont. Blodgett outscores the Catamounts at halftime, 22-20. Blodgett adds conference Player of the Year honors to her second conference tournament MVP award.

March 15, 1996: Blodgett scores 25 points but George Washington University rallies to beat the Black Bears 83-67 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Colonials sometimes use three guards to cover Blodgett. "For two days, we worked really hard to learn her game," said Myriah Lonergan, one of the three guards. Blodgett finishes with a 27.8-point average and becomes the first sophomore ever to lead the nation in scoring.

June 6, 1996: Makes the U.S. Women's Select basketball team after three days of tryouts at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

March 2, 1997: Scores a school- and conference-record 52 points in the first round of the America East tournament, a 99-57 win over Towson State.

March 8, 1997: Helps Maine win a third straight conference title, scoring 37 points in a 92-70 win over Vermont. Blodgett is again named the conference Player of the Year and the conference tournament MVP.

March 15, 1997: Scores 34 to lead Maine, but it is not enough as Louisiana State beats the Black Bears 88-79 in the NCAA tournament. Blodgett again leads the nation in scoring with a 27.0 average.

Dec. 4, 1997: Scores 40 points in a 82-68 win over Massachusetts and becomes the all-time Maine and America East conference leading scorer with 2,427 points.

March 7, 1998: Leads Maine to its fourth straight conference tournament and is named the tournament MVP for the fourth consecutive year. Blodgett scores 90 points in three games, including a team-high 22 in the 81-80 championship-game win over Vermont.

March 9, 1998: Becomes the first University of Maine basketball player to be named an NCAA Division I All-American when she is selected to The Associated Press All-America third team.