Next weekend marks the beginning of the eighth Eastern Class A basketball tournament since it moved from the old, reliable Bangor Auditorium to the more centrally located Augusta Civic Center.
Time flies when you’re having fun, right?
Speaking of merriment and cheer, it’s worth noting that the Edward Little boys have qualified for the quarterfinal round every year since the switch. Only once were the Red Eddies not the higher-seeded team in the opening round.
Experience on both ends of the equation tells EL coach Mike Adams to be wary of the Eddies’ No. 2 seed in this February’s draw. He’s been on the business end of a monumental upset as a No. 1 with a spotless 18-0 record in 2007, and yes, in that one foray as an underdog, he guided No. 7 EL to an unforgettable second-half comeback over No. 2 Lewiston a year ago.
So when No. 2 EL (16-2) encounters No. 7 Messalonskee (10-8) at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16, Adams hopes history will serve as a teacher before the opening tap, not after the final horn.
“They’re scary,” Adams said. “They’re a lot like us last year in the two-seven game.”
EL had its hands full at home, edging Messalonskee, 55-53, in their lone regular-season meeting.
Local tournament teams already have been given a few days to contemplate their quarterfinal and preliminary-round matchups.
Thanks to Winter Storm Nemo, all season-ending games were moved up to Thursday night. Heal Points became official Friday and Saturday.
Boys’ preliminary games are set for Wednresday evening at school sites, with the tournament proper beginning Friday in Augusta, Portland and Bangor.
EL is the highest-seeded tri-county club. In fact, the only other local teams ranked among the top four in their region are Mountain Valley (12-6, No. 4 in Western B) and Dirigo (17-1, No. 3 in Western C).
The Eddies are one of three area teams in the Eastern A draw.
No. 5 Lewiston (12-6) advanced to the quarterfinals for the third straight year and will meet No. 4 Bangor (13-5) at 8 p.m. Saturday in Augusta. The Blue Devils and Rams did not meet during the KVAC campaign.
“They’re just as tough as ever,” Lewiston coach Tim Farrar said of Bangor, which is in its first year with Ed Kohtala, a Mt. Blue product and former University of Maine assistant, at the helm.
Lewiston had a nine-game winning streak snapped Thursday in a 54-50 home loss to Edward Little. More costly was the likely loss of senior Donne Agossou to a knee injury.
“He’s a kid who stepped up his play and his leadership tremendously the second half of the season, and if we do have to go forward without him, we’ll try to play the same way in which he’s led us,” Farrar said.
No. 8 Oxford Hills will attempt to qualify for the quarterfinals for the first time since the Auditorium era. Standing in the way is Wednesday’s home prelim against No. 9 Mt. Ararat.
The Vikings (8-10) and Eagles (7-11) split their regular-season series, each prevailing at home by single digits.
Hampden (18-0) is the defending champion and heavy favorite in Eastern A. The Broncos and Red Eddies did not meet during the season but will get a sneak peek at one another in Monday’s KVAC championship game.
Dirigo is the reigning Class C state champion and four-time defending Western Maine king. The Cougars are in a top-heavy bracket — No 1 Boothbay and No. 2 Waynflete also each have only one loss.
The Cougars’ hopes of a top seed and the first undefeated regular season in school history were dashed by a 56-44 loss at Boothbay. Dirigo was otherwise dominant. Only four of its wins came by fewer than 20 points.
“That No. 1 seed is important because you aren’t in the same bracket with Waynflete,” Magnusson said. “But you have to get there first. This year all those quarterfinal games are really up in the air.”
Western C quarterfinals are Monday, Feb. 18. Dirigo will face the winner of the prelim between No. 6 Old Orchard Beach (13-4) and No. 11 Mt. Abram (8-10). The Cougars routed the Seagulls in the 2012 regional final. The Roadrunners end a lengthy playoff drought.
Other play-in games involving area teams feature No. 10 Monmouth (6-12) at No. 7 Winthrop (11-7) and No. 9 St. Dom’s (7-11) at No. 8 Wiscasset (10-8). The neighboring Mustangs and Ramblers split during the MVC schedule. The Wolverines dodged the Saints with a December buzzer-beater in Auburn.
Thanks to the good graces of the Heal Points, the Androscoggin-Oxford-Franklin triangle is guaranteed to have a Western Class B semifinalist in Portland.
No. 12 Leavitt (6-12) makes the short jaunt to Jay for a prelim at No. 5 Spruce Mountain (13-5), with the winner drawing No. 4 Mountain Valley (12-6) on Saturday.
Spruce Mountain enters the tournament having won nine of its last 10 contests in the MVC. Leavitt may have been involved in more nailbiters than any other KVAC club. Four of the Hornets’ victories were by four points or less. They also lost two games by two points and another by three.
In Western D, age-old East-West Conference rivals No. 9 Buckfield (9-9) and No. 8 Richmond (7-11) will play a rubber match for the right to face another league foe, No. 1 Forest Hills (16-2), at the civic center.
Other top seeds are South Portland (15-3) in Western A, Falmouth (17-1) and Medomak Valley (16-2) in Class B, Houlton (17-1) in Eastern C and Jonesport-Beals (18-0) in Eastern D.
koakes@sunjournal.com
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