Class B South boys’ preview: Spruce Mountain draws co-favorite Yarmouth

Players to watch: Lake Region — Jack Lesure, Sr. G; Marcus DeVoe, Sr. F; Nate Smith, Sr. F; Maranacook — Kyle Wilbur Jr. G; Levi Emery Sr. C; Kent Mohlar, Sr. G; Yarmouth — Musseit M’Bareck Sr. G; Nolan Hagerty, Soph. F; Bailey Darling, Sr. G; Lincoln — Cody Tozier Jr. C; Riley Cushing, Jr. F; Taylor Holmes, Soph. F/C; Wells — DeAndre Woods, Jr. F; Owen Berry, Jr. G; Dylan MacKay, Soph. F; Spruce Mountain — Andrew Darling, Sr. G; Austin Darling, Jr. G; Caulin Parker. Jr. F; Lisbon — Noah Carter, Sr. G; Tyrese Joseph, Jr. F; Jonah Sautter, Soph. G; Poland – John Fossett, Sr. F; Patrick Kuklinski, Sr, G; Nate Chouinard, Jr. G

Favorites: Lake Region, Yarmouth.

The consensus one-two from the Western Maine Conference performed that way all winter against a schedule that was heavy with playoff teams from Classes A, B and C. It’s an all-in season for the Lakers, with 11 seniors poised to make a run at a title that has eluded its school since the start of Ronald Reagan’s second term. Yarmouth has similar experience and explosiveness, as well as size that makes the Clippers a tough matchup for anybody in the field.

Dark horses: Maranacook, Spruce Mountain.

The Black Bears charged from much deeper in the bracket to reach the regional final the past two years. That was in Class C, however, and while the program experienced success at this level in the past, it is a much different challenge to win three games in eight days against this caliber of competition. Maranacook does the scoring balance and inside-out game to pull it off.

Spruce Mountain enters the tournament on a five-game winning streak, probably played more close games than any team in the state and has the quickness and athleticism to give any opponent fits. The keys for the Phoenix are the ability to hit 3-pointers and not get sidetracked mentally during the inevitable ebb and flow of a playoff game.

Fun facts: Lake Region seeks its first regional championship in 31 years. The Lakers also marched on to the state title in 1985 … Lisbon is making its second tournament appearance in 10 years and will play its first quarterfinal since 2002. The Greyhounds’ most recent tournament win was a preliminary verdict at Fryeburg that year. The school has not reached the semifinals since 1974 … Spruce Mountain’s only previous meeting with Yarmouth was a semifinal loss in the Phoenix’s inaugural season of 2012. The Clippers eventually won the Gold Ball … Poland has reached the tournament in three consecutive even-numbered years. The Knights won the South as a No. 6 seed in 2014 … Wells hasn’t won a quarterfinal since 2005. Lincoln reached the semis a year ago

Overview: The expansion from four enrollment classifications into five impacted Class B more than any other divisions. Traditional powers Greely, York and Cape Elizabeth joined Falmouth and Gorham in Class A, meaning that teams that have won 20 of the past 26 regional titles no longer play in the region. This year’s field has a lower collective winning percentage than in the past, in part because the WMC schools continued playing those rivals in the higher divisions, and also due to a new crossover schedule that allowed WMC and KVAC to beat up on each other.

It has produced a bracket in which most of the teams are supremely battle-tested, and that makes it tough to handicap. Yarmouth is the only team to beat both Lake Region and Maranacook. Other than a loss to the Lakers in the second half of the home-and-home series, the Clippers’ other defeats were Greely (twice), Cape Elizabeth and Falmouth. Lincoln knocked off Wells in their lone meeting to give the Eagles the higher seed in what is likely the first-ever 4 vs. 5 game in which neither team has a winning record. All seven of Spruce Mountain’s losses were by single digits, including two close battles with Maranacook.

There is bound to be a first-round upset or two. Maranacook should be safe against Lisbon, which faced predominantly Class C schools in the MVC, although the Greyhounds do have an overtime loss against Dirigo to their credit. Lake Region handled Poland with ease during the regular season. If Spruce Mountain can hit some early shots and keep their composure when things stop going their way, it wouldn’t be a shocker to see the Phoenix push the Clippers to the brink.

Indeed, while strength of schedule and regular-season success might lean toward Yarmouth, beating Spruce, Maranacook and Lake Region in succession would be difficult. For that reason, we’ll say that chalk prevails.

Prediction: Lake Region.

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