Tourney Time - 2023

The Ellsworth boys basketball team is out for redemption

BY ADAM ROBINSON

HE Ellsworth boys basketball team held a 10-point lead over Yarmouth last March in the Class B state championship game late in the fourth quarter.

But the team couldn’t hang on. The Clippers came roaring back, sending the game to overtime and overwhelming the Eagles to take home the title.

It’s been 58 years since Ellsworth won a boys basketball state title but behind their star junior Chance Mercier, the Eagles are well-positioned for another title chance at this year’s tournament despite some stiff competition.

The loss has been on the mind of Mercier and the team this season as they took an undefeated record into the final week of the season.

“No one forgot it,” Mercier said of last year’s state championship loss. “It hurt us pretty bad, not going to lie. It hurt our coach, Peter [Austin], too. We’re having a great season this year and want to get back there.”

What’s different for the team this year is

that it has played in more tight games and has fended off comebacks.

Against Old Town, another top team in Class B North, Ellsworth jumped out to a quick lead in a Dec. 27 game before Old Town rallied. Ellsworth edged out a 62-60 win.

On Dec. 29, Ellsworth started a game

Going in for a dunk is Ellsworth’s Chance Mercier during the 2022 Class B North quarterfinal against Presque Isle. JOSEPH CYR | HOULTON PIONEER TIMES

Ellsworth coach Peter Austin speaks to his squad during the 2022 Class B North semifinal at the Cross Insurance Center. JOSEPH CYR | HOULTON PIONEER TIMES

against Orono on fire, leading 27-14 after the first quarter. The Red Riots chipped away at the lead and got within 53-47 in the fourth before the Eagles took control and won 60-49.

Finishing games and playing in close contests is something this year’s group has learned.

“We didn’t have that many close games last year,” Ellsworth head coach Austin said. “This year we played a strong Orono team and came out on fire, same thing with Old Town. We came out hot and then they went ahead and we came back. Hopefully those will help us in the tournament.”

Junior Miles Palmer agreed that the close games the team won in the regular season will be advantages for Ellsworth in the tournament.

“It’s mental,” Palmer said. “I think the way we’ve played this year, we’ve had a lot more close games so when the time comes I think we’ll be ready.”

Heading into the state final last year, Palmer felt Ellsworth was “untouchable.” That all changed after the loss.

Ellsworth lost 1,000-point scorer Hunter Curtis to graduation and the team was effec-

tively turned over to Mercier this winter.

Austin called Mercier one of the hardest workers he’s ever had.

“He’s very relentless,” Austin said. “When he misses a shot he follows the shot. When he came in his 3-point shot wasn’t there but from 15-feet and in he was lights out, so he’s worked on that. He also leads us in assists and rebounds. He does everything for us and is just a hard worker. Obviously

he is very talented, too.”

Mercier leads Ellsworth in every counting stat this year and has already reached the 1,000-point mark in his career as a junior.

It’s not just Austin who notices how hard Mercier works. His teammates do, as well.

“Once we hit middle school, basketball became different for him,” Palmer said of Mercier. The two have been friends since they were 5 years old. “We all like basketball

but Chance loves it. You can tell when a sport is different for someone. He’s put blood, sweat and tears into basketball every day and that’s his priority.”

Mercier understands that a lot is put on him, but always brings up how important his teammates are to his success.

“I view my spot as being a leader and a great teammate,” Mercier said. “One guy can’t win a basketball game. I’m not going to score if they can’t get me the ball and they can’t score if I don’t get them the ball.”

His teammates have stepped up this season. Austin said he uses up to 12 players in a game and that anyone can step up.

Peter Keblinsky has become an effective center for the Eagles, while Eamon MacDonald has become a strong offensive weapon, trailing Mercier in points. The teamwork and depth of this year’s Ellsworth team is hopefully a winning recipe for the Eagles come tournament time.

“[Mercier] really wants to get that gold ball and I think every school would like to get that gold ball,” Austin said. “We’re shooting for that and obviously we want to win every game. So far, so good.”

Ellsworth’s Chance Mercier jumps over two Yarmouth players to get the ball in the net during the 2022 Class B Championship in the Cross Insurance Center.

SAWYER LOFTUS | BDN

The Southern Aroostook Girls Basketball team continues its winning tradition

BY LARRY MAHONEY

HERE is only one high school basketball team in Maine, boys or girls, that has won three state championships over the past four campaigns.

The Southern Aroostook girls even came close to making it four state titles in a row, losing to Greenville 42-38 in the 2020 final.

The Warriors are atop the Class D North standings again this season and are the favorites to represent the North in the state championship game yet again.

After posting a regular season record of 3-15 during the 2014-15 season, the Warriors went 98-10 in the following six seasons entering this campaign, including an 85-5 record over the previous five seasons with all five losses coming to Class C schools.

Southern Aroostook captured state championships in 2018, 2019 and 2022. The team also had a strong COVID-19 season (2020-21) when there were no tournaments and schools played competitors in their own region.

Southern Aroostook went 15-1 that year and avenged its only loss with a win over Class B Presque Isle in the pod

championship game.

“That was very big to our community. We beat a team with four or five times our enrollment,” said Southern Aroostook coach Cliff Urquhart. “The community treated it like we won a state championship. We had a parade with fire trucks. It was the highest peak we could have reached that season.”

Urquhart said “success breeds success,” and that has been a key to the team’s consistency.

Makaelyn Porter, who played on the 2018 and 2019 state championship teams, said Southern Aroostook has “very strong basketball community” and kids are introduced to the sport at an early age.

“The competition is tough especially when you get to middle school. You have to work your way up,” said Porter, a 1,000point scorer at Southern Aroostook and a three-time Class D North Tournament Most Valuable Player. She is now a junior playing for the Husson University women’s basketball team.

Urquhart, a 38-year-old Eastport native

whose first year as the head coach was the 2019-10 season, said he is fortunate to have players who come from basketball families.

“There are kids whose parents played in the basketball program. The kids know the game and the history of the program. They have probably watched old tournament games with their parents and heard stories and that gets them pretty excited,” Urquhart said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAN VOSE

Southern Aroostook’s Madison Shields is fouled by Schenck’s Kristin Russell during first half action of the girls 2022 Class D North semifinal game at the Cross Insurance Center. Southern Aroostook won the game 69-23.

BDN FILE PHOTO jump to page 6

He said he has been blessed with dedicated kids who “love to get out and play.”

That includes the summer program, which gets full participation.

“If I told them we were going to practice on the moon, they would try to find a way to get there,” Urquhart said of his players.

The trademark of the Warriors is their pressure defense. They suffocate opponents and force turnovers that lead to transition baskets.

“We worked more on defense than offense in practice,” Porter said of her time with the Warriors. “Our priority was to get up in people’s faces and pressure them. We would generate offense off our defense.”

“I’ve had some real good defensive teams,” Urquhart said. “Kids in The County pride themselves on toughness. They have to deal with real cold winters. Defense is a lot of toughness and that has come out in the teams we’ve had.”

In their last four state championship games, Southern Aroostook has held its opponents to an average of 27 points per game.

“The key to them is their on-ball pres-

sure,” said Penobscot Valley of Howland coach Nate Case. “They are able to put real good pressure on the ball. They are aggressive and confident. They also have good timing when it comes to reaching in [and poking the ball away or stealing it].”

That leads to easy baskets off turnovers for the Warriors, Case added.

“Their kids are committed. They are willing to put the work in,” said Fort Fairfield coach Larry Gardner. “They are all fundamentally sound and very athletic.”

Gardner and Case said the Warriors always have talented guards who can shoot.

The current team has two 1,000-point scorers in Madison Russell and Cami Shields.

“They have four guards who can score 15 points a game and you don’t see that very much in girls basketball, let alone Class D,” Case said. “The guards also play great defense.”

He added that Southern Aroostook also always has a talented forward-center who can provide points and rebounds in the paint.

“All of our teams had good balance. Everybody fit a role,” said Porter, a three-

year captain who began playing for the varsity team in eighth grade, similar to several other Warrior stars.

The high school players spend time working with the youngsters in the recreation programs, which helps fuel the feeder system.

Porter said they were the role models for the youngsters and the kids wanted to emulate them and eventually play for the Warriors.

The players come from six different towns: Crystal, Dyer Brook, Island Falls, Merrill, Oakfield and Smyrna Mills. The students all

attend the same school in Dyer Brook, grades K-12, which breeds familiarity.

“So you don’t have kids from six small towns meeting each other for the first time on the first day of high school. That’s important,” Urquhart said.

Porter said Urquhart deserves credit for his part in the Warriors’ success.

“He pushes you hard in practice. He’s a very good Xs and Os coach. He prepares us well for every game. You never go into a game blind. You know what you have to do to win,” Porter said.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

AT

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 22

SEMIFINALS

Class B North Girls

B5: B1 winner vs. B2 winner, 10 a.m.

B6: B3 winner vs. B4 winner, 11:30 a.m.

Class B North Boys

B5: B1 winner vs. B2 winner, 2 p.m.

B6: B3 winner vs. B4 winner, 3:30 p.m.

Class D North Girls

D5: D1 winner vs. D2 winner, 7 p.m.

D6: D3 winner vs. D4 winner, 8:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, FEB. 23

SEMIFINALS

Class D North Boys

D5: D1 winner vs. D2 winner, 10 a.m.

D6: D3 winner vs. D4 winner, 11:30 a.m.

Class C North Girls

C5: C1 winner vs. C2 winner, 2 p.m.

C6: C3 winner vs. C4 winner, 3:30 p.m.

Class C North Boys

C5: C3 winner vs. C4 winner, 7 p.m.

C6: C1 winner vs. C2 winner, 8:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEB. 24

Class B North Girls final

B7: B5 winner vs. B6 winner, 6 p.m.

Class B North Boys final

B7: B5 winner vs. B6 winner, 7:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, FEB. 18

QUARTERFINALS

Class D South Boys

D1: No. 3 vs. No. 6, 9 a.m.

D2: No. 2 vs. No. 7, 10:30 a.m.

D3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, noon

D4: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 1:30 p.m.

Class A North Boys

A1: No. 3 vs. No. 6, 4 p.m.

A2: No. 2 vs. No. 7, 5:30 p.m.

A3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, 7 p.m.

A4: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 8:30 p.m.

MONDAY, FEB. 20

Class D South Girls

D1: No. 3 vs. No. 6, 9 a.m.

D2: No. 2 vs. No. 7, 10:30 a.m.

D3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, noon

D4: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 1:30 p.m.

Class C South Boys

C1: No. 3 vs. No. 6, 4 p.m.

C2: No. 2 vs. No. 7, 5:30 p.m.

C3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, 7 p.m.

C4: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 8:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEB. 21

Class C South Girls

C1: No. 3 vs. No. 6, 4 p.m.

C2: No. 2 vs. No. 7, 5:30 p.m.

C3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, 7 p.m.

Girls

D3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, 9 a.m.

D4: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 10:30 a.m.

Class D North Boys

D3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, noon

D4: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 1:30 p.m.

Class C North Girls

C1: No. 3 vs. No. 6, 4 p.m.

C2: No. 2 vs. No. 7, 5:30 p.m.

Class C North Boys

C1: No. 4 vs. No. 5, 7 p.m.

C2: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 8:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEB., 21

QUARTERFINALS

Class C North Girls

C3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, 4 p.m.

C4: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 5:30 p.m.

Class C North Boys

C3: No. 3 vs. No. 5, 7 p.m.

C4: No. 2 vs. No. 7, 8:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, FEB. 25

Class D North Girls final

D7: D5 winner vs. D6 winner, 1 p.m.

Class D North Boys final

D7: D5 winner vs. D6 winner, 2:45 p.m.

Class C North Girls final

C7: C5 winner vs. C6 winner, 6 p.m.

Class C North Boys final

C7: C5 winner vs. C6 winner, 7:45 p.m.

AT AUGUSTA CIVIC CENTER

FRIDAY, FEB. 17

QUARTERFINALS

Class A North Girls

A1: No. 3 vs. No. 6, 4 p.m.

A2: No. 2 vs. No. 7, 5:30 p.m.

A3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, 7 p.m.

A4: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 8:30 p.m.

C4: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 8:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 22

SEMIFINALS Class D South Boys

D5: D1 winner vs. D2 winner, 10 a.m.

D6: D3 winner vs. D4 winner, 11:30 a.m.

Class A North Girls

A5: A1 winner vs. A2 winner, 2 p.m.

A6: A3 winner vs. A4 winner, 3:30 p.m.

Class A North Boys

A5: A1 winner vs. A2 winner, 7 p.m.

A6: A3 winner vs. A4 winner, 8:30 p.m.

TOURNEY SCHEDULES 2023

THURSDAY, FEB. 23

SEMIFINALS

Class D South Girls

D5: D1 winner vs. D2 winner, 10 a.m.

D6: D3 winner vs. D4 winner, 11:30 a.m.

Class C South Girls

C5: C1 winner vs. C2 winner, 2 p.m.

C6: C3 winner vs. C4 winner, 3:30 p.m.

Class C South Boys

C5: C1 winner vs. C2 winner, 7 p.m.

C6: C3 winner vs. C4 winner, 8:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, FEB. 24

Class A North Girls final

A7: A5 winner vs. A6 winner, 6 p.m.

Class A North Boys final

A7: A5 winner vs. A6 winner, 7:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, FEB. 25

Class D South Girls final

D7: D5 winner vs. D6 winner, 1 p.m.

Class D South Boys final

D7: D5 winner vs. D6 winner, 2:45 p.m.

Class C South Girls final

C7: C5 winner vs. C6 winner, 6 p .m.

Class C South Boys final

C7: C5 winner vs. C6 winner, 7:45 p.m.

AT PORTLAND EXPO

FRIDAY, FEB. 17

QUARTERFINALS

Class B South Boys

B1: No. 3 vs. No. 6, 4 p.m. B2: No. 2 vs. No. 7, 5:30 p.m. B3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, 7 p.m. B4: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 8:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, FEB. 18

QUARTERFINALS

Class B South Girls

B1: No. 3 vs. No. 6, 9 a.m.

B2: No. 2 vs. No. 7, 10:30 a.m.

B3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, noon

B4: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 1:30 p.m.

Class A South Boys

A1: No. 3 vs. No. 6, 4 p.m. A2: No. 2 vs. No. 7, 5:30 p.m. A3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, 7:30 p.m.

No. 1 vs. No. 8, 9 p.m.

MONDAY, FEB. 20

QUARTERFINALS

Class A South Girls

A1: No. 3 vs. No. 6, 1 p .m.

A2: No. 2 vs. No. 7, 2:30 p.m.

A3: No. 4 vs. No. 5, 4:30 p.m.

A4: No. 1 vs. No. 8, 6 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEB. 21

SEMIFINALS

Class B South Girls

B5: B1 winner vs. B2 winner, 1 p.m.

B6: B3 winner vs. B4 winner, 2:45 p.m

Class B South Boys

B5: B1 winner vs. B2 winner, 6 p.m.

B6: B3 winner vs. B4 winner, 7:45 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 22

SEMIFINALS

Class A South Girls

A5: A1 winner vs. A2 winner, 1 p.m.

A6: A3 winner vs. A4 winner, 2:45 p.m.

Class A South Boys

A5: A1 winner vs. A2 winner, 6 p.m.

A6: A3 winner vs. A4 winner, 7:45 p.m.

AT CROSS INSURANCE ARENA, PORTLAND

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 22

SEMIFINALS

Class AA North Girls

AA1: Nos. 3/6 winner vs. Nos. 2/7 winner, 2 p.m.

AA2: Nos. 4/5 winner vs. Nos. 1/8 winner, 3:45 p.m.

Class AA South Girls

AA1: Nos. 3/6 winner vs. Nos. 2/7 winner, 7 p.m.

AA2: Nos. 4/5 winner vs. Nos. 1/8 winner, 8:45 p.m.

THURSDAY, FEB. 23

SEMIFINALS

Class AA North Boys

AA1: Nos. 3/6 winner vs. Nos. 2/7 winner, 2 p.m.

AA2: Nos. 4/5 winner vs. Nos. 1/8 winner, 3:45 p.m.

Class AA South Boys

AA1: Nos. 3/6 winner vs. Nos. 2/7 winner, 7 p.m.

AA2: Nos. 4/5 winner vs. Nos. 1/8 winner, 8:45 p.m.

AT PORTLAND EXPO

FRIDAY, FEB. 24

Class B South Girls final

B7: B5 winner vs. B6 winner, 2 p.m.

Class B South Boys final

B7: B5 winner vs. B6 winner, 3:45 p.m.

Class A South Girls final

A7: A5 winner vs. A6 winner, 7 p.m.

Class A South Boys final

A7: A5 winner vs. A6 winner, 8:45 p.m.

AT CROSS INSURANCE ARENA, PORTLAND

SATURDAY, FEB. 25

Class AA North Girls final

A3: AA1 winner vs. AA2 winner, 2 p.m.

Class AA North Boys final

A3: AA1 winner vs. AA2 winner, 3:45 p.m.

Class AA South Girls final

A3: AA1 winner vs. AA2 winner, 7 p.m.

Class AA South Boys final

A3: AA1 winner vs. AA2 winner, 8:45 p.m.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

FRIDAY, MARCH 3

AT AUGUSTA CIVIC CENTER

Class A girls, 7:05 p.m.

Class A boys, 8:45 p.m.

SATURDAY, MARCH 4

AT CROSS INSURANCE ARENA, PORTLAND

Class B girls, 1:05 p.m.

Class B boys, 3:45 p.m.

Class AA girls, 7:05 p.m.

Class AA boys, 8:45 p.m.

AT CROSS INSURANCE CENTER, BANGOR

Class D girls, 1:05 p.m.

Class D boys, 2:45 p.m.

Class C girls, 7:05 p.m.

Class C boys, 8:45 p.m.

2022 Girls Classes B, C, D North All-Tournament Teams

Class B

*Maddie Lebel, Sr., F, Hermon

Sydney Loring, Sr., F, Old Town

Faith Sjoberg, Sr., G, Presque Isle

Madelyn Emerson, Sr., G, Old Town

Elizabeth Wyman, Sr., F, Hermon

Honorable mention:

Olivia Gray (Mount Desert Island),

Mollie Gray (Mount Desert Island),

Meg Tracy (Hermon),

Saige Evans (Old Town),

Hannah Coolen (Mount View)

Class C

*Alisyn Alley, Sr. G, Stearns

Anna Oliver, Fr., G, Hodgdon

Kaya Loring, Jr. F, Penobscot Valley

Makayla Anderson, Sr., G, Stearns

Ellie Austin, Fr., G, Penobscot Valley

Honorable mention:

Kasey Kenyon (Stearns),

Holly Loring (Penobscot Valley),

Izzy Allen (Central),

Marissa Dow (Hodgdon),

Jozlynn Paige (Dexter)

BY LARRY MAHONEY

Class D

*Madison Russell, Jr., G, Southern Aroostook

Lilly Roy, Soph., G, Wisdom

Cami Shields, Soph, G, Southern Aroostook

Olivia Ouellette, Jr., F-C, Wisdom

Abbie Lerman, Jr., G, Wisdom

Honorable mention:

Madison Shields (Southern Aroostook),

Emmalee Landry (Southern Aroostook),

Jaydin Anderson (Machias),

Kristen Russell (Schenck), Ashlee Morang (Shead)

* MVP selection

2022 Boys Classes B, C, D North All-Tournament Teams

Class B

*Hunter Curtis, Sr., F, Ellsworth

Chance Mercier, So., F, Ellsworth

Pierce Walston, So., G, Orono

Edoardo Fiore, Sr., G, John Bapst

Gabe Gifford, Jr., G, Old Town

Honorable mention:

Gage Hardy (Ellsworth), Ben Francis (Orono), Isaac Hayes (Old Town),

Ellis Spaulding (Orono), Emmitt Byther (Old Town)

Class C

*Will Kusnierz, Jr., F, Dexter

Avery Gagnon, Sr., G, Dexter

Bryce Schneider, Sr., C, George Stevens

Austin Delisle, Sr., G, Fort Kent

Simon Allen, Sr., G, Central

Honorable mention:

Seth Robbins (Dexter), Ethan Daigle (Fort Kent), Teague Smallidge (George Stevens), Bryce Burns (Central), Patrick Dagan (George Stevens)

of

BY ERNIE CLARK

Class D

*Hunter Burpee, Sr., C, Southern Aroostook

Dylan Burpee, So., F, Southern Aroostook

Shane Feeney, Jr., F. Machias

Kashman Feeney, Sr., F, Machias

Carter Pelletier, Sr., G, Wisdom

Honorable mention:

Camden Porter (Southern Aroostook),

Kaden Hannan (Schenck),

Kaden Daigle (Wisdom),

Graha Siltz (Southern Aroostook), Damon Beal (Jonesport-Beals)

* MVP selection

The Tourney is a valuable recruiting tool for Maine College Basketball Coaches

BY LARRY MAHONEY

Husson University women’s basketball coach Kissy Walker didn’t know much about Central Aroostook High School of Mars Hill junior guard Maci Beals before the 2020 Class C North high school basketball tournament at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.

Walker said when players from small, rural communities don’t play AAU or travel basketball, “you don’t get to see somebody like that much.”

During that tournament, Beals averaged 14.7 points per game in leading her sixth-seeded Panthers to wins over the top three seeds in the tourney and she was the recipient of the Bangor Daily News’ Owen Osborne Tournament Most Valuable Player award.

She followed that up with a 20-point performance to lead the Panthers past Winthrop 67-61 in the state championship game.

“I remember saying to myself ‘I’ve got to get that kid,’” said Walker.

She did just that. Beals is a sophomore guard on the Husson team this season.

The Maine high school basketball tournaments are important to college recruiters. Players are tested against good teams in front of large, passionate crowds in a win-or-go-home scenario.

“I put a lot of value in watching a recruit in a tournament atmosphere,” said Husson University men’s coach Warren Caruso. “There is added pressure in those moments so you get to see how they react and how they play.”

St. Joseph’s College of Windham women’s basketball coach Mike McDevitt said there is even value in seeing a recruit having a sub-par performance.

“You get to see how they handle adversity and disappointment,” McDevitt said. “How they handle adversity can indicate how successful they are going to be. … The stakes are higher so you need to see how they deal with pressure situations.”

College coaches will tell you that a player’s character is just as important as their talent.

If you have a talented player who isn’t necessarily a good person, that will create a tense locker room atmosphere that can be problematic and lead to underachievement by the players and the team.

Husson University men’s basketball coach Warren Caruso during a game in 2017.

BDN FILE PHOTO

“You can tell a lot by how the player interacts with their teammates,” said University of Maine Presque Isle men’s basketball coach Dan Kane. “And then you can flip it around and see how their teammates react to them.”

How they treat their coaches and referees are also monitored.

Walker said she has recruited players she was excited to land only to see them display a poor attitude in that setting.

“When you see that kind of behavior at the tournament, it makes you think twice,” Walker said. “They have to be a

good fit for your program. Team chemistry is so important. That’s a big priority.

She added that she’s had teams that weren’t as talented as others but were successful because of their great chemistry.

Walker doesn’t rule out a recruit for an isolated performance because she knows how competitive players are and how they can act out in the heat of the moment.

So she will do her homework to make sure it was a rare instance and not common behavior.

“I believe in second chances,” Walker said.

The beauty of the tournaments for the college coaches is that they can watch a bunch of games in a day. It isn’t easy for them to get to a high school regular season game because they’re coaching their own teams.

“It’s always great to have a lot of talent in one place for multiple games and to watch a recruit play on the biggest stage,” said first-year University of Maine men’s basketball coach Chris Markwood.

McDevitt said in-state college coaches are “pretty lucky” because of the passion for high school basketball in Maine.

“High school basketball is still pretty popular so, on a lot of nights, regular season games have a pretty good atmosphere and a pretty competitive situation,” McDevitt said.

“That’s not always the case in other states. Maine players get exposed to more big-game atmospheres than players in other states.”

Caruso said the tournaments are special.

“The bands, cheerleaders, a central location. I don’t know of any other state that does it the way Maine does it,” Caruso said.

The coaches said they have often gone to a tournament game to watch one particular player only to have another one catch their eye. And there have been times they would just be watching the games to see if any player would stand out, as was the case for Walker with Beals.

The tournaments are not quite as important as they were several years ago because of the growth of AAU and travel team basketball, the coaches said, which enables them to see players in games and showcases in the summer.

McDevitt said the high school tournaments are “a piece of the recruiting process but not a be-all-end-all.”

The coaches are unanimous on their love of the tournament. Many have played in them and coached in them before moving on to the college level.

“I remember when I played at Central High (in Corinth). When we came out for warmups, I felt like I could jump 12 feet high,” Kane recalled. “It was a special experience.”

“I’ve been going to the tournament for 40 years now. I don’t know what it would be like to not attend,” said Caruso, who played at Bangor High School.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Husson University women’s basketball coach Kissy Walker. BDN FILE PHOTO

University of Maine at Presque Isle men’s basketball coach Dan Kane talks to his team.

What the maine high school basketball tournament at Bangor means to you!

BY ADAM ROBINSON

The Maine high school basketball tournament every year is a destination for so many in the state. Basketball is religion in Maine and the tournament — split up in Portland, August and Bangor — is always filled with basketball fans, athletes and parents.

We wanted to hear from you and find out what makes the Bangor location, formerly the Bangor Auditorium but now at the Bangor Cross Insurance Center, so special and what memories conjure up in your mind when you think of the Bangor location.

“It’s seeing all of the people who come from the small towns, far and away, ar-

rive in droves to support their teams that makes the tournament so special to me. You can almost feel how much the experience means and how important this time of year is to them. The Class D schools don’t have sports like hockey, indoor track, swimming, etc., so for them basketball is king and they bring this sense of enthusiasm to Bangor!” — Paul Bouchard of Old Town

“Community spirit and the excitement of the participants.” — David Gray of Farmington

“The excitement of taking the floor for a big game as a player, coach or official

with a good band playing.” — Marty Bouchard of Kennebunk

“We get to see all these teams and coaches and officials and then don’t see them for a year, then the tournament comes back and we get to catch up. It’s kind of like old home week, you get to see all these people that you don’t see much. A lot of the people there are old coaches and teachers that I had at Brewer.” — Laurie Richards of Brewer, teacher and Cross Insurance Center staff member

“The sheer excitement of the games, bands, cheerleaders, hometown fans, comradery between rival fans all pulling

for the common cause.” — Richard of Orlando, Florida

“Seeing people that lived in my town in the past.” — Dennis Lowell of Lincoln

“I would say, like a lot of people say, it’s just part of the winter fabric now. You kind of plan your whole winter knowing tournament week, then you kind of know what it’s going to be like on the other side.

I can’t imagine not being at the tournament. You see so many people that you might just see in February. You try to catch up and discuss things, it’s just a good place to kind of get together once a year or so. It’s my favorite week of the

year. I really do think that.” — Dale Duff of Bangor, WHOU

“Getting together with friends.” — Douglas Libby of Ellsworth

“Fans cheering!” — Julie of Medway

“The first group of kids that made it up there, 2011, going into the building with them and sitting way up high and just being stunned at how many people were there and how big and important it felt. How it felt when you walk on the court

and you look up and there are people everywhere. And you’re playing teams like Presque Isle with big bands and big fan bases. It was a totally different experience than we had. … I love the new venue, there are great sight lines, but there was nothing quite like the auditorium. It had a whole different energy to it. It had an old school feeling to it and had an extra level of intensity.” — Mike Gray of Gardiner, Gardiner girls basketball coach.

Dexter fans go wild cheering on the boys at the end of the game against George Stevens Academy. Dexter won the 2022 Class C North championship game 42-40 at the Cross Insurance Center

BDN | LINDA COAN O’KRESIK