The five teams that won North regional girls basketball championships a year ago will begin defense of their titles this weekend when the tournaments get underway across the state.
Two of them had to win preliminary round games on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals.
Defending state champ Dexter is the sixth seed in the C North tournament and beat No. 11 Fort Fairfield 72-17. Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook, which claimed its fifth state Class D crown in six years last season, is the eighth seed this season and ousted ninth seed Stearns of Millinocket 55-38 to punch its ticket to the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
Here is a look at the favorites in each class.
Class AA
Defending state champ Cheverus of Portland and Oxford Hills of South Paris, have combined to win the last five state AA titles and could very well meet in the North AA championship game for the fourth straight year.
Oxford Hills went 16-2 to earn the top seed and first round bye while Cheverus was 13-5 to earn the second seed.
Oxford Hills has won 10 in a row and beat Cheverus 50-29 in their only regular season meeting.
Senior Ella Pelletier, a Bangor Daily News All-Maine first team selection last season and a Miss Maine Basketball semifinalist this year, has put together a terrific senior year in which she was AA North’s leading scorer (24.2 points per game) and rebounder (11.4). She also averaged 3.2 assists and 2.4 steals.
She has been complemented by Gabbie Tibbetts (12.8 points per game and 2.5 assists per game).
Thornton Academy transfer Kylie Lamson has made a dramatic impact at Cheverus, averaging 21.9 points and 5.7 rebounds. Addison Jordan has contributed 9.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Stags.
Edward Little of Auburn has been the success story of the class, going 12-6. This is a six-win improvement from a year ago. Rachel Penny (13.8 ppg, 2.7 steals, 2.3 assists) and Layla Facchiano (13.5 points, league-leading 3.7 assists) have been the catalysts for Edward Little, which beat Portland in the quarterfinals.
Fourth seed Bangor, 12-6, and fifth seed Windham (11-7) will meet in a Friday quarterfinal in Bangor. Avery Clark (15.1 ppg, 7.3 rebounds per game, 3.1 steals) and Dalaney Horr (8.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, league-leading 3.2 steals) have been Bangor’s go-to players along with Ayzlynn Gifford (9.3 ppg, 2.6 apg, 2.2 steals).
Stella Jarvais (12.6 ppg, 7 rpg) and Mackenzie Delewski (10.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg) have paced Windham.
Class A
Lawrence of Fairfield and Cony High of Augusta met in last year’s A North final with third seed Cony upsetting top seed Lawrence 54-46.
Lawrence has gone 18-0 with an average winning margin of 27.7 points per game and swept its two games with Cony although the second one was a 74-73 thriller in Augusta on Feb. 4.
The 15-3 Rams’ only other loss was to AA contender Oxford Hills.
Hampden Academy coach Nick Winchester said Lawrence and Cony are definitely the favorites.
“They are both experienced. They are led by juniors and seniors,” said Winchester. “They’re battle-tested.”
Lawrence won the state title in 2023.
Lawrence has been led by Maddie Provost, who has already reached the 1,000-point plateau as a junior, along with standout post player Lilly Gray and long-range shooter Ashley Shores.
Cony has its own 1,000-point scorer in Miss Maine Basketball semifinalist Abby Morrill and complementing her have been fellow senior Morgan Fichthorne, considered the hardest working player in the league by Winchester, along with freshmen Kya Douin and Gabby Vachon.
The 13-5 and third-seeded Hampden Academy Broncos have won nine of their last 10 and feature sophomores Aubrey Shaw, Eve Wiles and Katelyn Adams along with 6-foot-3 post player Grace LaBree, who has improved noticeably over the last month of the season according to Winchester and has become a force in the paint.
Hampden will face Brewer and 1,000-point scorer Allie Flagg in the quarterfinals.
Fourth seed Camden Hills, 12-6, has an athletic team that could be a tough out.
Class B
Caribou earned the top seed with its 17-1 record and will bring a 12-game winning streak into the tournament.
The Vikings haven’t won a regional title since it won back-to-back A titles in 1983 and 84.
Ellsworth coach Andy Pooler, whose Eagles won the state title two years ago, considers it a wide open tournament with a number of teams capable of winning it.
Erskine Academy of South China is the unknown, bringing a 14-4 record to the tourney as the second seed.
Defending champ Old Town, 12-6, 12-6 Ellsworth and 11-7 Mount Desert Island round out the top five, meaning Hancock County rivals Ellsworth and MDI will square off in the quarterfinals.
Miss Maine Basketball semifinalist Madelynn Deprey has accentuated her exemplary career at Caribou by averaging a Big East-leading 21.7 points per game along with 7.8 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 2.7 assists. She was a second team BDN All-Maine pick last year.
Liv Adams has averaged 11.1 points per game for the Vikings and Quinn Corrigan has produced 3.7 assists and 3.6 steals per contest.
Kelsie Dunn has already eclipsed the 500-point mark as a sophomore and leads Erskine Academy along with Olivia Childs, Kienna Morse and freshman Kinsey Ulmer.
Taylor Loring has been the spark for Old Town as she is averaging 12 points per game. Lexi Tozier (12.7 ppg, league-leading 11.7 rpg) and Lily Norwood (10 ppg) have been MDI’s top guns and Pooler’s injury-plagued Eagles had received a big year from Kaylee Bagley (13.2 ppg).
Addison Atherton (6.99 rpg) and Lily Bean are experienced veterans for the Eagles who have returned from injuries.
Hermon is a darkhorse according to Pooler thanks to two quality post players in Becca Balmas and Kassidy Lebel.
Class C
This shapes up as a two-team showdown between 18-0 top seed Penobscot Valley of Howland and second seed Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, which is 16-2 with both losses coming to PVHS.
PVHS’s average winning margin has been 27 points and the Howlers got another shot of confidence with a Tuesday scrimmage win at Lawrence.
“It was awesome,” said PVHS coach Nate Case.
The well-balanced Howlers feature four players averaging in double figures in Rylee Moulton (20.4 ppg), Brooklynn Raymond (17.2), Ellie Austin (14.5) and Lila Cummings (11.5). The top rebounders are Austin (9.8), Cummings (9.2) and Raymond (6.7).
The Howlers’ swarming pressure defense results in a lot of transition baskets off turnovers.
Moulton, Raymond, Austin and Cummings have all won two state soccer championships in Class D and are extremely athletic.
The Lynx have an imposing front court with 1,000-point scorer Addison Cyr and Lily Wotton and Meghan House is a productive guard.
Fort Kent has a Miss Maine Basketball finalist and 1,000-point scorer Lily Oliver and Dexter can never be counted out because of its elite defensive play.
And Mount View of Thorndike brings a 12-game winning streak to the tournament.
Class D
Southern Aroostook was hit hard by graduation and injuries which leaves a host of contenders to wrest the title away from the Warriors. Although you can’t count them out.
This class features a number of teams who are on a roll.
Top seed Bangor Christian, 15-3, has won 12 of its last 13. No. 2 Central Aroostook of Mars Hill (16-2) has won 10 of 11, third seed Wisdom of St. Agatha (16-2) has won 13 of 14 and number five Shead of Eastport (13-5) has earned victories in nine of its last 11.
Schenck of East Millinocket (12-6) is the fourth seed.
Lyndsie Durost, Carley Andrews and River Bradford have been Bangor Christian’s mainstays; Lilly Burtt and Harleigh Allen are Central Aroostook’s standouts; Ava Lerman and Kelsee Daigle have been Wisdom’s catalysts; Jenna Suddy and sisters Adriana and Shaylynn Fenderson have been Shead’s leaders and Harlee Sprague and Addyson Freeman have piloted Schenck.
