Points will be at a premium when the three girls north regional championship games will be held on Saturday at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
All six teams have been stout, defensively, and all of them have held at least 11 opponents under 40 points.
Here are Saturday’s matchups:
Class S: No. 1 Wisdom (19-1) vs. No. 2 Katahdin (18-2), 10 a.m.
Wisdom of St. Agatha won both regular season games, 36-21 at home on Jan. 5 and 33-28 in Stacyville on Jan. 30
Both teams have held 18 of their 20 opponents under 40 points this season.
Katahdin has won 10 of its last 11 games while Wisdom brings a five-game winning streak into the contest.
Senior guard Ava Lerman has had a huge tournament for the Pioneers so far with games of 41 and 17 points. She has also made seven steals and dished out six assists in the 65-14 win over Easton and 47-20 triumph over Ashland.
Katahdin has featured more balanced scoring in its victories over Van Buren (48-23) and Jonesport-Beals (46-37).
Emily McNally has averaged 12.5 points per game, Polly Cullen has averaged 10.5 points and nine rebounds and Ayanna Lester has produced nine points per outing.
Wisdom is a slight favorite because the Pioneers have a game-changer in Lerman, but the Cougars have impressive depth which should make it a close game.
Class D: No. 2 Machias (18-2) vs. No. 4 Penobscot Valley (15-5), 2 p.m.
Machias brings a 14-game winning streak into the contest including its tournament wins over Narraguagus of Harrington (67-42) and Central Aroostook of Mars Hill (47-38).
Machias enters the contest with three players averaging in double digits in its tourney wins in Aubrey Wood (19 points per game), Loretta Richardson (18.5) and Olivia Reynolds (12.5). Richardson and Reynolds have also produced 8.5 rebounds per game.
Reigning state Class C champ Penobscot Valley of Howland followed a 73-19 quarterfinal win over Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook which featured a run of 39 consecutive points with the tourney’s biggest upset, a 52-37 win over a previously undefeated Bangor Christian team that had beaten the Howlers three times during the regular season.
PVHS has won five of its last six games and have held 13 opponents under 40 points compared to Machias’ 11.
The Howlers have four players averaging double-digits in the tourney in Rylee Moulton (15 ppg), Lila Cummings (12 ppg), McKenna Ireland (11 ppg) and Brooklynn Raymond (10 ppg).
These teams did not meet during the regular season.
The Howlers will be favored thanks to their big-game experience, depth and the momentum carryover from the Bangor Christian victory.
Class C: No. 1 Mattanawcook Academy (20-0) vs. No. 3 Foxcroft Academy (18-3), 7 p.m.
The Lynx have held 15 opponents under 40 points, one more than the Ponies.
Seniors Addison Cyr, Megan House and Chloe De La Cruz have been the catalysts for the Lynx so far.
The 6-foot-1 Cyr has averaged 16 points, 9.5 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots; House has registered 15 ppg and 7.5 assists and Cruz has averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds.
The Foxcroft Academy Ponies, winners of seven in a row, have received 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds from Kassidy Lebel and 11.5 points and 7 rebounds from Nola Mason.
Mattanawcook and Foxcroft did not meet during the regular season.
Mattanawcook’s size gives the Lynx a distinct advantage, and the Lynx proved in the semifinal win over Caribou that they have a lot of weapons besides Cyr after she got into foul trouble.
