The fans had already cleared out of the Cross Insurance Center after an exciting upset win in the girls Class D tournament on Wednesday.
But the two opposing coaches from that game were still in the building, and they had words for each other.
Words of encouragement, that is.
The Schenck Wolverines had just knocked the top-seeded Bangor Christian Patriots out of the regional basketball tournament in Bangor. And as Bangor Christian coach Kevin Reed was talking to this reporter, Schenck coach Kirsten Hutchins was leaving the gym.
She congratulated Reed on his team’s season. Reed congratulated her as well. And not long after the Wolverines of East Millinocket had ended that season for Bangor Christian, Reed was already offering encouragement.
“Keep it going,” Reed told Hutchins, encouraging the coach from a fellow Penobscot Valley Conference school.
Right after the exchange with Hutchins, someone else leaving the building called Reed a “class act.” That description seemed to fit the entire moment as well.
It was quick, it was simple, and it tells you a lot in terms of what the Maine high school basketball tournament is all about. It was a special moment, but it wasn’t unique. Those exchanges are everywhere in the Cross Center during the tournament, if you keep an eye out for them.
“You see the respect for your opponents, you see the respect for the coaches. I think it’s just a part of the overall tournament,” Maine Principals’ Association Executive Director Mike Burnham said Wednesday night in between game action at the Cross Center. The MPA is in charge of high school athletic competitions in Maine, including the basketball tournament.
There are plenty of things that draw, and deserve, our attention during tourney time. But the defining moments are not just the buzzer-beaters or dunks. They are moments like the victorious Madawaska coaching staff telling Dexter’s Bryce Cooper outside the locker rooms that he played a great game against them after he led all players with 22 points. Moments like Old Town’s Ethan Closson helping an Orono player up off the floor in the middle of a heated rivalry game.
Sure, there are moments of conflict both on and off the court. Some teams don’t like each other. Some fans don’t like the refs. But at its core, amid all the noise both good and bad, this tournament is another way for people to support one another — whether they be teammates or opponents.
In addition to his impressive play on Wednesday night, Orono senior forward Will Francis succinctly captured the balance between competition and respect for an opponent.
“It’s always fun to play against those guys,” Francis said about the rival players from neighboring Old Town. “We’re good friends but we’re also rivals on the basketball court.”
