• WESTERN CLASS A

FAVORITES: Cheverus, at 18-0, heads into the tournament as the clear favorite. The Stags beat Marshwood, their opponent tonight, 57-40 on Feb. 3. They have allowed only 37.4 points per game.

WATCH OUT FOR: No. 2 Bonny Eagle has won eight straight. No. 5 Portland has won five straight. No. 3 Thornton Academy can get on a roll.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Andrew Shaw, senior forward, Thornton Academy (19.2 ppg, 41 3-pointers); Louie DiStasio, junior guard, Cheverus (14.3 ppg.); Jon Amabile, junior guard, Deering (16.9 ppg., 3.2 spg.)

DID YOU KNOW: Cheverus Coach Bob Brown first took a team to the tournament as a head coach in 1960. He was coaching at Belgrade High. Brown has taken seven schools to the tournament.

 

• WESTERN CLASS B

FAVORITES: This could be the most wide-open tournament. Greely is the top seed but lost to No. 4 Yarmouth late in the season. Greely has the size but has been prone to turnovers.

WATCH OUT FOR: Mountain Valley and Leavitt play in different conferences from the rest of the field. Yarmouth, York and Cape Elizabeth are capable of making runs. No. 8 Gray-New Gloucester can’t even be counted out.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Theo Bowe, senior forward, Cape Elizabeth (25.2 ppg); Sam Johnston, senior guard, Greely (17.6 ppg, 3.0 apg); Cam Kaubris, senior guard, Mountain Valley (17.6 ppg., 5.0 apg); Josh Britten, junior guard, Yarmouth (23.6 ppg)

DID YOU KNOW: Greely has made the tournament 20 straight years under Coach Ken Marks with three state titles in the 1990s.

 

• WESTERN CLASS C

FAVORITES: Another wide-open tournament, but No. 1 Dirigo and No. 2 Boothbay Region have the edge. Boothbay beat Dirigo 89-88 in double overtime to win the Mountain Valley Conference title Monday.

WATCH OUT FOR: Old Orchard Beach has size and could be tough for opponents to match up with. Monmouth beat Boothbay during the season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Cody St. Germain, junior center, Dirigo (16.5 ppg).; Dan Dickinson, senior guard, Boothbay Region (15.1 ppg., 4.3 spg); Ryan Gallant, senior guard, Old Orchard Beach (12.0 ppg, 3.0 apg); Joe Veroneau, Waynflete, senior forward (10.0 ppg)

DID YOU KNOW: I.J. Pinkham has 522 wins in 40 seasons of coaching, the last 35 at Boothbay Region.

 

• WESTERN CLASS D

FAVORITES: No. 1 Forest Hills has at least one win against all of the top 10 teams in the division, but it’s still a very balanced field. Richmond has recent tournament history on its side.

WATCH OUT FOR: Elan and Islesboro are capable of going deep into the tournament.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Jack Peters, senior guard, Elan (20 ppg); Dylan McNally, senior center, Forest Hills, (16.0 ppg); Evan Worster, sophomore guard, Forest Hills (18.0 ppg, 9 rpg)

DID YOU KNOW: Forest Hills starts Matt Turner, an eighth-grader. With Turner in the lineup, the team is 5-0. The Tigers are making their 11th straight tourney appearance.

 

• EASTERN CLASS A

FAVORITES: Bangor and Hampden Academy are favored with Edward Little on their heels. The Eddies have played in the last two state title games.

WATCH OUT FOR: Mt. Blue has the athleticism to be a factor. Lawrence has a strong tourney tradition.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Bo Leary, senior forward, Edward Little (22.0 ppg, 10 rpg); Graham Safford, senior guard, Hampden Academy (18.2 ppg); Zach Blodgett, senior forward, Bangor (12.0 ppg)

DID YOU KNOW: Of the four quarterfinal matchups, two of them didn’t play during the regular season. That would be Brunswick vs. Bangor and Lewiston vs. Hampden Academy.

 

• EASTERN CLASS B

FAVORITES: Camden Hills is undefeated with an average margin of victory of 34.6 points in the regular season. Ellsworth is also undefeated, and Medomak Valley gave Camden Hills its toughest game of the season. Presque Isle’s lone loss was to Ellsworth.

WATCH OUT FOR: Winslow center Mike McCann, who is 14 points shy of 1,000 for his career.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Tyler McFarland, senior forward, Camden Hills; (24.6 ppg, 12.1 rpg) Keegan Pieri, senior guard, Camden Hills (16.6 ppg); Andrew Austin, senior forward, Ellsworth (13.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg); Mike McCann, senior center, Winslow (17.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg); Travis Dyer, senior guard, Presque Isle (15 ppg).

DID YOU KNOW: A team from the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference has won this region for 10 consecutive years.

 

• EASTERN CLASS C

FAVORITES: With a 17-1 record and the No. 1 seed, Lee Academy is the clear favorite. Penobscot Valley is having one of its best seasons in years but lost twice to Lee during the season.

WATCH OUT FOR: Penquis Valley, Calais, Stearns and Sumner.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: A.J. Harris, senior guard, Lee Academy (13.3 ppg., 5.0 apg); Joey McCloskey, senior center, Penobscot Valley (20.0 ppg., 12.0 rpg); Brian Russell, senior guard, Penquis Valley (16 ppg)

DID YOU KNOW: Lee Academy’s 17 wins is a school record for the boys’ program. Lee never has won a regional Class C boys’ title.

 

• EASTERN CLASS D

FAVORITES: No. 1 and unbeaten Central Aroostook has good size, as does Jonesport-Beals. Basically it’s a wide-open tournament.

WATCH OUT FOR: Defending champion Schenck and Katahdin. Machias and Fort Fairfield could be the sleepers.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Brandon Robinson, senior forward, Katahdin (18.0 ppg); Garet Beal, sophomore guard, Jonesport-Beals (17.0 ppg., 4.6 apg); Mike McClung, junior center, Central Aroostook (18.0 ppg); Eric Theriault, senior guard, Schenck (18.0).

DID YOU KNOW: Katahdin Coach Shawn Craig was a 1,000-point scorer for the Cougars in the 1980s. He played for Phil Faulkner, who is his assistant coach now.

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