Lexi Morin, smiling in the back, and her Brunswick High teammates celebrate after they defeated Gray-New Gloucester in the Class A South championship game on Friday night. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

After some wild moments, stunning upsets and one controversial shot, the boys’ and girls’ basketball tournaments have reached their final destinations.

The state championship games across all five classes will be played this weekend at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, the Augusta Civic Center and the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. The action will start Friday in Augusta with the Class A girls’ final between Brunswick and Lawrence and the A boys’ final between Falmouth and Brewer.

In Portland, the local action will begin Saturday with Class B as the Oceanside boys face Orono. Class AA will follow, with Gorham playing Oxford Hills in the girls’ game and rivals South Portland and Portland meeting in the boys’ game.

Bangor on Saturday will host the Class D and C finals. Among southern Maine teams, Seacoast Christian will play Southern Aroostook in the D girls’ game, and the Old Orchard Beach girls will face Dexter in Class C.

Brunswick’s matchup with Lawrence, scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Friday, will kick off the slate. The Dragons (19-2) were the A South favorite all season, and they rode a rare blend of balance and depth to victories over Westbrook, Falmouth and finally Gray-New Gloucester in the South bracket. Brunswick’s regional title was its first since 2017; the program has never won a state title.

Dakota Shipley, Maddy Werner, Emily Doring, Kelsie Carlton and Lexi Morin all scored in double figures during the Dragons’ run.

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“We went nine games in before someone led us in scoring back-to-back games,” Coach Sam Farrell said. “You just don’t see that. But it’s the unselfish (aspect). There’s no one who wants to do it on their own. But if someone’s hot, the team will find her.”

Brunswick players are prepared for their roles, and even their responsibilities, to change daily.

“I go out there and I’ll be like ‘You want me to be a post today? I’ll be a post. I’ll be a guard,’ ” said Morin, who was named the South tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. “Put me wherever. … That’s just my role.”

Lawrence (18-3), which took down undefeated Gardiner and Miss Maine Basketball hopeful Lizzy Gruber, will be the latest team to try to figure out a problem in Brunswick that has no clear solution.

“They’re like a chameleon,” Gray-New Gloucester Coach Mike Andreasen said. “One kid does it today, one kid does it tomorrow, and they’re tough to scout.”

Here’s a look at the other championship games involving southern Maine teams, in chronological order:

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• A boys’ final, Falmouth vs. Brewer, 7:45 p.m. Friday in Augusta: The Navigators (17-4) returned to the Class A championship game even after the pre-tournament loss of nightly double-double candidate Chris Simonds with a broken ankle. With Judd Armstrong, Paul Dilworth and Lucas Dilworth leading the way, Falmouth took out Mt. Ararat, Westbrook and Marshwood to repeat as regional champions.

The Navigators’ defense was brilliant, holding all three opponents under 34 points. That defense will need to be better than ever against Brewer (20-1), which has scored 153 points over its last two victories.

“We have a whole starting lineup of seniors and we all want it very badly,” Armstrong said. “We’re very competitive. We think we can win it all.”

• D girls’ final, Seacoast Christian vs. Southern Aroostook, 1:05 p.m. Saturday in Bangor: Ellie Leech (37 points, 17 rebounds) and Breckyn Winship (21 points) led the Guardians past Valley in the regional final and into a rematch with the Warriors, who won last year’s D final, 58-18.

Seacoast Christian (12-9), which has only six players on the team, has been playing its best at the best time. The Guardians won their three playoff games by an average of 13.7 points.

This is the fifth consecutive title game appearance for Southern Aroostook (18-3), which has won three of the previous four.

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• B boys’ final, Oceanside vs. Orono, 3:45 p.m. Saturday in Portland: Few teams in either tournament were as resilient as the Mariners (20-1), who rallied from 14 points down to beat Cape Elizabeth in the regional quarterfinals, then withstood losing an eight-point lead with two minutes to go to outlast Yarmouth in overtime in the South final. Carter Galley, who averaged 22.1 points during the regular season, has led the way with 20.3 points per game in the tournament.

Orono (18-3), the No. 3 seed in the North, defeated defending champion Ellsworth in the regional final.

• AA girls’ final, Gorham vs. Oxford Hills, 7:05 p.m. Saturday in Portland: The Cinderella of the AA tournament has been the Rams, who went 9-9 in the regular season but have raised their game in the playoffs. After beating Bonny Eagle, No. 3 Gorham outlasted Sanford in overtime in the semis, and then shocked No. 1 Thornton Academy in the South final.

Ellie Gay has become the Rams’ go-to scorer, putting up 21 points against Sanford and then 20 against Thornton.

Another upset won’t be easy, as Oxford Hills (20-1), led by Sierra Carson and Ella Pelletier, has been one of the state’s top teams all year and won the teams’ only meeting, 72-47. The Vikings seek their third title in four tournaments.

• C girls’ final, Old Orchard Beach vs. Dexter, 7:05 p.m. in Bangor: After shining as one of the state’s top players during the regular season, Elise MacNair raised her level even higher during the postseason to bring the Seagulls to their first state final appearance. She had 30 and 32 points in wins over Winthrop and Kents Hill, respectively, and then scored 26 of her team’s 39 points in the final against North Yarmouth Academy.

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“I think these kids focus. When they come off the bus, they’re ready to play,” Coach Dean Plante said. “They’ve done it all week, really the whole second half of the season. They pay attention to scouts, and they execute the game plan.”

Dexter (20-1) defeated its opponents by an average of 14 points in the North region.

• AA boys’ final, South Portland vs. Portland, 8:45 p.m. Saturday in Portland: The crosstown rivals will meet in the state championship for the third time, and the first since 2017. The Bulldogs got the best of the Red Riots both times, winning 52-50 in 2016 and 60-38 in 2017.

Portland (16-5) reached the final by ousting No. 1 Oxford Hills in the North final behind Jeissey Khamis’s 19 points and 19 rebounds. South Portland (18-3) took down No. 1 Thornton Academy in the South final behind 17 points and eight rebounds from Jaelen Jackson. The meeting could be a classic; South Portland beat Portland, 47-46, in the teams’ first matchup this season.

“Whoever can hold the team to less points. It’s going to be a close one. That’s how (Portland Coach Joe) Russo coaches,” Jackson said. “I’m not expecting them to run and try to get 70 possessions in a game.”

South Portland will be attempting to win back-to-back state titles, after waiting 30 years to claim the championship last year.

Staff writers Steve Craig and Travis Lazarczyk contributed to this story.


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