Freeport’s Caroline Smith is one of the top players in the Western Maine Conference. Smith leads her Falcons into the Class B South postseason on Saturday against No. 8 Cape Elizabeth at 2 p.m. at the Portland Expo. (Ben McCanna / Portland Press Herald)
BRUNSWICK — For most Maine high school teams, 18 games are in the books.
Now, the second season is set to begin as the postseason starts up on Tuesday and Wednesday with preliminary contests, followed by the yearly excursion to the Portland Expo, Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Augusta Civic Center and Cross Arena in Bangor for those teams looking to lift the Gold Ball.
Here is a look at where area teams finished and what the future may hold.
Girls Basketball
Class B South
When Gray-New Gloucester, the defending State Class B champion, moved to Class A South for the 2019/20 season, the favorite roll in Class B South fell to Seth Farrington’s Freeport Falcons.
Freeport, led by senior guard Caroline Smith and junior forward Rachel Wall, certainly did its part, finishing 14-4 and ending the regular season on top of the Heal Point Standings.
Throughout the year, Farrington has focused his team on the next game.
“We never talked about the tournament,” said Farrington, whose Falcons will open tournament play at the Expo against No. 8 Cape Elizabeth on Saturday at 2 p.m.
The lone Western Maine Conference matchup between the Falcons and the Capers went to Freeport, 40-23, on Dec. 12, and the Falcons enter the postseason a hot team, winners of 10 of their final 11 games.
Oak Hill is seeded second and takes on Maranacook in the quarterfinals, while No. 4 Mountain Valley and No. 5 Yarmouth clash.
Also in the B South quarters, No. 6 Lisbon meets No. 3 Wells on Saturday at 9 a.m.
The Greyhounds will hope that the early start gives the Warriors trouble. Wells handed Freeport a 49-42 setback on Feb. 4, while Lisbon struggled all season to score points in Doug Sautter’s return to the Lisbon bench. However, the defense was solid, and the likes of Giana Russo, Charlee Cox and Destiney Deschaines will look to pull off the upset.
Lisbon finished 11-7, including three wins in its final four games.
Class A South
Sam Farrell’s Brunswick Dragons are back in the playoff field after a solid 15-3 regular season.
Mt. Ararat’s Jaden Lohr (25) reaches high for the ball in front of Brunswick’s Lexi Guptill in Saturday’;s KVAC girls basketball game at Topsham. The Dragons earned a 52-37 win. Both teams will play in the MPA Class A South postseason, with the Eagles hosting Fryeburg Academy in a preliminary contest on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Brunswick, seeded fifth, heads to the Portland Expo to face No. 4 Gray-New Gloucester in the quarterfinals on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. (Bob Conn / The Times Record)
In this tough, loaded region, 15 wins produced just a No. 5 seed, with the Dragons facing Gray-New Gloucester, the No. 4 seed with a 12-6 mark, in the quarterfinals on Monday at 7 p.m.
Greely (17-1), the two-time defending State Class A champ, is the No. 1 seed again.
“Greely is the team until someone steps up and defeats them,” said Farrell after his Dragons defeated Biddeford late in the season that ended with seven straight Dragon victories.
The Rangers will take on the prelim winner between No. 9 Fryeburg Academy (3-15) and No. 8 Mt. Ararat (6 p.m. Wednesday).
The Eagles went 8-10 in Julie Petrie’s first season leading Mt. Ararat. In a loss to Brunswick on Saturday, Mt. Ararat started well, but were slowed by the Dragons’ ability to rebound.
“We will have to take care of the fundamentals, because come Wednesday there are no more second chances,” said Petrie, who will look to lead Mt. Ararat to its second straight quarterfinal appearance.
Elsewhere in Class A South, No. 2 Kennebunk meets No. 7 Falmouth, and No. 3 Marshwood meets No. 6 York.
Class C South
Richmond struggled this season with inconsistent play, leading to a 7-11 record.
Still, the Bobcats head to the postseason as the No. 13 seed and travels to St. Dom’s in Auburn on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The teams met twice this season. In the first meeting on Dec. 14, Richmond pushed the Saints (14-4) before falling 47-37. In the rematch on Jan. 11, St. Dom’s rolled to a 58-32 win.
Richmond finished strong, winning three of its final games, including a 56-36 win over East-West Conference rival Buckfield.
Winthrop (16-2) is the No. 1 seed, with Boothbay (16-2) claiming the No. 2 spot.
Boys Basketball
Class A South
It was a tough year for area teams Brunswick, Mt. Ararat and Morse. All three missed the postseason field, where the top nine teams will battle it out.
The Dragons had a solid 9-9 season, but needed at least one win against Biddeford in the season’s final two weeks to have a chance. Brunswick lost both, 53-45 on Jan. 27, and 62-52 on Feb. 4.
Mt. Ararat (3-15) and Morse (1-17) struggled to find wins this year despite several games that came down to the wire.
Undefeated York (18-0) is the top seed in A South, with Kennebunk (15-3) and Falmouth (14-4) seeds two and three, respectively.
Class B South
Jake Gentle’s Lisbon Greyhounds fought hard this season, scrapping for wins.
A 10-8 record earned Lisbon the No. 3 seed in the region, and the Greyhounds will take on sixth-seeded Wells (8-10) on Friday at 4 p.m. at the Portland Expo.
The teams didn’t meet, so there is a lot of unknown going into this matchup.
Later on Friday (9 p.m.), Freeport, the No. 8 seed with a 10-8 record, meets top-seeded Maranacook (16-2) at the Expo.
The Falcons enter the postseason hot, winners of six of their past eight contests that saw Freeport rise in the standings and secure the final playoff spot.
No. 2 Spruce Mountain meets No. 7 Cape Elizabeth, and No. 5 Lake Region takes on fourth-seeded Mountain Valley.
Class C South
Of the area boys squads, Richmond is the hottest.
The Bobcats alternated wins and losses and started with a 4-6 record after setbacks to Forest Hills, Old Orchard Beach and St. Dom’s.
A five-game winning streak followed, and after a loss to Waynflete, the Bobcats defeated Rangeley and Buckfield to close out the regular season with an 11-7 record.
Richmond, seeded fifth, will host No. 12 St. Dom’s (8-10) on Wednesday in a prelim at 6 p.m.
A win sends the Bobcats to the Augusta Civic Center for the quarterfinals against No. 4 North Yarmouth Academy (14-4) on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Class D South
Pine Tree Academy had its share of struggles this year in Jeff Davis’ first season running the Breaker bench.
The Breakers head to Augusta for the quarterfinals (Monday, 9 a.m.) as the No. 6 seed after a 9-9 regular season and face third-seeded Greenville (9-9).
PTA will look to bounce back from a tough end to the season, with back-to-back home losses to Vinalhaven.
For the Breakers, the key will be to keep standout Chris Amisi out of foul trouble.
No. 1 Forest Hills finished 18-0, while Rangeley went 15-3 and is the No. 2 seed.
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