There wasn’t an abundance of varsity experience. One starter returned. After being heads and shoulders above much of the MVC the last couple of seasons, it was a year that the Dirigo girls’ basketball team was expected to come back down to earth a little bit.

Still, despite all the graduation losses from back-to-back state championship teams, the Cougars did return a rich tradition and a determination to continue it.

The names have changed but the goals – and the results – have not.

For the fifth straight year, Dirigo has gone 18-0 and secured the top seed in Western Maine Class C.

The Cougars’ track record is pretty impressive when ranked No. 1 – seven state titles and 11 regional crowns. Now the Cougars are poised to extend their record of nine-straight regional championships.

“It’s awesome,” said Amanda Law, the team’s lone senior. “The feeling is so exciting to have this goal and be so close to reaching it. It’s hard. We want to stay focused but at the same time, it’s exciting to think about what ultimately can come out of this.”

Junior guard Alexa Kaubris is the lone returning starter while junior guard Brooke Weston was the only other regular back. Nevertheless, the Cougars have beaten all-comers, using their typical hard-nosed defensive effort and excellent teamwork.

“We’ve kind of taken it one game at a time and focused individually on that game and just gone out and played hard and at 100 percent,” said Law. “We’ve been focusing on defense, which has been our main focus since coach (Gavin) Kane started. So we just took it game-by-game and worked really hard in practices. We just tried to execute and word hard.”

While the Cougars earn an automatic berth in the quarterfinals in Augusta, many of their fellow MVC teams have to play their way in.

Telstar (12-6) earned its highest ranking ever and just missed a bye that would have guaranteed the Rebels’ first Augusta appearance. Instead, Telstar hosts its first home playoff game ever for the chance to punch its own ticket to the Capital City. The Rebels host 13th-ranked Livermore Falls (5-13), a team they beat twice in the regular season.

Fifth-ranked Jay (12-6) earned its highest ranking since being second in 2001 and will host No. 12 Sacopee Valley (6-10) in a prelim. After a 1-6 start, Winthrop finished 10-8 for the 10th seed, setting up a matchup with unbeaten Kents Hill (13-0). Mt. Abram also finished at 10-8 and will travel to Wiscasset, a team it lost to in overtime last month.

In Class D, Rangeley had a perfect season, cruising to an 17-0 record and its third consecutive the No. 1 seed. The Lakers were unexpectedly toppled in the semifinals last year by Valley.

“We’re glad to be there, but that part of the season is over,” said Rangeley coach Heidi Deery. “The new season starts on Monday. If you lose, you go home. It’s nice but it doesn’t mean a lot to us. We want to be No. 1 when the whole thing is over.”

Rangeley lost a pair of key veterans in Sarah Drosdik and Justine Frost-Kolva but the tandem of guard Sarah Schrader and center Krysteen Romero has made the Lakers a tough team to handle. Players like Sabrina Clark, Rosie LaPointe and Justine Frost-Kolva have taken on larger roles and helped Rangeley thrive. After last year’s disappointment, the team enters the postseason with the intention of taking care of business.

“I think our mental state is a lot different than last year,” said Deery. “You can’t go through something like last year and be the same way. I think we have a different mindset going into this year. I think it’s going to be much more work-like.”

The Lakers have dominated most opponents this season, including convincing wins over Valley and the defending state champs from Waynflete. After a few minutes derailed the club a year ago, the Lakers are taking nothing for granted.

In Western B, Gray-New Gloucester (16-2) is seeded second. The Patriots have been to the regional final three straight years. Mountain Valley lost eight seniors and five starters from a team that went 15-3 and finished fourth last year. The Falcons still went 10-8 and earn the No. 6 seed. They face No. 3 Gorham in Friday’s quarterfinals.

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