The Cony Rams may not have the same quickness. They may not have the same shooting threats. They may not have the senior experience. Still, the Rams are one of the bigger threats entering the Eastern A tournament – and we’re talking big.

Cony has traded in its faster-paced, 3-point tossing, up-tempo game for a pound-it-inside attack and it has worked rather well. It helps when you have 6-foot-2 Katie Rollins and 6-1 Cassie Cooper. The Rams enter the Eastern A tournament 18-0 and poised to advance one-step further than a year ago when the Rams were unbeaten until the regional final.

Favorites: Cony. Rollins, the KVAC Player of the Year, is a force. Guard Briiana Rende was a first team selection while Cooper was named to the second team. They’re strong inside with a core of perimeter players that can play hard and defend. They’ve handled all comers and will be hard to stop in Bangor.

Skowhegan has balance and a young talented team. It gave Cony a battle in a one-point loss. The Indians might be the one team that could give the Rams a run. The Indians beat the Rams in the KVAC title game, but Cooper was out sick.

Darkhorse: Lewiston. The Blue Devils have fared well in their introduction to the KVAC. Their only losses were to Messalonskee, Cony and Skowhegan. They have experience, scoring balance and play superb defense when they get their running game going. This club surpassed all expectations last year by reaching the Western A regional game. There’s no reason they couldn’t do the same in the East.

Players to watch: Cony – Rollins (25 points per game), Cooper (15 ppg), Rende (10 ppg); Skowhegan – Bethany Sevey (14.5 ppg), Kayla Thompson (10 ppg); Lewiston – Amanda Bryant (15 ppg), Kelsey Varney (12 ppg); Hampden – Johanna Ghiringhelli, Hampden (12 ppg); Mt. Ararat – Erin Johnson (16 ppg); Bangor – Caroline Weymouth (16 ppg), Serena Dubois (9.5 ppg); Messalonskee – Chelsea Barker (12 ppg), Amanda Barker (12 ppg); Gardiner – Becky Dixon (17 ppg).

Best quarterfinal: Lewiston vs. Bangor. The Blue Devils averaged close to 60 points per game, but Bangor only allowed about 37. The Rams play a pretty solid half court defense while Lewiston likes to press. So it may be a battle of tempo and who can counter the other team’s strength.

Streaks and stats: Cony has lost one regular season game in the last four years and have reached the tournament 22 straight years. … This is Skowhegan’s highest ranking since being second in 1979. Bangor lost three of its last five regular season games and has lost its last three quarterfinal games. Lewiston and Messalonskee each have titles in Western Maine.

Behind the scenes: Erika Stupinski has missed all but six games for Mt. Ararat because of a shoulder injury. She is doubtful for the tournament. Stupinski, Johnson and Rollins all reached the 1,000-point mark this season. Cooper, Sevey and the Barkers from Messalonskee are all freshmen. Hampden’s Ghiringhelli is an exchange student from Paraguay.

Overview: The Rams averaged more than 70 points per game and gave up around 40. They play a little different style than in past years, but they’re still winning. Cooper and Rollins create significant matchup problems. Rollins has just been unstoppable and when you have a player with Cooper’s talent and a fine player like Rende in the backcourt, it makes for a tough group to match. Stopping Rollins and Cooper from controlling the boards and scoring regularly in the paint is the key. Gardiner, Skowhegan and Lewiston have all played Cony tough for all or parts of a game but will they have enough in the Auditorium? The Rams had a perfect season ended by Nokomis last year in the finals. Don’t expect that to happen again.

Prediction: Cony

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