The intention won’t be to play hoping to win but to hope they play to win.

That’s the approach the Rangeley girls’ basketball team wants to take to the Augusta Civic Center floor this afternoon. The Lakers meet Lee Academy in the 1 p.m. Class D state championship game, and Rangeley wants to be sure it leaves Augusta with no regrets.

“If we’ve learned anything, it’s that it’s not a whole lot of fun to know that you didn’t put your best performance out there,” said Rangeley coach Heidi Deery. “That’s what a Western Maine game or a state championship game is all about. Win or lose, you can feel good if you left everything out there. That’s what we’re trying to focus on.”

The Lakers were in the state game in 2001 and 2002, losing to Woodland both times. Many of the current Rangeley players were part of that experience in losing to a talented Woodland team in Augusta. Since then, the Lakers have shown greater maturity and diligence in learning from both mistakes and success.

“You can’t be out there hoping you don’t lose or hoping you win,” said Deery. “In past years, we’ve done that. We’ve been out there hoping and not playing. Let’s play 32 minutes and be proud of the effort this season and go out there and let it fly.”

It is the same approach the Lakers have tried to play with all year, giving a full-throttle and complete effort. Spirits are up after last week’s Western Maine final, but there’s still a job to do.

“It’s business as usual this week,” said Deery. “We had a lot of recognition from our community and our school, but we’ve got to keep that in perspective. We’ve got to go down there and take care of business.”

Lee won’t be an easy foe for the Lakers. There are many similarities. The Pandas have one of Eastern Maine’s top talents in center Shelby Pickering, who scored 51 points in three tournament games. Lee likes a fast pace and can score, averaging 56 points during the regular season.

There’s plenty of experience on this club as well. Lee’s upperclassmen played in their eighth straight regional final last week between basketball, softball and soccer. They have size in Kristin Hersom and Samantha Cole, both of whom came up with key performances in last week’s tournament.

“I think we’re similar in a lot of ways,” said Deery, whose team averaged 65 points. “I think we have a lot of things they have to contend with, and they have a lot of things that we have to contend with.”

Lee struggled early in the Eastern Maine tournament, shooting 25 percent from the floor and 50 percent from the line. The Pandas have overcome the resignation of coach Carrie Goodhue in late January. Longtime boys’ coach and athletic director Randy Harris took over for the remainder of the season.

The Lakers’ focus won’t be all that different than it has been. They want Sarah Schrader pushing the ball and creating offense. They want Krysteen Romero dominating the inside. They want a fast-paced game in which their defense wears down the opponent and fuels the offense. They want Justine Frost-Kolva, Sabrina Clark and Rosie LaPointe chipping in and helping the execution. They want to control the boards and limit the turnovers.

With both teams appearing evenly matched, Deery expects it be a matter of who brings it on Saturday.

“I think the team that keeps coming for 32 minutes, keeps playing the game until somebody falters or is not focused or is not confident in what has to be done is going to come out on top,” Deery said.

kmills@sunjournal.com

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