By Randy Whitehouse,Staff Writer

At one point this season, the Leavitt Hornets were 7-2 . Later on, the Lewiston Blue Devils were 11-4.

Tonight the Hornets and Blue Devils collide trying to return to those days when every one of their shots seemed to be tickling twine and every one of their opponents’ shots seemed to be rimming out.

The Eastern Class A preliminaries tip off with the fifth-seeded Blue Devils trying to sweep the 12th-seeded Hornets (7 p.m., Lewiston High School). Not only is a berth in the final Eastern A tournament to be held at the Bangor Auditorium at stake, but so is each team’s pride to some degree.

Leavitt has been in reverse the second half of the season, going 2-7 since its 7-2 start, and has lost its last two heading into tonight’s game.

“We’ve been playing well the last four games,” said Leavitt coach Mike Remillard, whose team beat Waterville and John Bapst before falling to Mt. Blue and Oxford Hills. “I’m very pleased with the way we ended. Defensively, we ended where we were when we were 7-2.”

Lewiston beat Leavitt back on Jan. 7, 59-52. The Blue Devils trailed by a bucket at halftime, but senior guard David Labonte outscored the Hornets, 17-11, during one stretch in the third quarter on his way to a game-high 26 points. Many of those points came off the Blue Devils’ vaunted press.

“My fear playing Lewiston is their pressing,” Remillard said. “It’s so frenetic that it causes you to panic and do things you don’t normally do.”

Lewiston has been doing things it normally doesn’t do while closing out the regular-season losers of three straight. The season finale against rival Edward Little might have been particularly costly because forward George Foisy and guard Tyson Morgan suffered ankle injuries. Foisy is expected to play tonight, while Morgan is doubtful.

The key to the game might be the Hornets’ front line. Jon Pirruccello, Brandon Powell and Cameron Angell are all listed at 6-4. Lewiston has struggled defending the paint all season and had trouble in the teams’ regular-season meeting when the Hornets were able to control the pace.

On the other side, Leavitt guards Dan Berry and/or Nate Cousineau will have to find a way to contain Labonte. Lewiston will try to dictate more of an up-tempo flow to the game and try to use its depth to wear down the Hornets.

“It’s been fun to watch everybody on the team finding a role and a niche,” said Lewiston coach Jason Fuller, who was named KVAC Coach of the Year. “In the six years I’ve been here at Lewiston, this is the best I’ve seen in terms of everybody having a defined role.”

The Devils will need their frontcourt to fill its role tonight. Foisy, if he can go, Joe Stachowiak, Chris Ford and Jared Turcotte will have to keep Pirruccello out of the paint and defend Powell on the perimeter.

The showdown between No. 8 Mt. Blue (11-7) and No. 9 Hampden (14-4) could come down to defending the paint, too. The Cougars are led by 6-foot-5 center Ted Neil. The Broncos revolve around 6-foot-10 junior center Jordan Cook.

“Cook and Ted Neil sort of negate each other,” said Mt. Blue coach Jim Bessey. “Both are similar players with similar scoring averages. The key to the game is going to be who steps up for who.”

That will probably mean who steps up and knocks down shots from the perimeter. Hampden has sophomore guard Dan McCue for that duty. The Cougars look to senior guard Brian Simpson.

Despite the presence of Cook in the middle, Hampden may try to make this an up-and-down game and take the Cougars out of their halfcourt comfort zone.

“They’re big, they’re fast, they’re athletic, and they rebound very well because of the Cook kid,” Bessey said.

The other prelims pit No. 14 Medomak Valley vs. No. 3 Brunswick, No. 13 Brewer against No. 4 Messalonskee, No. 11 Skowhegan against No. 6 Gardiner and No. 10 Lawrence vs. No. 7 Cony. Bangor and Oxford Hills earned byes as the top two seeds.