PORTLAND – There are not many basketball courts that feature a lobster depicted at center court – and a cooked one at that.

But that’s one of the nuances of the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, where the Oxford Hills girls’ basketball team plays Deering for the Class A state championship Saturday at 3 p.m.

“It was a lot different than anything we’ve played on before,” said senior forward Kyla Martin. “The feel of it, I don’t think we’ve ever played on a raised floor. The lighting, the length and the atmosphere is totally different than a high school gym.”

The Vikings got a chance Monday afternoon to try out the site of their championship game. Oxford Hills had a 90-minute practice on the floor. The Bangor boys’ team had a practice session that followed.

“I like the Augusta Civic Center better,” said sophomore guard Lindsay Fox. “This has more dead spots. The other civic center is made for basketball. This was made for other sports.”

Basketball practice in a hockey rink required a few adjustments for the Vikings. The court is longer. The lighting is brighter and directly over the court. There is a significant distance behind the baskets, and there was the cavernous atmosphere, where the seagulls outside could be heard squawking amidst the echoing thud of feet and basketballs on the court.

“You want to give them a feel of the floor,” said Coach Nate Pelletier. “Running on it sounds different. Dribbling on it sounds different. Everything is different about it.”

The Vikings were a little nervous about the new surroundings at first. With local television news crews lurking as well, it wasn’t a run-of-the-mill basketball practice as far as the girls were concerned, but as the practice wore on, the team got more comfortable.

“Towards the end, it was just a normal practice,” said Martin. “At the beginning, we were kind of shaky, but it wore off.”

Pelletier had his team shooting early and then got into running plays. He finished the practice with more shooting drills.

“One of the keys was to get a lot of shots off,” said Pelletier. “The second thing was running our offense on this court and have the girls realize what three-point line they’re dealing with.”

Though Augusta has space behind the baskets, there are also walls that exist not far behind the baskets. Portland provides very different dimensions behind the hoops. The rink continues and the stands rise up and back on both ends.

“It was a little different,” said senior guard Teira Durgin. “The rims feel a little looser than the other ones. At least, they’re the same height still.”

It was the lighting that the Vikings said was the hardest to adjust to. There are bright lights in the rafters that run parallel to each other above each sideline. While the seating area remains relatively dark, the lights shine brightly down on the court.

“The lighting is kind of weird,” said sophomore guard Melanie Cloutier. “When I look up, I don’t really see the rim. I just see lights.”

That took some getting used to, but the Vikings started to feel at home by the end of their session. They’ll get shooting time Saturday prior to the game, but the Vikings developed a comfort level they can build on between now and then.

“It was really assuring that we could come down and practice and get a feel for the rim, and get a feel for the court,” said Cloutier. “It helps to know where you’re playing and the environment.”