Players to watch

Bruce Carver, Richmond center; Eric Murrin, Richmond guard; George Hopkins, A.R. Gould guard; Ian Nono, A.R. Gould forward; Chris Beane, Valley center; Cameron Miller, Valley forward; Dylan McNally, Forest Hills guard; Cory Plante, Forest Hills guard/forward; David Duncan, Hyde center; Harry Smith, Hyde guard; Nathan Hopkins, Vinalhaven forward; Steven Osgood, Vinalhaven guard; Ricky Derboghosian, Greenville guard; Alex Jardine, Greenville forward; Altan Erdenechuluun, Buckfield guard; Kasey Robertson, Buckfield center.

Favorite

Aside from a three-point loss against Valley a month ago, Richmond hasn’t been challenged all year. The Bobcats are big, deep and tournament-tested. They have five or six players capable of reaching double figures at any time, and defensively, they are giving up just 32 points per game. They surrendered over 40 points just twice. If they can keep that pace up, they’re a virtual lock for their third straight regional championship.

Darkhorse

A.R. Gould is the only unbeaten team, but it’s tough to determine how good they really are, so the darkhorse label applies. The Bears’ schedule included just one tournament team, No. 8 Buckfield, which they handled, 75-36. Because of travel restrictions, they played all of their games at home, at the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland. But their roster has Class A-caliber talent. Valley also has to be given a shot because it is the only team to beat Richmond this season.

You need to know

A.R. Gould’s roster includes George Hopkins, who played as a freshman at Lewiston, and Ian Nono averaged 10 ppg at Deering last year.