Players to watch

Forest Hills — Evan Worster (Sr. F), Derick Ouellette (Sr. G), Matt Turner (So. F), Tanner Daigle (So. C), Brandon Ouellette (So. G); Hyde — Warsame Mohamed (Jr. G/F), Wilson McMillan (Jr. G), Talin Rowe (Jr. G), Ryan Cassidy (Sr. F); Valley — Carrington Miller (Sr. G), Josh West (Sr. G), Dylan Belanger (Jr. F); A.R. Gould — Zacharia Mohamed, Chris Thomas, Tim Robertson; North Haven — Avery Waterman; Greenville — Howie Stone, Matt DiAngelo, Henry Hersey; Seacoast Christian — Isaac LaCroix (So. G), Logan Archer (Jr. F); Richmond — Randy Moody (Jr. G), Eddie Stewart  (Sr. F), Cameron Emmons (Sr. G), Sean Bernier (Jr. F).

Favorites

Forest Hills edged Hyde with a furious second-half rally in the 2012 final. Bring back much of the same cast of characters for the Tigers and Phoenix, throw in Valley as a viable third wheel, and you have the makings of a fantastic tourney.

Evan Worster leads the Tigers for the fifth straight year. Yes, that’s right, fifth. He was one of the team’s top players as an eighth-grader. That rare twist has helped him put up more than 1,500 career points and set a record that probably never will be broken in Maine: 100 consecutive starts.

Hyde and Valley split two intense games during the regular season and are on a collision course for what should be a splendid semifinal.

Dark horses

A.R. Gould, also known as the Long Creek youth development center in South Portland, has one of the most explosive players in the tournament in Mohamed. Greenville’s tournament experience, plus its familiarity with Valley, make the Lakers a formidable first-round foe for the Cavaliers.

Fun facts

Hyde won its first 10 games, lost three straight, then ended the season on a four-game winning streak … Valley won nine of its last 10 games … Both Forest Hills losses were by one point on the road, to Valley and North Haven … Worster scored 51 points against A.R. Gould in the 2012 quarterfinals and 106 in three Western Maine playoff games. Both were tournament records … North Haven is 11-1 in its last 12 games … Seacoast returned all five starters from a team that lost in the 2012 preliminary round. The Guardians lost twice to Hyde, but one was a six-point game.