AUGUSTA — As if the tournament schedule hasn’t been juggled around enough with all the weather adjustments, another potential change could come for Saturday’s regional finals.

With the Pine Tree Academy girls ranked first in Western D, there is the possibility that the Breakers could advance to Saturday’s championship game. Due to religious considerations, Pine Tree cannot play Saturday afternoon.

That would mean the Maine Principals’ Association would likely switch the Western D finals with that evening’s session, the Western C finals.

“We’ve dealt with that before,” MPA assistant executive director Mike Burnham said. “You’d flip-flop the C and D’s because they can play after sundown Saturday. There is some precedent.”

The MPA made such a change when the Pine Tree boys reached the regional final in 2005. The Breakers were the top seed in Western D but lost to Valley in the regional final that Saturday night. The Western C girls’ and boys’ games were held in the afternoon session.

End of the season

Two local Eastern A girls’ teams saw their season come to an end Friday night. The Oxford Hills and Mt. Blue girls were both eliminated in the quarterfinals.

It was a bit of a stunner for the Vikings. Oxford Hills was the defending Eastern A champion. Though the Vikings had battled injuries early, the team had come together and developed as a group with new players taking on larger roles.

Brunswick, however, had given the Vikings two tough games during the regular season and turned the tide Friday night, holding the Vikings to just 32 points.

“We thought we had the potential to put up 40 or 45 points,” Oxford Hills coach Nate Pelletier said. “It is what it is. You go out and play. They just had the better night.”

The Vikings lose a trio of seniors that played significant roles in recent years. Anna Winslow and Mikayla Morin were both all-star talents, while Shannon Kriger was a strong inside presence. 

Those three will be tough to replace, but the Vikings saw positive signs from younger players this season. With injuries early in the season, some of the younger players had to adjust to larger roles quickly, and they responed.

Junior Tianna Sugars led the Vikings on Friday with nine points while Jayden Colby and Alyssa Hanley have established themselves as regulars. Both chipped in offensively in the loss. Hanley had a pair of key free throws late in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Erin Morton also had a key basket against Brunswick while Erin Eastman has been a 3-point threat all year.

Mt. Blue lost to Edward Little for the second straight year in the quarterfinals. The Cougars graduate four players, starting post players Addie Brinkman and Sarah Cummings as well as Rachelle Bator and Moesha Harrington.

“They played a big role this season,” Mt. Blue coach Gavin Kane said. “Addie and Caitlin (Kane) were the only two kids coming back with any varsity experience. Sarah Cummings took three charges (Friday). How many times do you see a high school kid to that in a ballgame? That’s the role she played and did a tremendous job for us all year. Rachelle Bator is a great athlete coming off the bench and gave us a spark. Moesha Harrington was another senior that has been a key role player for us.”

The Cougars return promising talent all well. Guards Eryn Doiron and Kane were the two top scorers and KVAC all-stars. Junior Emilee Eustis will be another returning starter while classmates Lauren Guppy and Mackenzie Harris were key players off the bench for Mt. Blue. 

“I thought the kids gave a great effort (Friday),” Kane said. “I had some people telling me prior to the year that we’d win only six or seven games. We’d be doing well after what they lost to graduation last year and with the little experience coming back. They told me if we won eight games that would be superb. We decided at the beginning of the year that we were going to do better than that. That’s a testament to the kids’ effort and how much they’ve progressed over the course of the season. We battled hard all year long, just like we did (Friday).”

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