Most high school basketball teams had to wait a couple of extra days to find out what was next for them in the tournament, or even if they had made it, due to a flurry of weather-related postponements last week. Some, such as a quartet of teams in Class AA North, had to wait even longer to find out who they would be playing in the quarterfinals.

The wait was worth it for Edward Little and Winthrop, who will be the top seeds in Class AA North and Class C South, respectively, when the tournament tips off this week.

A coin flip to break a tie at the bottom of the AA North Heal point standings determined Portland will be the No. 8 seed and face top-seeded Edward Little while Oxford Hills will be the No. 7 seed and travel to No. 2 Bangor for their regional quarterfinal.

Windham edged out Lewiston for the No. 4 seed, which means the Eagles will have the home court in their quarterfinal with the Blue Devils. No. 3 Deering hosts No. 6 Cheverus in the other AA North contest.

Most Class AA quarterfinals and preliminary round games in other classes are scheduled for Wednesday night at the higher seed’s home court. The Class AA tournament will move to Cross Insurance Arena in Portland for the semifinals, while the Portland Expo will host Class A and B South tournaments, beginning with the quarterfinals, and the Augusta Civic Center will be the home of the Class A North and Class C and D South tournaments.

Winthrop sits atop the Class C South seedings for the second year in a row. The Ramblers are the defending state champions and await the winner of the prelim between No. 9 Monmouth and No. 8 Old Orchard Beach.  The quarterfinals in C South are Feb. 17.

St. Dom’s is back in the post-season for the first time since 2015 after qualifying as the 12th seed in C South. The Saints, whose varsity program went on hiatus for one year in 2018, will face No. 5 Richmond in a prelim to determine who will move on to Augusta to face No. 4 North Yarmouth in the quarterfinals. In another prelim, No. 6 Mt. Abram hosts No. 11 Buckfield to determine who will meet third-seeded Boothbay in the quarterfinals.

Gray-New Gloucester, a staple in the Class B South tournament in recent years, played its way into the Class A South tournament in its first year in the region. The seventh-seeded Patriots will face No. 2 Kennebunk in the quarterfinals Feb. 15. Also on that day, No. 5 Leavitt will square off against No. 4 Greely in another quarterfinal. The region’s only prelim pits No. 8 Biddeford against No. 9 Fryeburg Academy for the right to face top-seeded and unbeaten York in the quarterfinals.

Class A North does not have a prelim, so top-seeded Hampden Academy will take on No. 8 Mt. Blue in the quarterfinals on Feb. 15.

The quarterfinals are set in Class B South, too. On Feb. 14, top-seeded Maranacook will face No. 8 Freeport, while No. 2 Spruce Mountain draws No. 7 Cape Elizabeth, the reigning regional champion. That is one of three contests pitting Mountain Valley Conference teams against Western Maine Conference foes on Valentine’s Day. No. 3 Lisbon takes on No. 6 Wells and No. 4 Mountain Valley meets No. 5 Lake Region.

In Class D South, another region without any prelims, Forest Hills is once again the No. 1 seed and will tip off defense of its state title against No. 8 Seacoast Christian. Second-seeded Rangeley draws No. 7 Vinalhaven. The quarterfinals will be played Feb. 15.

Other top seeds around the state are South Portland (AA South), Caribou (B North), Central Aroostook (C North) and Jonesport-Beals.

 

 

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