As the 2020 Maine high school basketball tournament brackets are finalized, there are some clear favorites and some lower seeds that could make some noise in their regions.

Oxford Hills lost just one time this season, a one-score game with the top seed in Class A South, Greely. Other than that, the Vikings (17-1) have run through their schedule without much of a pause. 

Bangor and Portland gave them games near the end of the schedule, but overall the Vikings have looked primed from the start of the year to defend its Class AA championship. 

Oxford Hills won’t have a problem in the first round against winless Deering, but the potential semifinal matchup with No. 5 Windham should be a close one. 

Windham has been using Hannah and Sarah Talon’s talents to carry the team to a 11-7 record, and it has the ability to hang with anyone in the conference. Finding consistent scoring over the playoffs may be a problem for the Eagles, but Sarah Talon erases a lot of inefficiencies on the defensive end. 

No. 6 Lewiston and No. 7 Edward Little enter the AA North playoffs with the same 5-13 record, ending the season on a classic that the Red Eddies pulled out in overtime. EL has started to earn wins late in the year, but No. 2 Portland has had its number in both games this season.

The Blue Devils lean on senior Maddy Foster to lead the offense but finished the season on a downturn. Lewiston lost to No. 3 Bangor twice this season by single digits, so the Blue Devils will have to do something different if they want the upset.

No. 1 Greely enters as the top seed in A South with its only loss coming to Kennebunk. 

No. 4 Gray-NG will face off against a talented No. 5 Brunswick team that has notched a win against Kennebunk this winter. If the Patriots can knock off the Dragons, and Greely can beat the winner of the preliminary between No. 8 Mt. Ararat and No. 9 Fryeburg, the two will face off for a third time this winter. It will be tough as Brunswick is riding a seven-game win streak after its loss to Lewiston on the road. 

In B South, Oak Hill (14-4) finishes in the second spot, less than 17 points behind Freeport (14-4). Oak Hill looks to be a stronger playoff team this season than ones previous because of senior Desirae Dumais and additional scorers Emily Dillman and Gabby Chessie

The Raiders will take on No. 7 Maranacook in the quarterfinals before a potential matchup with either No. 6 Lisbon or No. 3 Wells. 

Lisbon has surprised many this season with just nine players to start the year and one of its top scorers, Gianna Russo, coming off a torn ACL. Wells has better wins on its resume (Gray-NG, Freeport) than Lisbon, so the Greyhounds face a tall task in the quarters. 

No. 4 Mountain Valley, led by Rylee Sevigny and Kierstyn Lyons, takes on No. 5 Yarmouth in the quarters. The Falcons’ have been impressive in runs this year and a win over Yarmouth could give them a contest with Freeport for a spot in the B South finals. 

In C South, Winthrop and Boothbay earned the byes with Winthrop facing off against the winner of No. 8 Madison and No. 9 Carrabec. The No. 1 Ramblers are 16-2 with both losses being close ones to Boothbay. Winthrop is faster than most teams and can score from anywhere on the court while playing suffocating defense, and is the favorite in the region along with Boothbay. 

No. 4 St. Dom’s (14-4) has a favorable matchup in the prelims as it faces off against No. 13 Richmond (7-11). The Saints aren’t deep but have veteran scoring and defense that could see them through to a matchup with Old Orchard Beach and possibly Winthrop in the semis. 

No. 6 Monmouth has a favorable matchup in the prelims against No. 11 Traip, but the Mustangs had an up-and-down year this season. If the Mustangs can get by Traip, they’d be favored against No. 3 North Yarmouth Academy (15-3), which hasn’t been tested against the likes of Oak Hill, Winthrop and others like the Mustangs have. A Monmouth-Boothbay semifinal is most likely. 

No. 12 Buckfield (7-11) faces an uphill battle in its prelim contest with No. 5 Old Orchard Beach (13-5). 

In D South, No. 2 Rangeley’s two losses on the year came in the final two games of the regular season, but the Lakers look primed to reach the B South finals in a potential showdown with No. 1 Greenville. 

Other top seeds in Maine are primed for deep runs. 

In A North, Hampden Academy has been the class of the region and should reach the regional final in a potential game with No. 2 Gardiner, the two top teams all season in the region. 

AA South has been led by No. 1 South Portland all season with No. 2 Scarborough playing the season without top scorer Julia Freeman. But the Red Storm have been competitive and could give the Red Riots a run for their money. 

No. 1 Hermon and No. 2 Waterville have been the class of B North, while Stearns, Dexter, Fort Fairfield and Calais have all been jockeying for position in C North. 

D North has been Southern Aroostook (18-0) and everyone else. Rangeley, if it makes it to the final, will have its hands full.

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