The Erskine Academy girls basketball team enjoyed one of its best seasons in program history when it reached the Class B North final in 2024-25.
The Eagles will again compete in Class B North this season, but the competition is going to look quite a bit different. The Eagles will face former Class A champion Lawrence and perennial contender Cony, which both dropped to Class B as part of the Maine Principals’ Association Basketball Committee’s realignment plan.
The shakeup is going to alter the high school basketball landscape, but Erskine coach Danielle Lefferts said the changes are for the better.
“This year, (the conference) is going to be a battle between the Big East and the (Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference),” she said. “With Cony, Gardiner and Lawrence, they’re all great teams and there’s pros and cons with all of them. Having us in the mix, I think it’ll be one of the more competitive (conferences) in the region. It’ll be super competitive, super strong, lots of fast-paced basketball.”
Changes are coming to the other classes as well. Class AA teams are now in a revamped Class A. Some former Class A programs have moved to Class B.
“It’s going to be a competitive league, with some of those new teams,” said South Portland coach Brianne Maloney, whose team won the Class AA title last season. “We get a few more teams, we make the move to Class A South.”
The Red Riots will compete in a retooled Class A South, which includes 15 other teams: Thornton Academy, Portland, Sanford, Bonny Eagle, Deering, Noble, Windham, Scarborough, Massabesic, Gorham, Westbrook, Kennebunk, Falmouth, Biddeford and Cheverus. Class A North has 12 teams: Lewiston, Edward Little, Bangor, Oxford Hills, Hampden Academy, defending Class A champion Mt. Ararat, Camden Hills, Brunswick, Messalonskee, Skowhegan, Mt. Blue and Brewer.
“It’s exciting, we get to play different teams that (we otherwise wouldn’t see until) the playoffs,” said South Portland senior guard Stella Henderson. “We see Cheverus, but now they’re not in the North. We can kick some other people out early that we might not have been able to before. But there’s a lot more teams, so you’re not totally sure what you’ll be expecting.”
Cheverus coach Billy Goodman was on the sidelines the last time the state had a Class A-D system, leading McAuley High to three Class A titles in the early 2010s.
“We’ve been in the North, and that was very tough. It’s just funny that now we’ll be in the South, which is also very tough. … It’s kind of lined up the way it used to be,” Goodman said. “When I was (at McAuley), the South was very tough. I’m used to all of it now. Personally, I love it. You want to play good teams to see where you’re at and where you need to get better at.”
Biddeford, which reached its first state championship game since 1974 when it captured the Class B South title, is now part of a tough A South field.
“For us, even though we were in B, our schedule (last year) was A and AA,” Biddeford coach Jeannine Paradis said. “A lot of these teams we’re seeing all season long, we saw them last year. Now we’re adding Cheverus, we’re adding South Portland. I think my kids rise to the level of competition as well, so they’re up for the challenge.”
Added Biddeford junior guard Jordyn Crump: “It was a shock to see our schedule, because some of the early games are going to be our most challenging ones. But we know who they are, and we’re in a good place (as a team) to play them.”
Class B is also quite different this season. B South includes Marshwood, Fryeburg Academy, Freeport, Morse, Greely, Gray-New Gloucester, Yarmouth, Lincoln Academy, Leavitt, Medomak Valley, Cape Elizabeth, York, Lake Region, Oceanside and Poland. Class B North will carry two fewer teams, but will include Cony, Nokomis, Gardiner, Hermon, Old Town, Erskine Academy, Lawrence, Ellsworth, John Bapst, Waterville, Mt. Desert Island, Belfast and Presque Isle.
Lawrence coach Greg Chesley, whose team won the Class A championship in 2023, wants the Bulldogs to face tough competition to prepare for the playoffs.
“There’s still quite a bit of talent in this conference,” Chesley said. “I think we have a strong schedule. We have Erskine, Cony, Gardiner. I think Erskine’s going to be very good. We have Oceanside twice.”
The other noticeable change is the addition of Class S, which is for schools with 100 students or less. Class S South will have Valley — which won the Class D title last year — Temple Academy, Rangeley, Forest Hills, Pine Tree Academy, Greenville, Islesboro, Vinalhaven and North Haven. Class S North has Deer Isle-Stonington, Shead, Washburn, Katahdin, Easton, Wisdom, Ashland, Jonesport-Beals, Van Buren and East Grand.
