BANGOR — Class B North teams from central and eastern Maine descended on the Queen City on Friday as the Maine high school basketball tournament tipped off at Cross Insurance Center.

Two central Maine Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference teams earned victories in their first games in Bangor in more than two decades. Here are five takeaways from Friday evening.

BANGOR NEWBIES SHINE IN CROSS CENTER DEBUT

After playing at the Augusta Civic Center from 2006-25 in Class A North, the Gardiner boys and Lawrence girls made it to the Cross Insurance Center at their first opportunity. Both debuted magnificently, the Tigers beating Erskine Academy, 62-29, and the Bulldogs taking down Mount Desert Island, 74-45.

“I kind of like it,” said Gardiner senior Brady Peacock. “It’s a darker feel with the lights, which is different, and the floor being lifted is also different. At the end of the day, it’s basketball, and we’re going to come out and play wherever.”

Lawrence prepared by practicing twice this week at Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield, which now has a college-regulation court. Bulldogs coach Greg Chesley and senior Ashley Shores said that preparation was beneficial.

“That was great; we scrimmaged the alumni, so we were able to get up and down the court a lot,” Shores said. “You really see when you’re here how wider and longer the court is, and the lighting is different, but I think it’s better, and we did a good job adjusting.”

Chesley said the court played to Lawrence’s advantage, especially with Maddie Provost. The longer court gave the Bulldogs more space to run their offense, and on the rare occasions when MDI could track Provost down, the Bulldogs kicked it out to other shooters.

“It’s hard to contain Maddie on a high school-sized court, but when you give her this much more room, it’s almost impossible,” Chesley said. “We talked about things like the clock on the backboard, the longer court, and the multiple lines (at) the 3-point line to prepare.”

DEFENSE HELPS GARDINER END DROUGHT

Regardless of who won the first game of the day between the No. 3 Gardiner boys and sixth-seeded Erskine, someone was going to claim its first win on a tourney floor since 2012.

Gardiner got that victory, thanks to its defense.

Gardiner (16-3) limited Erskine (14-5) to 12-of-45 shooting (26.7 percent) outrebounded the Eagles 33-20 and forced 22 turnovers. The Eagles’ 29 points were their fewest of the season, with the previous low coming in a 36-point effort on Jan. 5, also against Gardiner.

“We know our defense is strong enough that we can hold any team to a low score,” said Brady Atwater, who had game highs in points (14) and rebounds (10). “That’s how we play: We play on defense and go straight to offense. It brings us energy on that side, too.”

One of the seniors on that 2012 Gardiner team that was the last to win a tourney game entering Friday was current coach Aaron Toman. After years of building — Gardiner’s Class A tourney berth last year was its first in a non-open tournament since 2017 — this win is one Toman will cherish.

“I’m really proud of this group, particularly my seniors because they’ve been through a whole heckuva lot,” Toman said. “Those first two years had some bumps and bruises, but they stayed with it, and their effort and hard work is paying off now.”

A WELL-ROUNDED BULLDOGS PERFORMANCE

It took a moment for Maddie Provost to identify what she thought No. 3 Lawrence (14-5) did best against MDI — probably because the Bulldogs did everything well. 

Lawrence was hot from 3-point land, making 10 shots from long range. Ashley Shores wreaked havoc on the boards and sank 11 of 12 free throws. The Bulldogs took care of the ball, turning it over just five times in the first three quarters. Then, there was what Provost and Shores ultimately felt they did best: Move the ball.

“We just got everybody involved tonight,” said Provost who made five 3-pointers and finished with 26 points. “We did a lot of things well, but I think that was the biggest thing: our ball movement. We were really able to spread it around.”

A BATTLE OF ROYALTY

When you consider the blue bloods of Maine girls basketball, Lawrence and MDI are high up the list. Both are championship contenders every year and have a bevy of state titles (Lawrence, six: 1991-94, 2015, 2023; MDI, four: 1997, 2001-03).

Chesley was glad for the Bulldogs to be back in Bangor, where they won four straight Gold Balls with Cindy Blodgett. MDI coach Brent Barker recalled the impact Blodgett had on his sister, Bracey, who led the Trojans to three straight Gold Balls in the early 2000s.

“With her going to Maine after she graduated (from MDI) in 2003, she saw all the Cindy Blodgett stuff,” Barker said. “It’s two huge basketball communities with huge basketball traditions, and it’s great.”

ELLSWORTH, OLD TOWN DUEL AGAIN

The 2020s in B North girls basketball have been defined by Ellsworth-Old Town duels in Bangor. The Eagles beat the Coyotes in the 2023 regional final before Old Town got revenge in the 2024 final. The two met again Friday, with Ellsworth prevailing 49-46 to set up a semifinal battle with Lawrence.

“We have a lot of history (with Old Town), and we’ve had great games up here,” said Ellsworth coach Andy Pooler. “(Lawrence) looked awesome tonight; any time you can put up 70, that’s impressive. We’ve just got to regroup and get down to business in practice tomorrow.”