The undefeated record is a thing of the past, Winthrop boys basketball coach Todd MacArthur said. And toss out the seedings while you’re at it.

“We feel like a new season has begun. Everybody is in the same situation. You win or you go home,” he said. “The only thing that separates us is seeds. There are no records or Heal points that separate us.”

Madison's Max Shibley, left, fights for a rebound with Winthrop's Garrett Tsouprake during a game earlier this season in Winthrop. Staff photo by Joe Phelan

tournament at a glance

• Where: Augusta Civic Center

• Defending champion: Waynflete

• Players to watch: Jacob Hickey, Cam Wood, Winthrop; Mitch Jarvais, Madison; Zach Small, Richmond; Ashtyn Abbott, Hall-Dale; Ethan James, Wiscasset; Yai Deng, Waynflete, Kyle Ames, Boothbay.

• Matchup we’d like to see: Winthrop and Hall-Dale wins would pit the Ramblers and Bulldogs against each other for the third time. Winthrop won by only four points in the regular-season finale.

• We’d be surprised if: Any team handled Winthrop, led by 6-foot-8 Cam Wood and 6-4 Garrett Tsouprake, on the boards.

• Predicted champion: Winthrop

Still, in going 18-0 during the regular season, the Ramblers earned status as a clear favorite in the South region of the Class C tournament.

“For the season, if you look at it and Winthrop’s undefeated, I would say they’re the team to beat,” Richmond coach Phil Houdlette said.

As special as Winthrop has looked throughout the season, however, anything can happen now — just ask 18-1 Medomak Valley, the top seed in the A North boys tournament which was upset by No. 8 Skowhegan — and lurking in the seeds behind the Ramblers are a bevy of teams that have no intention of just handing the title to MacArthur’s crew.

“Hall-Dale had a four-point game with them. I don’t know if anybody right now is playing any better or putting up more points than Boothbay is,” said Houdlette, whose second-seeded team is a challenger at 17-1. “Waynflete, with their schedule … and obviously Madison’s a good team as well.

“These tournaments, if somebody gets hot at the right time, you never know.”

That first test for the Ramblers comes against No. 9 Wiscasset, which boasts one of the class’s best players in 6-foot-6 Ethan James. Winthrop can match that with height in 6-8 Cam Wood and 6-4 Garrett Tsouprake and scoring in Jacob Hickey, but MacArthur — despite 80-53 and 89-58 wins for his team over the Wolverines — respects what can happen if James gets hot.

“He can play outside on the perimeter and shoot the three-ball, and he also can bang down low and he can score in the post,” he said. “He’s dangerous, and we have to make sure we don’t let him go off.”

Richmond faces Waynflete in a contrast of schedules. Richmond, a second-year Class C team, played a mix of C and D teams, while the defending champion Flyers played Bs and Cs.

“We’re going to have to minimize our mistakes,” said Houdlette, whose team sports a high scorer in Zach Small. “We’re definitely going to have to limit turnovers, and we’re going to have to rebound.”

No. 3 Madison (15-3) is coming off a berth in the Mountain Valley Conference championship game and has a fine frontcourt in Mitch Jarvais, Nick Morales and Evan Bess. The Bulldogs, however, will have their hands full with No. 6 Boothbay (12-7), which has won six of its last eight games and split with Madison, winning the rematch 48-37.

No. 5 Hall-Dale (14-5) is a team to watch heading into its game with No. 4 North Yarmouth Academy (13-5). The Bulldogs crushed Dirigo, 82-42, in the preliminary round, and have a hard-working, potent offense led by Ashtyn Abbott, Jett Boyer and Alec Byron.

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