Last spring, the Messalonskee boys lacrosse team got hot at the end of the season and advanced to the regional semifinals. Head coach Tom Sheridan hopes the Eagles get hot once again against a tough tournament field.

“We have a tough draw but I think we will be ready,” Sheridan said. “We haven’t played our best game yet, so I’m hoping we put it together for the playoffs.”

Four local boys teams, including Messalonskee (8-4), will begin tournament play Wednesday in the quarterfinals. The Eagles are the fifth seed in Eastern A and face No. 4 Cheverus (8-4).

Gardiner finished 11-1 and is the No. 2 seed in the Eastern B tournament. The Tigers will face No. 7 Morse (6-6) in the quarterfinals.

Also in Eastern B, No. 6 Oak Hill (8-4) will travel to No. 3 Yarmouth (7-5), while No. 5 Maranacook/Winthrop (9-3) plays at No. 4 North Yarmouth Academy (6-6).

The Cony girls are the No. 4 seed in Eastern A and will face No. 5 Mt. Ararat in the quarterfinals. Also, the No. 7 Messalonskee girls will play at No. 2 Portland on Tuesday.

The Messalonskee boys are led by attackman Nate DelGiudice, who needs just one point to surpass 300 for his career.

“Nate will draw their top defenders, so we will need to be ready off the ball,” Sheridan said. “Winning faceoffs and taking penalties are things we need to work on.”

Meanwhile, Gardiner, which reached the Eastern B final last season, beat Morse twice in the regular season.

“There are going to be some tight games,” Gardiner coach KC Johnson said. “We’ve been working on the fundamentals and just want to go with the basics.”

The Tigers’ balanced attack should help them in the playoffs. Seth Wing, Justin Lovely, Josh Caldwell, Jeff McAuslin and Austin Moore lead the Tigers.

Oak Hill is led by Caleb Provost (28 goals) and Jon Averill (25 goals), while Jesse Evans, Toby Smith and goalie Zach Bessette lead the way for Maranacook/Winthrop.

The Cony girls have developed into a solid Class A program in their five years and hope to take another step this year. The Rams have won just one playoff game in their history and would like to make a long run this season.

The Rams (9-3) have a pair of wins over Mt. Ararat (8-4) this season.

“Mt. Ararat improved a lot as the season progressed,” Cony coach Gretchen Livingston said. “We have, too, so it will be a tough game for us.”

Cony played in five one-goal games this season, winning three.

“A huge piece will be draw controls and how we do in that part of the game,” Livingston said. “We need to play a focused game from beginning to end.”

The high-scoring duo of Mia Diplock and Chelsea Begin, as well as goalkeeper Katrina Duncan lead the Rams.

Messalonskee (7-5) is led by Sara Grenier, who finished the regular season with 45 goals, and goalie Izzy Skinner.

The Gardiner girls finished 1-11, but earned a spot in the Eastern B playoffs as the No. 5 seed. The Tigers will face No. 4 Mountain Valley (4-8) in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

Gardiner has been tested this season, playing predominately a Class A schedule. Ally Day and Brooke Davis scored 25 goals apiece in the regular season.

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The Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A and B boys lacrosse championship games will be played tonight in Brunswick. In the Class A game, Brunswick will play Mt. Ararat at 6 p.m. In the Class B game, Gardiner plays Maranacook/Winthrop at 4 p.m.

Brunswick and Lewiston will face off in the KVAC girls lacrosse title game at 3 p.m. Monday.