Games have been postponed, people have made fun of blizzards that didn’t come, and we’ve seen a few shocking results. The Western C girls basketball tournament could be the best of the bunch, and it hasn’t even started yet.
There are certainly a bunch of genuine regional title contenders as the four quarterfinal games will be played Tuesday afternoon and evening at the Augusta Civic Center. Assuming everything is still on schedule after four Western D girls games, the Western C slate starts at 4 p.m., with No. 3 Dirigo facing No. 6 Monmouth. At 5:30, 10th-seeded Madison looks for the upset against No. 2 Boothbay. No. 4 Old Orchard Beach (15-3) takes on fifth-ranked Mountain Valley (14-5) at 7, and then No. 1 Maranacook plays No. 9 Carrabec at 8:30.
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At a glance
Defending champ: Carrabec
Players to watch: Christine Miller, Sarah Clough, Catherine Sanborn, Maranacook; Morgan Crocker, Page Brown, Sara Durgan, Boothbay; Lauren Henderson, Kelsey Hutchins, Jessica Conant, Dirigo; Abby Dubois, Old Orchard Beach; Sydney Petrie, Ashley Russell, Liza White, Mtountain Valley; Tia Day, Monmouth; Kayla Bess, Aly LeBlanc, Madison; Emma Pluntke, Mickayla Willette, Carrabec
Matchup we’d like to see: There are a lot to choose from in this bracket, but Maranacook and Boothbay are two teams that can really lay down some defense.
Team most likely to pull an upset: Old Orchard Beach is good, but so is Mountain Valley, so that could be a fun game. Carrabec is playing as well as it has all season and has tournament experience.
We’d be surprised if: Maranacook coach Jeannine Paradis stayed seated on the bench at all times while the Black Bears are playing.
Predicted champion: Boothbay
All of those teams except Maranacook and Old Orchard Beach are members of the Mountain Valley Conference. Maranacook is 15-3 this season playing against Class B competition in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference.
“I think that anything can happen in the tournament,” Maranacook coach Jeannine Paradis said. “We’ve just got to be prepared for our game.”
Maranacook senior Christine Miller was the KVAC B Northern Division Player of the Year. At 5-foot-11, Miller can score inside or out and is an exceptional passer. She’s supported by two fine guards in Sarah Clough and Catherine Sanborn. Liz D’Angelo missed last year’s tournament, but is back this time to give the Black Bears another inside presence.
Carrabec is 12-7 overall, but 9-2 over its last 11 games. The Cobras tend to play close games where neither team breaks 50 points, although they do have quality offensive players like Mickayla Willette and Emma Pluntke. Willette scored 25 of Carrabec’s 38 points as the Cobras edged Hall-Dale in the preliminary round.
“I really like the player that Mickayla Willette is,” Paradis said. “She has a no-quit attitude, and I love that in a player.”
Dirigo and Monmouth met once this season, back on Dec. 19. Dirigo won that meeting, 65-41, in Dixfield.
“It was quite a long time ago,” Monmouth coach Scott Wing said. “They’re a much more physical team than we are. That posed us some problems at the time. We’re a little bit better at that now.”
Monmouth lost in the preliminary round last year and has only two seniors, so the Civic Center at the Western C tournament will be a new experience to a lot of the players. The Mustangs do have players who can step up if opposing teams take away looks from standout freshman Tia Day.
“We’re going to have to score more than we did against them last time,” Wing said. “They have enough quickness to keep up with our kids, and they’re physically strong, so it makes it a tough combination.”
Boothbay (17-1) defeated Madison (10-9) twice during the regular season. The Seahawks won 55-41 at home, then pulled away from Madison in the second half for a 53-30 win in the regular season finale.
“Boothbay’s a very good team,” Madison coach Al Veneziano said. “They do a lot of good things. We’ve got to play with intensity. We’ve got to play with a minimal amount of errors. You can’t make errors with them — they make you pay for them.”
Madison has been up and down, but has also proven it can play with teams like Dirigo and Mountain Valley. The key number here is 50. When Madison allows at least 50 points, the Bulldogs are 0-6. When they hold opponents under 50, they’re 10-3.
Matt DiFilippo — 861-9243
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