Anything can happen in a state championship basketball game.

But there’s one near-certainty for the Class C boys and girls finals Saturday night in Augusta: Both games could be hotly contested and close.

In the girls game, South champion Hall-Dale (20-1) looks to grab its second state title in the last three years. To do so, the Bulldogs will need to beat North champion Dexter (20-1), which is playing in its second straight C final.

“We’re just ready,” said Hall-Dale senior guard Hayden Madore. “At the end of the day, we all know what’s coming. If (Dexter) changes anything (on the floor), I think our coaching staff behind us will change it right away. I think if we just play our game, which I’ve kind of said all year, we’ll be fine.”

Hall-Dale’s game this season is reminiscent of its 2022 run, using strong defense and quick transition to beat its opponents. The Bulldogs have kicked into another gear during the postseason, forcing 35 turnovers out of Richmond in a 48-23 victory in the semifinal round. They forced 22 turnovers out of Madison during a 49-36 victory in the C South final last weekend.

Dexter has shown a suffocating defense throughout the season. In its 28-23 victory over Penobscot Valley last weekend in the C North final, the Tigers held the Howlers scoreless for nearly 16 minutes.

“(What stands out) is their selflessness,” Dexter head coach Jody Grant said. “We have kids who really care about one thing, and that’s winning. I think there’s a lot you can say for that in today’s world. They came back just as motivated as they were last year. There was no complacency. They’ve worked tremendously hard to get back to this particular point.”

Dexter is led by its post players, including senior Mazie Peach. The 6-foot-2 forward led the Tigers with 12 points and seven rebounds in the regional final win over Penobscot Valley. There’s also plenty of big-game experience on the floor with Dexter, which returned four starters.

“They have a lot of great players. They seem to be very deliberate in everything they do on offense and defense,” Hall-Dale head coach Laurie Rowe said. “Trying to figure out a way to mess a little bit with that, it’s going to be key. We like to play fast. We’re going to try to figure out some different flows to try to get going. They have a lot of tall girls, but we’ve got a lot of height, too. We can take advantage of some of that. But we didn’t play against a lot of height during the (regular) season. We did against Richmond and I think that helped some. We’ve been working on some of that practice to figure out the best strategy with their height.”

Likewise, Grant said Hall-Dale presents many challenges.

“We truly respect Hall-Dale, we know that they’re very good,” Grant said. “They’re athletic, they’ve got good size, they’ve got good guards. They play good defense and they run very good stuff offensively.”

The boys title game will feature two teams heavy in skill and athleticism. After two losses in the regional final, Monmouth Academy (18-3) broke through and beat Mt. Abram 46-43 for the program’s first C South title last weekend. Monmouth Academy is going for the program’s first Gold Ball.

“We’re really thankful (to play in states),” Monmouth Academy head coach Wade Morrill said. “We’ve faced a lot of good teams this year and have had a heck of a season. We’re really grateful to be here. The guys have done the work. For the last eight years, we’ve tried to get to a level where we can compete year in and year out in Class C, make our basketball program respectable and on par with our baseball and soccer program here. We’re hoping that we’re prepared (for the Class C final) and we’re looking to make a game of it.”

Monmouth Academy reached the state final with well-rounded effort, from the post play of broad-shouldered forward Lucas Harmon, the development and progression of freshman guard Levi Laverdiere, who led Monmouth Academy with 16 points in the regional final. But the ace of the team is senior forward Sammy Calder, who not only showed a closer’s mentality during the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the tournament, but also the ability to distribute when heavily guarded, as shown against Mt. Abram.

“We’re definitely going to have to stop Calder and (Laverdiere),” Mount View senior guard Noah Hurd said.

To win Saturday, Monmouth will have to beat one of the stories of the tournament in C North champion Mount View (16-6). Up until the final week of the season, Mount View, despite finishing the regular season with a 12-6 record, was nearly on the outside looking in for the tournament. A 60-52 win over Mt. Abram on Feb. 5 helped shoot the team up to the No. 7 seed.

New to Class C this season, Mount View played a Class B-heavy schedule this season, including games against Class B South frontrunners Oceanside, Lincoln Academy and Medomak Valley.

“That’s what really helped us,” Mount View senior guard Wyatt Evensen said. “They score a lot of points. That helped us score a lot in the tournament against Class C teams. We were just more prepared than they were.”

Once in the playoffs, Mount View simply dominated the field, winning games by an average of 28 points. Though not the biggest team in a state final, Mount View has shown exceptional athleticism. The team is led by Hurd, a 1,000-point scorer who averaged 19.2 points per game during the regular season.

“I kind of thought at the beginning of the year that they could come out of the north,” Morrill said. “We’ve heard a lot of Noah Hurd, but their starting five has developed, kind of like us. A lot gets made of the seeding, but I don’t think it’s representative of who they are. They played a (Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference) Class B schedule… They’ve got a well-rounded team, really, everything you need to be successful.”

Comments are not available on this story.

« Previous

Unified basketball: Winslow celebrates final home game with performance from KVAC B cheerleading champs

Next »

In photos: See the action from Friday’s high school postseason games