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Kennebunk's Kendall Therrien goes up for a shot during a game last season. The Rams hold the 10th spot in Class A South. Eleven teams make the playoffs. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer)

With just over a week remaining in the regular season, some girls basketball teams have already locked down a No. 1 seed for the regional tournaments, but much remains to be decided for other teams across Maine.

Here are five storylines to watch as we edge ever so closer to tournament time.

Battle for the last seed in Class A South

Eleven teams in Class A South will reach the tournament. The first 10 are securely locked into the postseason, with Kennebunk (6-8) holding the No. 10 seed as of Tuesday afternoon.

Four teams are fighting for the 11th and final playoff seed. Deering (3-11) currently holds the spot, ahead Bonny Eagle (3-11), Massabesic (3-11) and Portland (3-11), and the differential in the Heal point tournament index between the Rams and the three teams on the outside is just over a point. Heading into Tuesday’s games, Rams have an index of 7.963, while the Scots, Mustangs and Bulldogs all have an index of 6.728.

While none of the four teams have a season-defining win, Deering — led by juniors Angelina Keo (13.9 points per game, 4.5 steals per game) and Blake Gayle (8.9 rebounds per game) — has regular-season victories over both Portland and Massabesic. The Rams have multiple opportunities for more Heal points, as they play No. 8 Westbrook (7-6), No. 4 Biddeford (13-2), No. 5 Windham (9-5) and Portland.

The regular-season finale between Deering and Portland on Feb. 5 (6 p.m. tip-off at the Portland Expo) could decide the final seed for the tournament.

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A similar battle unfolds in B South

The tournament index differential in Class B South is tiny in the back end of the division, particularly the final three qualifying seeds. Marshwood (33.889 index) entered Tuesday as the No. 8 seed, while Lake Region (33.272) is No. 9 and Leavitt (31.173) is 10th.

Ten teams make the tournament. Medomak Valley (29.691) is the 11th seed and can shoot back into a qualifying position if it can pull off a victory against B North leader Gardiner, B South leader Oceanside or Leavitt. The Panthers have been led by senior Chloe Fox (10.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg).

Marshwood (9-5), led by junior Isabelle Tice (17 ppg) and seniors Renee St. Pierre (8 rpg) and Natalie Lathrop (5 steals per game), has several opportunities to pick up Heal points, with four games remaining against Class A teams — Scarborough (7-7), Westbrook (7-6), Gorham (8-6) and Kennebunk (6-8).

Big week for Cony in B North

The Rams (8-7) are currently the No. 8 seed in B North, from which nine teams will advance the tournament. In almost any other class, Cony would be firmly in the playoffs. But there’s a chance the Rams could end up on the outside looking in.

Cony’s Kya Douin drives between Lawrence defenders during a game on Jan. 20. Douin is averaging 14 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)

Led by sophomore standouts Kya Douin (14 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 4.4 steals per game) and Gabby Vachon (7 rpg) and first-year head coach Alex Bessey, Cony ends the regular season with a tough stretch of games. After playing Lawrence, the No. 4 seed, on Tuesday, the Rams travel to South China to play No. 9 Erskine Academy (11-3) on Thursday before wrapping up the regular season against Leavitt (6-8), a B South competitor that is also battling for a playoff seed.

Lurking on the outside is No. 10 John Bapst (7-7), which plays in the Penobscot Valley Conference. The Crusaders have matchups with No. 2 Old Town (12-4), No. 6 Ellsworth (9-6), No. 7 Mount Desert Island (10-5) and No. 3 Hermon (9-6). John Bapst — which boasts a 45-27 win over No. 5 Presque Isle on Dec. 27 — is a win or two away from making a big jump in the standings.

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Erskine riding momentum into homestretch

Erskine Academy is the No. 9 seed in Class B North, with a six-game winning streak entering Wednesday night’s contest (6:30 p.m.) against Mount View (8-7) in a Class B/C crossover.

The Eagles have three players who are averaging 10 or more points per game — juniors Kienna Morse (15 ppg) and Kelsie Dunn (13.8 ppg) and sophomore Kinsey Ulmer (10.4 ppg). Morse (7 rpg) and Dunn (6.5 rpg) have also been consistent on the boards.

Erskine has an opportunity to end the season with 15 wins if it can extend its streak against the Mustangs, Cony (Friday), Lincoln Academy (Feb. 3) and Lawrence (Feb. 5), which beat the Eagles 68-41 on Dec. 30.

Valley dominates new Class S South

After winning the program’s first state championship last year, Valley has had no issues in the new Class S. The Cavaliers are 14-1, with their lone loss coming in a 76-73 decision to Class D North standout Bangor Christian (15-0) on Jan. 2. It was the program’s first loss since the 2024 Class D final.

It certainly helps that Valley returned several of its key players from last season, including Liana Hartwell, Kirsten Bigelow, Rylee Clark and Delia Hill. The Cavaliers are averaging 75.7 points while allowing just 29.1 points per game.

Dave Dyer is in his second stint with the Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel. Dave was previously with the company from 2012-2015 and returned in late 2016. He spent most of 2016 doing freelance sports...

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