AUGUSTA — The fullest week of basketball in Maine’s capital city has begun, and Monday’s evening session featured eight Class C South boys teams in the quarterfinals.

Maranacook, Hall-Dale, Mount View and Spruce Mountain were victorious to advance to Thursday’s semifinals. Here are five takeaways from the action at the Augusta Civic Center.

BLACK BEARS FIND WINNING RECIPE

Although it wasn’t a perfect performance, it’s hard to argue with the formula that produced Maranacook’s 83-69 victory over Waynflete.

Third-seeded Maranacook (15-4) outrebounded the Flyers 47-26. The Black Bears were also the more efficient team from the free-throw line, making 23 of 27 foul shots to Waynflete’s 2 of 12.

“We picked up free throws a lot this week in practice,” said Maranacook senior Elijah Freeman. “We knew we could be in a situation like this where we had to make them, so we worked a lot on them, and it paid off.”

Big games from Jack Fontaine and Gage Mattson helped, too. The two played a big part in Maranacook’s rebounding edge, with Fontaine grabbing 11 rebounds and Mattson pulling down nine. They also led the way offensively with 28 points each.

“(Gage and I) have such a special relationship,” said Fontaine, a junior. “We hang out together all the time, and I’m trying to take him under my wing with him being a freshman. It’s awesome to see him playing so great.”

ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER VENUE FOR MARANACOOK

Three years ago, Maranacook was playing its tournament games at the Portland Expo; two years ago, the Black Bears were at the Cross Insurance Center. Now, reclassification has them in another new venue at the Augusta Civic Center.

It’s where Freeman and coach Travis Magnusson think the Black Bears belong. The Civic Center is just 15 miles from Maranacook’s campus, and the close proximity was evident, as the Black Bears had one of the strongest fan presences thus far in Augusta.

“I love this place; it brings back memories from when I played at Georges Valley and coached at Livermore (Falls) and Dirigo,” Magnusson said. “Our community came out — we had a great student section — and I think it’ll be rocking Thursday, too.”

‘REVENGE TOUR’ FOR HALL-DALE?

Early on in Hall-Dale’s 64-32 blowout of Dirigo, you would have hardly known it had lost the same matchup two weeks ago. The Bulldogs are hoping that’s just the start.

Yes, No. 2 Hall-Dale (15-4) made amends for a 52-44 loss to Dirigo on Feb. 2 in dominant fashion. Next up on Thursday, the Bulldogs will look to avenge another defeat when they take on Maranacook, which beat them 54-50 on Jan. 28.

“All the teams we’re playing are teams we lost to, so it’s a revenge tour,” said Hall-Dale’s Tayshaun Cleveland, who had 18 rebounds. “For me, I knew coming into it today that it could be my last game ever, so I just had to dominate.”

Cleveland’s rebounding was crucial after Dirigo beat Hall-Dale on the boards last time. On Monday, the Bulldogs had a 37-23 rebounding edge — and if they want to play for a regional title, they’ll need another strong effort on the glass Thursday.

“More than anything, I thought we played with the right level of intensity and heart tonight,” said Hall-Dale coach Chris Ranslow. “Hopefully, this wasn’t our Super Bowl, and we come out Thursday with the same level of engagement.”

MOUNT VIEW WEATHERS EARLY STORM

After trailing Sacopee Valley 16-5 early, Mount View fought its way back for a 58-46 victory. The Mustangs did it with defense, holding the Hawks without a basket for more than 12 minutes, from 1:42 remaining in the first quarter to 5:24 in the third.

“It just took us a minute to get going,” said Mount View coach Brandon Hurd. “We know we’re a good defensive team, and once we were able to settle in, we got back to what we do best, which is playing good defense.”

Mount View’s defense forced 22 turnovers. The fifth-seeded Mustangs (12-7) also weren’t fazed by the presence of 6-foot-8 Silas Nielsen, as they outrebounded Sacopee Valley 39-31.

“That was a big emphasis after that first quarter, to box out a little bit better,” Hurd said. “I would have liked to see us be a bit better, but when the chips were on the line, we boxed out and rebounded.”

JEWETT FUELS PHOENIX RUN

When Wells got back within four points in the third quarter after Spruce Mountain led by 15 in the first half, Dylan Jewett slammed the door.

Jewett scored the final 14 points of the third for the top-seeded Phoenix (17-2), who ended it on a 15-1 run. Spruce was never in trouble the rest of the way in a 63-39 victory.

“Most of the props go to the teammates and my coach,” said Jewett, who finished with a career-high 30 points. “They all kind of realized I had it going and started setting some picks for me that allowed me to get to the rim and get some open shots.”

These weren’t cheap points, either. Much of Jewett’s scoring in his 19-point second half came in transition following steals. He finished through contact and delivered at the free-throw line.

“He should’ve have had six or eight more free throws than what he ended up with; I thought he got fouled on a couple of those,” said Spruce Mountain coach Scott Bessey. “He really used his athletic ability to put on a spectacular show.”