BANGOR — After his team’s victory over Hermon in the Class B North semifinals Wednesday afternoon at the Cross Insurance Center, Gardiner junior Trace Moody was asked a question that bordered on blasphemy.

Now that your spot in Friday’s regional championship game is secure, Trace, are you rooting for Cony to beat Ellsworth?

A Gardiner kid cheer for Cony? Does Wile E. Coyote cheer for the the roadrunner? Do the Red Sox root for the Yankees?

Moody didn’t dismiss the idea, though. Playing his team’s biggest rival in the regional final, with a spot in the Class B championship game at stake, held an alluring charm.

“I mean, that’s pretty cinematic,” Moody said. “The oldest rivalry in Maine in a regional finals game, that would be pretty sick.”

A couple hours later, the Rams held up their end of the bargain, beating Ellsworth 66-64, making it official. We have a Cony-Gardiner boys basketball playoff game, with a big prize on the line. Friday at approximately 8:30 p.m. back here at the Cross Insurance Center, in front of the entire state and Paul Bunyan out front of the arena.

“A rivalry game on the biggest stage, right? It’s going to mean a whole heck of a lot to both groups. And we’re looking forward to it,” Gardiner coach Aaron Toman said.

Thanks to Maine’s regional tournament format, rivalry games in the playoffs certainly aren’t rare. Already this tournament, we’ve had the Gardiner and Cony girls play in the B North quarters (a 49-38 Gardiner win), and the Ellsworth boys beat Mt. Desert Island in the B North quarterfinals, 47-42. In a Class A South boys quarterfinal, Portland won a battle of the bridge rock fight of a game over South Portland, 34-33.

Along with Cony-Gardiner in Bangor, we’ll see Valley of Bingham and Forest Hills of Jackman renew their northern Somerset County hostilities Saturday at the Augusta Civic Center in the Class S South girls and boys finals, a rivalry doubleheader that should prove school size isn’t necessary to fire up a passionate fan base.

Making a deep run in the tournament is special. When your biggest rival is the next team in the way, it’s even more so.

“It’s going to awesome. You know both crowds are going to bring big energy,” Cony senior Parker Morin said. “We played them twice (in the regular season) and it was electric, so I’d expect nothing less.”

On Dec. 27, Gardiner beat Cony, 97-90, in a track meet of a game. In the rematch on Jan. 22, the Rams returned the favor, beating the Tigers 75-69. Two close games, with one more coming to break the tie.

“We think it’s something that could be pretty special, just because of the rivalry we have with Gardiner,” Cony coach Isaiah Brathwaite said. “It’s good for central Maine basketball, with both teams being good this year. I’m kind of excited.”

Kind of excited? Kind of excited? The capital region has until Friday night to try to sit on its hands in anticipation of this matchup. The annual football rivalry game between these schools has a great trophy, a big ol’ boot. Luckily, Friday’s game already comes with a trophy, and a regional crown. Gardiner hasn’t won that since 2012. For Cony, it’s been a little longer, since 1982.

One team will advance to the Class B state game, again at Cross Insurance Center on Feb. 27. One team will have the season end at the hands of its biggest rival. Morin said he has buddies on the Tigers’ roster, guys he knows win or lose will still be friends when the game is over. Central Maine isn’t that big, after all. A lot of the time, the borders between communities are just lines on a map.

Those borders mean something with this game, though. Cony vs Gardiner, for the Class B North championship, Friday night. This is going to be fun.