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CLASS S GIRLS STATE FINAL

WHO: Wisdom (20-1) vs. Valley (20-1)
WHEN: 11:05 a.m. Saturday
WHERE: Augusta Civic Center
TV/STREAMING: Maine Public Broadcasting Network

KEY PLAYERS: Wisdom — Ava Lerman, senior guard (26.3 points, 4.3 steals, 3 rebounds, 2.7 assists during regional tournament); Madi Cyr, junior guard (7.3 points, 5.3 rebounds). Valley — Liana Hartwell, sophomore guard (16.1 points per game); Kirsten Bigelow, senior guard (19.7 points); Delia Hill, sophomore guard (14.0 points).

WISDOM WILL WIN IF …

• It gets the ball in Ava Lerman’s hands. A senior, Lerman has arguably been the best player in the Class S tournament. She dropped in 41 points in a North quarterfinal against Easton and had 21 points and six steals in the North final, a 41-26 victory over Katahdin. If Lerman can produce like that again Saturday, the chances of a championship climb exponentially for the Pioneers.

• It gets Madi Cyr more involved. It’s likely that Valley will try to have some defensive plan to limit Lerman’s offense. Cyr has been a strong No. 2 scorer throughout the playoffs and might need to take on a larger share of the scoring.

• It slows down Valley’s offense. That’s far easier said than done. The Cavaliers have scored 70 or more points in 18 of their 21 games. Wisdom will likely need to hold Valley to a dramatically lower total if it hopes to ride out of Augusta with a Gold Ball.

VALLEY WILL WIN IF …

• It keeps the offense rolling. As noted above, the Cavaliers have throttled teams with a high-octane offense all season, with multiple scorers sharing the burden. If Valley can maintain that balance and overall production, a second straight Gold Ball is likely (the Cavaliers won the Class D title last year).

• It shuts down Ava Lerman. The Cavaliers will have a tough task in stopping the guard, who has averaged more than 20 points per game this season. Lerman is, by a substantial margin, Wisdom’s best offensive weapon. It may take some double-teaming to make sure Lerman doesn’t have a big game Saturday.

• It uses the Augusta Civic Center like a home court. While the arena is a far different atmosphere than Bingham, the Cavaliers have played several games in Augusta over the years. There’s enough experience, both with the venue and with the championship atmosphere, to help calm the nerves when the Cavaliers hit the floor.