Ever since the first schoolboys’ basketball tournament was played in 1922, dozens of teams have won the state’s most prized competition. But 102 years later, there are still 20 schools in northern Maine that have yet to raise a championship banner.
This year, there’s a good chance one of these championship droughts could end.
Of the 68 programs across Classes AA North to D North, here are four boys’ basketball teams that are on the track to make history.
Bangor Christian
If defense wins championships, then the Bangor Christian Patriots are the team to beat.
Allowing just 33.6 points per game, the Patriots have the best team defense in all of Class D, and are off to a vicious 8-2 start. Led by seniors Jalen Reed (3.6 steals per game in 2022-23) and Conrad Straubel (3.3 spg in 2022-23), Bangor Christian doesn’t give its opponents any room to breathe, and has the speed to score efficiently on the fast break.
“We spend a lot of time discussing how we’re gonna defend different opponents,” Bangor Christian head coach Charlie Colson said. “Not many Class D schools are [as] quick and long [as us], and we always want to improve on defense.”
In 2019-20, Bangor Christian went 1-17, but has since built around its stacked group of upperclassmen, and is ready to reap the benefits. On the perimeter, Reed and Straubel are capable ball handlers, passers and scorers, and are complemented by workhorse senior Colton White in the paint.
Reed and Straubel’s younger brothers Rajon and Elliot, respectively, also add an interesting dose of synergy and youthfulness to the team, as does sophomore rebounding specialist Jesse Booker.
“Jesse’s a bear on the boards,” Colson said. “He’s added a whole other dimension to the team, in terms of his ability to be physical in the post.”
Last year, the Patriots went 15-5 and made it all the way to the regional semifinal. Beating powerhouses Schenck and Southern Aroostook in the tournament this year is a tall task, but Bangor Christian has the experience and identity to win their first gold ball this February.
Messalonskee
Last year, the No. 7 Eagles shocked the Class A North ecosystem by upsetting reigning state champions Nokomis in the first round of the playoffs, as 6-foot-10 then-sophomore Merrick Smith beat the buzzer to win it 50-48.
The 6-13 Eagles ended up losing in the regional semifinals to Skowhegan, but flash forward to this January, they are living up to their No. 2 preseason conference ranking, with a 7-4 record and a plus-83 point differential.
“You don’t get 6-foot-10 very often,” first-year coach Sam Smith, who is unrelated to Merrick Smith, said. “His footwork and aggressiveness have gotten better. He’s one of those guys who can take over a game; he’s figuring out how and when to be dominant.”
So far this season, Merrick Smith is averaging 21.4 points per game, 13.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 3.5 blocks, in addition to shooting 76 percent at the stripe. Complementing Smith is senior guard Sam Dube — the “heart and soul” of the Eagles — as well as junior guards Ty Bernier and Drake Brunelle.
Bernier and Dube are both 38 percent 3-point shooters averaging double-digit points, and Brunelle is Messalonskee’s best passer and on-ball defender with six assists and two steals per game.
“We haven’t had a lot of past experience to lean on, and are learning how to win close games,” coach Smith said. “It’s a really good group to coach, and we just have to stay hungry — the journey’s been great.”
Mt. Blue
The only undefeated team remaining in all of Class A, the upstart Mt. Blue Cougars are a perfect 9-0 to start their season. Led by 6-foot-3 senior and likely all-Mainer Evans Sterling, the Cougars are in a groove and nobody has been able to stop them.
“I can’t remember the last time Mt. Blue has had such a good start,” head coach Troy Norton said. “Evans has taken it to a whole other level this year, and his leadership’s been outstanding. The pieces are all fitting together.”
The Cougars boast a 14.6-point average margin of victory, and also have A North’s best defense, allowing just 47.4 points per game. The Cougars were ranked sixth in the coaches’ preseason poll, in part due to Sterling’s unexpected ascent this winter.
As of this week, Sterling is averaging 27 points per game on 55 percent shooting — 10 more points than last year as a Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference first-teamer. He’s also logging nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks per game this season.
Complementing Sterling are senior Charles Stevens (6 points, 11 rebounds per game), junior Tyler Abell (9 ppg, 40 percent from three), junior Nolan Leso (8 ppg, 8 rpg) and junior Carter Norton (9 ppg).
“Because he’s so good, all of their guys know their roles on the team, and are [succeeding] within those roles. To get high school kids to do that is really hard,” Lawrence head coach Jason Pellerin said. “[Evans] is a very vertical player with a fantastic second jump; he’s smooth and then has a burst at the end. He’s a fun player to watch.”
Windham
The only team with fewer than two losses in all of Class AA, the Windham Eagles have exceeded everyone’s expectations considering their lack of size and starpower, starting out 10-0 with a plus-122 point differential.
What the Eagles do have: exceptional balance, chemistry and experience.
“There’s an incredible bond within the team — 1-14, every single guy,” head coach Chad Pulkkinen said. “We have no real post presence, but we like to play fast, hard and unselfishly. We have guys that can shoot it, and we trust everyone with the ball — it’s positionless basketball.”
Windham’s balance is reflected by its scoring averages. Sophomore guard Tyrie James leads all Eagles with 12.6 points per game, and senior forward Quinton Lindsay is Windham’s fifth-best scorer with 7.7 points per game. As a team, Windham is scoring 59.7 points per game, the most in Class AA North.
On defense, the Eagles are equally as overwhelming, with six guys averaging at least 1.1 steals per game. Sophomore AJ Moody leads the pack with 2.9 steals per game, and as a team Windham allows just 47.5 points per game.
“The seniors lead by example,” Pulkkinen said. “Erik Bowen is an unbelievable defender, and makes sure guys are aligned. Lindsay is composed and has a high IQ, and Blake McPherson is a relentless competitor that brings it every day.”
The Eagles returned 13 players this offseason, but aren’t totally senior-laden, either.
“Tyrie, AJ and [junior Creighty Dixon] are extremely talented and mature for their ages,” Pulkkinen said. “Their approach and mentality is to not be satisfied.”
