Two weeks into the schoolboys’ basketball season, teams are beginning to show their true colors, and we have a decent sample size of games in the Heal Point standings.
Compared with preseason polls and reputations, some teams are playing as expected, and others are surprising coaches and fan bases alike.
In Classes AA and B, clear favorites are emerging in northern Maine, but in Class A things are still a bit chaotic.
Class AA North
In Class AA North, the southernmost teams have been dominating two weeks into the season. Portland, Cheverus and Windham are all still undefeated, and have handed disappointing losses to Bangor, Oxford Hills and Lewiston — each of whom are yet to get in the win column.
Led by big man Jeissey Khamis and guard Kevin Rugabirwa, the reigning regional champion Bulldogs have beaten Bangor 82-45, Bonny Eagle 64-53 and Edward Little 53-49. Meanwhile, their crosstown neighbors in Cheverus have beaten Oxford Hills 74-36 and state champs South Portland 58-49.
Considered a dark horse candidate and ranked No. 3 in the AA North coaches’ preseason poll, the Windham Eagles have also impressed so far this season, dispatching Lewiston 47-31, Scarborough 49-41 and Bangor 76-59.
“It was a tale of two halves — we had 21 turnovers and gave up 15 offensive rebounds, down 26 at half,” Bangor head coach Brad Libby said of the Rams’ game against Windham this weekend. “In the second half we cleaned it up and cut it to seven at one point. The guys won’t quit — proud of them for that — but need to clean things up.”
Class A North
During the preseason, Class A North was considered a two-horse race between Hampden and Messalonskee, but it seems like even the Broncos and Eagles have been sucked into a dogfight.
For example, Hampden (1-1) beat reigning state champions Brewer (1-2) by 15 on opening night, but lost by 12 to Skowhegan (2-1) four days later. Two days later, the River Hawks lost 48-40 to Nokomis (1-2), who in turn was beaten by Mt. Blue (3-0) and Lawrence (1-1).
Ranked sixth of 10 in the coaches’ preseason poll, Mt. Blue is the only undefeated team left in Class A North, with solid wins over Nokomis and Messalonskee (2-1), as well as a 3-point victory over Edward Little. At the bottom of the standings, no team is yet to win a game.
“It’s probably going to be hard to predict what games teams are going to win,” Brewer head coach and basketball veteran Carl Parker said. “There are going to be a lot of upsets.”
Class B North
In Class B, last year’s juggernauts in Orono, Old Town and Ellsworth appear to have picked up where they left off, with the Red Riots and Coyotes remaining undefeated through two weeks.
Led by Pierce Walston and the Francis brothers, the reigning champions Orono have won all four of their games by double digits, including an emphatic 70-56 victory over Chance Mercier’s Eagles in Ellsworth on Thursday, and a 53-43 win versus Hermon on Saturday. Mr. Maine Basketball candidate Walston scored 25+ points in each of these two wins.
Meanwhile, the Coyotes have also gelled in the early going, beating Presque Isle 58-28, John Bapst 81-39, and upstart Caribou 66-58. Captains Grayson Thibeault, Emmitt Byther and Brendan Mahaney have been extremely reliable on the court, and are generating good energy in the locker room.
“The camaraderie and leadership has been really good,” Old Town head coach Garrett Libby said. “The culture’s in a really good spot — it makes it all flow.”
