The Maine Principals’ Association released the final Heal Point standings for boys and girls basketball teams Friday morning, which brought good news for many local teams.
A whopping 20 teams from the region have qualified for the postseason this year. The following is a synopsis of where the local teams finished and who they will be playing during the upcoming postseason.
Boys Basketball
In Class B North, Presque Isle (13-5, 125.9877 points) finished third behind No. 1 Hermon (18-0, 195.2469) and No. 2 Mt. Desert Island 15-3 (146.2346). The Wildcats will have a first-round bye, and have punched their ticket directly to Bangor. Presque Isle faces the prelim winner of No. 6 Ellsworth (11-7) vs. No. 11 Orono (6-12) on Friday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m.
Also in Class B North, Caribou (6-12, 55.8025) finished eighth and will host a preliminary playoff against No. 9 Belfast (44.8765) on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 6 p.m. The winner of that game plays No. 1 and undefeated Hermon in the tourney quarterfinals Saturday, Feb. 17 at 4:35 p.m.
In Class C North, Fort Fairfield (16-2, 139.0813 points) finished second behind No. 1 George Stevens Academy (17-1, 153.4259). The Tigers earned a bye and will face the prelim winner of No. 7 Piscataquis (11-7) vs. No. 10 Bucksport (15-3) in the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 11:05 a.m.
Houlton’s Kolleen Bouchard, left, goes to the hoop during a Dec. 22 game against Southern Aroostook. Defending on the play is Warrior Katelyn Slauenwhite. Both Houlton and SA finished as the No. 1 seeds in Class C and D North respectively. (Joseph Cyr)
Central Aroostook (13-5, 112.4764) finished fourth and faces a familiar foe, No. 13 Madawaska (11-7, 52.9630), in a prelim game at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14. The Panthers won 74-44 on Dec. 27 in Madawaska and also prevailed at home on Feb. 2, 64-27. The winner matches up with the winner of the prelim between No. 5 Fort Kent (14-4) and No. 12 Dexter (11-7) in the quarterfinal round game to be played at 2:05 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, in Bangor.
Houlton (14-4, 93.4568) is ranked ninth and will have to travel for its prelim contest against No. 8 Lee Academy (13-5). Houlton plays at Lee Academy, Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 6 p.m. The Shires missed hosting a prelim game by a mere 1.2 points. If Houlton wins that game, it moves on to the quarterfinal round in Bangor against No. 1 GSA, Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 3:35 p.m.
Hodgdon (6-12, 38.8308) finished 15th and did not qualify for the playoffs this season.
In Class D North, Katahdin (13-5, 80.6790) is ranked third and earns a first-round bye. The Cougars host the prelim winner of No. 6 Machias (11-7) vs. No. 11 Shead (6-12) on Monday, Feb. 19 at 9:30 a.m. in Bangor.
Greater Houlton Christian Academy (12-5, 67.7124) is ranked fourth and also earns a bye directly to Bangor. The Eagles face No. 5 Schenck (8-10, 54.2593), Monday, Feb. 19, at 7:05 p.m.
Easton (11-7, 52.8395) is No. 7 and hosts No. 10 Southern Aroostook (6-12, 41.667) in a prelim matchup Wednesday at 6 p.m. The teams met twice during the regular season, with each winning on the opponent’s home floor. The Bears won in Dyer Brook Dec. 22, 70-38, and the Warriors claimed a 50-38 victory on Jan. 8 in Easton. The prelim winner draws No. 2 Jonesport-Beals (14-3) in the quarterfinals on Monday, Feb. 19 at 11:05 a.m.
East Grand (5-12, 11.1765) finished 13th, Ashland (4-14, 9.5062) ended up 14th, and Washburn (0-18, 0.000) 16th, with all three missing out on the postseason.
Girls Basketball
In Class B North, fifth-seeded Presque Isle (13-5, 104.3827) advances straight into the quarterfinals at Bangor, where they will match up against No. 4 Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield (13-5, 106.8519) in a game to be played Saturday, Feb. 17 at 10:35 a.m.
Caribou (8-10, 74.1975) is ranked eighth and will host No. 9 Oceanside (9-9, 66.9136) in a prelim game Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. The winner of that game will play No. 1 Hermon in the quarterfinals in Bangor on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 3:05 p.m.
In Class C North, Houlton (18-0, 240.8642) is the top-ranked team in the region. The Shires have more than a 100-point lead over No. 2 Dexter (137.9012). Houlton faces the prelim winner of No. 8 Piscataquis (14-4) vs. No. 9 Madawaska (12-6) on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 8:35 p.m.
Central Aroostook (12-6, 99.2953) holds the No. 6 position and will host No. 11 Calais (13-5, 66.7901) in a prelim contest Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. The winner has a date with No. 3 Narraguagus (17-1) in the quarterfinals Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 9:30 a.m. in Bangor.
Fort Fairfield (12-6, 81.0494) is the No. 10 seed and will play an Aroostook County foe, No. 7 Fort Kent (12-6, 89.8765), in a 6 p.m. prelim at Fort Kent Tuesday, Feb 13. The Warriors swept the regular season matchups, coming out on top by a score of 40-31 Dec. 14 and squeaking out a 33-29 victory on Jan. 11 in Fort Fairfield. The FF-FK winner plays No. 2 Dexter (15-3) on Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 11:05 a.m. in the quarters at Bangor.
Hodgdon (9-9, 612.1111) is ranked 13th and will be on the road against No. 4 Stearns (15-3) for a prelim game on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 6 p.m. at Millinocket. It marks the first time in several years that the Hawk girls have qualified for postseason action. The winner plays either No. 5 Central of East Corinth (16-2) or No. 12 Penobscot Valley High School of Howland (11-7) in the quarterfinal round Tuesday, Feb. 20, at 7:05 p.m.
In Class D North, Southern Aroostook moved up to the No. 1 seed following Thursday night’s season-ending victory over Katahdin. The Warriors (16-2, 132.3457) narrowly edged out No. 2 Woodland (15-3, 132.2840) for the top billing. SA awaits the winner of the prelim game between No. 8 Washburn-No. 9 Jonesport Beals.
That prelim between the Beavers (5-13, 22.0370) and Royalettes (8-10, 19.3732) will be played on Tuesday, Feb. 13, in Washburn at 3:30 p.m. The winner meets the Warriors Monday, Feb. 19, at 3:35 p.m. in the quarterfinals in Bangor.
Katahdin (10-8, 50.5556) is ranked fifth and faces No. 4 Shead (10-8, 52.9012) of Eastport on Monday, Feb. 19, at 2:05 p.m. in the quarterfinal round in Bangor. The two teams did not meet during the regular season.
Ashland (9-9, 41.0494) is No. 6 and qualifies for the tournament for the second consecutive year after having gone nine years without reaching the quarters.The Hornets’ opponent will be undefeated and third-ranked Deer-Isle Stonington (16-0, 88.6111) on Saturday at 7:35 p.m.
Easton (5-13, 14.7531) snuck into the playoff field on the final night of the regular season by beating Washburn on Thursday. The Bears were tied with Van Buren for the 10th and final playoff spot heading into that contest. The Bears, who broke a long tourney drought last year by advancing into the semifinals, will travel to East Millinocket Tuesday, Feb. 13, for a prelim against No. 7 Schenck (9-9, 39.5679) beginning at 6 p.m. The winner plays No. 2 Woodland (15-3) in the quarterfinals Saturday, Feb. 17, at 9:05 p.m.
East Grand (4-14, 5.3086) finished 12th and did not qualify for the tournament.
