BREWER, Maine — When the boys basketball teams from Hampden Academy and Brewer met for the first time this winter, a sold-out crowd of more than 1,100 fans filled the Hampden gymnasium for a highly anticipated battle of the unbeatens.
Interest was so high that more than a few fans weren’t able to get into that Jan. 2 contest, which Hampden won 55-46.
Neither team has lost since, with 11-1 Brewer ranked first in Class A North and 12-0 Hampden ranked second in the Heal Point ratings entering Wednesday night’s action.
The Feb. 4 rematch represents each team’s final regular-season contest, but with the seating capacity at Brewer’s gym limited to 850, school officials have scheduled a presale of tickets for what will be a girls-boys varsity doubleheader.
“We know there were a bunch of people that weren’t able to make it in on Jan. 2, and in talking with [Hampden athletic administrator] Mike Bisson, it was a new experience for both of us, and we just want to make sure that we fulfill the requests as orderly as we can,” said Brewer athletic administrator Dave Utterback.
“We feel if we do a presale, if we sell out before [Feb. 4], then we sell out and we put it out to the public that we don’t have any more room. If we don’t sell out, we’ll have whatever tickets are available for first-come, first-serve at the door.”
Brewer and Hampden’s varsity basketball squads and the Brewer varsity and junior varsity cheerleaders have the opportunity to order tickets this week, in great part to ensure that their parents are able to attend the games if they wish.
“That’s very important to us,” said Utterback, “because we’ve got a lot of people who follow these kids around throughout the winter, and we had heard through conversations on Jan. 2 that there were some parents who weren’t able to get into that game to see their child compete so the parents and kids are going to have first crack.”
The presale of tickets for the general public will be available during normal school hours after 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, and at Brewer home games leading up to Feb. 4, or until sold out.
Brewer also has released 100 tickets for sale at Hampden Academy.
Each ticket is $5 and is good for both games.
Utterback said consideration was given to moving the game to a larger venue, but after consulting with Brewer boys basketball coach Clayton Blood, girls basketball coach Chris Horr and players from those teams, the decision was quickly made to keep the games at the school.
Feb. 4 is senior night for the Brewer boys and girls basketball teams, with the girls game at 6 p.m. and the boys contest at 7:30 p.m.
“People have asked us about the Cross Center and moving it to a bigger arena,” said Utterback. “Number one, I don’t think that would be fair to our seniors who really want to play on their home court for the last time. Number two, the Cross Center wasn’t available.”
Utterback added there are plans in the works to provide free live video streaming of the contests, “so those people who really want to watch it are going to have the opportunity to do so from the comfort of their living room if they want to.”
