Thanks to a collaborative effort between BDN Maine and SportsNet Maine, Thursday’s sold-out Class A North boys basketball showdown between rivals Hampden Academy and Brewer and the Witches-Broncos girls game both will be streamed live on the Bangor Daily News website.
The girls game tips off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys contest at approximately 7:30 p.m.
The defending two-time state Class A champion Hampden boys took a 16-0 record into a Tuesday night home game with Nokomis of Newport, and Brewer had a 14-2 mark entering a game at Lawrence of Fairfield.
Hampden won a thriller in the first meeting between the two, 55-46, on Jan. 2 at a sold-out Hampden gym. Tickets for the rematch in Brewer sold out in two hours on Jan. 27.
The Hampden girls (10-7) are seeded fourth in the Heal Point standings, while ninth-place Brewer (6-11) also is jockeying for tourney position.
Jim Churchill, owner of SportsNet Maine, will be handling the play-by-play and Aaron Jackson will be the color analyst for both games.
Brewer High School athletic director Dave Utterback and Hampden Academy athletic director Mike Bisson welcomed the news of the streaming.
“Obviously, we want to be able to offer it to folks who weren’t able to get a ticket,” said Utterback. “For people who are working and others who live outside the greater Bangor area, they will have the opportunity to watch it live.”
He noted that it will be especially nice for relatives of the players who aren’t able to attend.
“We’re glad the BDN and Jim Churchill [of SportsNet Maine] are taking care of it for us,” added Utterback.
Utterback said he is exploring the possibility of eventually live streaming games on the Brewer High website.
The Hampden Academy website streams home games but not road games, according to Bisson.
“We’re very happy the game is being streamed,” said Bisson. “This will be a saving grace for people who can’t get into the game.”