AUGUSTA, Maine — The historic expansion of Maine high school basketball from four classes to five last spring was rooted in the need to address congestion within the state’s smaller-school divisions.
Declining enrollment in public schools statewide had created a logjam of small-school programs, while at the same time the enrollment gaps between the largest and smallest schools in the existing classes were growing wider.
“With four classes we were finding, particularly in Class D, that we were asking schools to compete against other schools for championships with four or five times their enrollments,” said Maine Principals’ Association executive director Dick Durost. “There seemed to be a need to find a fairer, more competitive way to level the playing field.”
Enter Class AA, the new division composed of the state’s largest schools. While that “new” class was created on the upper end of the enrollment spectrum, Durost said the effect of having an additional class essentially has aided all classes old and new.
“I think we can call it anything we want to,” he said, “but the bottom line is that we dropped that [enrollment] line between the second-smallest class and the smallest class lower, creating an ‘E’ or a smaller ‘D’ and the end result was the same.
“Then we compacted the bottom number and the top number in each class as we moved up the ladder to get to a fifth class at the top.”
The addition of a fifth class has resulted in an expansion of postseason play this winter — welcome to Tourney Week-and-a-Half.
Class AA, which qualifies six boys teams and six girls teams to the tournament in both the North and South, will hold its regional quarterfinals Wednesday (girls) and Thursday (boys) at the Augusta Civic Center (North) and Portland Exposition Building (South).
Semifinals are scheduled for next Tuesday at the ACC and Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, with the regional finals set for Friday, Feb. 19.
Through the regular season, at least, Durost has found that the changes have been well received.
“First of all, I think it’s gone well and I don’t think there’s anything in the tournament that can happen that will cause major reassessment except for maybe two things,” said Durost. “I think we’ll want to get back to the AA schools and ask if they still like the idea of having two regions. After they experience it for a year or two, do they want to look at one statewide tournament or do they want to leave it the way it is, so I think that’s out there for assessment.
“The other piece is going to be, particularly in Augusta where there are now four classes, is the potential impact of weather. We don’t know what the answer is at this point, but we’re certainly going to keep a close eye on it.”
The Class AA boys field is led by the state’s dominant large-school program of recent vintage not named Hampden Academy, which remained in the new Class A by enrollment.
Portland, which lost to Hampden by 20 points in last year’s Class A state final, enters the inaugural Class AA tournament as its favorite after a 17-1 regular season good for first place in the North.
Coach Joe Russo’s Bulldogs, state champions in 2014, are seeking their third straight regional title behind a lightning-quick lineup featuring brothers Amir and Terion Moss and Joe Esposito, the Fitzpatrick Trophy winner from the 2015 high school football season.
No. 2 Deering of Portland (16-2) defeated everyone on its schedule not named Portland, with the Rams now having dropped their last eight games to their intra-city rivals.
Quarterfinals on Thursday have No. 6 Bangor (5-13) against No. 3 Oxford Hills of South Paris (14-4) and No. 5 Cheverus of Portland (9-9) against No. 4 Edward Little of Auburn (10-8).
Bangor already has defeated Oxford Hills once this winter, a 68-59 decision at South Paris on Jan. 26 that was part of a three-game winning streak that propelled coach Carl Parker’s club into tournament position. The Rams did drop their last two contests to Messalonskee of Oakland and Lewiston.
Thornton Academy of Saco (16-2) leads Class AA South, with the only blemishes on its record a two-point loss to Portland and a four-point loss to Deering.
No. 2 Gorham and No. 3 Massabesic of Waterboro, both 14-4, are the only other teams in the South with winning records.
Class AA South quarterfinals have Massabesic against No. 6 Scarborough (6-12) and No. 4 South Portland (9-9) against No. 5 Sanford (6-12).
In the girls division for AA North, the consensus is that any one of the six teams is capable of winning it.
“There isn’t one team that is head and shoulders above the others,” said Edward Little coach Craig Jipson, whose Eddies are 14-4 and the second seed. “This is the most even tournament I’ve seen in a long time. I wouldn’t be shocked if any one of the six teams won it.”
Oxford Hills coach Nate Pelletier said the tourney is wide open.
“It’s going to come down to who can play well and make their shots down the stretch,” said Pelletier, whose Viking girls are the top seed with a 15-3 record.
Oxford Hills and Edward Little will get first-round byes, but Pelletier said that is not necessarily beneficial.
“I’m not a big fan of having 12 days off. I wish we had a quarterfinal to keep the flow going,” said Pelletier.
Bangor coach Joe Johnson, whose Rams are the third seed at 10-8, said it will “have a lot to do with matchups.”
Johnson, whose team lost to eventual state champ Lawrence of Fairfield in the Class A East final a year ago, said his team is playing “some of our best basketball” heading into the tournament.
Inside presence Katie Butler and veteran guards Sarah Bragg and Emily Gilmore have been Bangor’s catalysts all season. Bragg has been the perimeter scorer and Gilmore is a penetrator and one of the state’s top rebounders from the guard position.
Tianna Sugars has been Oxford Hills’ inside force and Erin Morton has been their outside scorer and both are averaging in double figures.
Oxford Hills has two dominant inside players in Emily Jacques, who is averaging 15 points per game, and Jordyn Reynolds, who averages 11 points and 11 rebounds. Piper Norcross runs the offense at her point guard position.
Tasia Titherington and Amanda Brett have been Deering of Portland’s catalysts, while Abby Cavallaro has led Cheverus of Portland’s 3-point shooting brigade and Kristina Blais and Victoria Harris have been key players for Lewiston.
Bangor and 9-9 Lewiston meet in one quarterfinal with 11-7 Deering and 10-8 Cheverus colliding in the other.
In Class AA South, Emily Esposito has led Gorham to an 18-0 campaign and the top seed while Jess Willerson has sparked Catherine McAuley to a 16-2 season and Maddie Hasson has been 15-3 South Portland’s star.
Gorham beat South Portland by two and McAuley by five and South Portland and McAuley split their regular season games.
South Portland and 7-11 Scarborough square off in one quarterfinal with 8-10 Bonny Eagle of Buxton and 11-7 Thornton Academy Saco in the other matchup.
