When you’re defending a championship, you’re always going to get an opponent’s best game.
That is just fine with George Stevens Academy boys basketball coach Dwayne Carter.
The Eagles, the defending Class C state champions, are the favorites to emerge from Class C North again this winter, entering the final week of the regular season with an unblemished record.
“We need to be ready every day,” Carter said, assessing the proverbial target the Eagles will have on their back when they arrive at the Cross Insurance Center.
“Once we make an adjustment, we’ve done pretty well with what we’ve changed up,” Carter said.
GSA is fortunate to have one of the top players in the state in junior guard Taylor Schildroth, who has a 61-point game to his credit this season and is averaging well over 20 points per game.
GSA also features a pair of double-double machines in 6-foot-6 junior Max Mattson and 6-3 senior Jarrod Chase, the latter of whom can play just about anywhere on the court.
“He can play inside and outside, take you off the dribble,” Carter said of Chase. “He’s a tough matchup.”
Senior guard Beckett Slayton and junior forward Stefan Simmons have also been productive for GSA, as have freshman Caden Mattson — Max’s brother — sophomore Reece Dannenberg and sophomore Percy Zentz.
“The bench has developed really well and it’s young, which is a good thing,” Carter said.
Up in Aroostook County, Fort Fairfield has also been blessed with solid depth, and it has been a factor in helping coach Logan McLaughlin’s Tigers put together another outstanding regular season which had them in position for a top-two finish.
“We started off a little slow at the start of the season with guys getting used to their roles,” McLaughlin said. “By the midway point of the season things started to turn around for us.”
That turning point proved to be a one-point road win at fellow contender Hodgdon on Jan. 6 in which the Tigers trailed by double figures in the fourth quarter.
“Things have started to click and we’re making strides and moving forward,” McLaughlin said.
The Tigers have featured some scoring balance from the likes of senior guards Chris Giberson and Ryan Player and junior guard Isaac Cyr, along with senior post players Carter Bruce and Jared Harvey.
Jon Bernard, Landen Kinney, Greg Jellison and Malcolm Langner have also supplied McLaughlin with valuable minutes off the bench.
“Usually every night, we’re running eight or nine guys,” McLaughlin said. “That’s the big thing with us. We can bring at least three, four guys off the bench. We’ve got a lot of scoring weapons.”
Hodgdon will bring a veteran team with seven seniors to the Cross Center, and the Hawks have quietly pieced together a strong year under head coach Rob Smith.
“They’ve got fairly good size and they always play a pretty good zone defense,” McLaughlin said.
“Defense lately has been a key for us,” Smith said. “We’ve been holding some pretty good teams down.”
Smith’s Hawks are paced up front by senior big man Kevin McAfee (6-5), who is back in the fold after missing last season with a knee injury.
“He’s been pretty big on the boards for us,” Smith said.
Senior forward Daden Palmer has been averaging around 16 ppg while McAfee is in the neighborhood of 11 points per game.
Lee Academy, whose only regular-season losses came to George Stevens, is having yet another contending season under veteran head coach Randy Harris.
