There will be three different boys northern regional basketball finals in Bangor on Saturday, and all three of them will have a team from Aroostook County in them.
Maine’s northernmost county is well-represented in the Class C, D and S boys North championships. And Aroostook has totally taken over the Class C final.
No. 1 Caribou and No. 3 Fort Kent will face off in that all-Aroostook Class C matchup, meaning at least one of the regional titles is coming back to The County.
“It’s all County now,” Caribou coach Kyle Corrigan said after his Vikings beat Washington Academy in the semifinals. “I’m happy about that, obviously. I want to come out with a win, but I’m proud of The County. I’m born and raised there. So kudos to The County for getting to the championship.”
The other two boys teams from Aroostook in the mix on Saturday are Madawaska in the Class D North final and Easton in the Class S final.
The No. 2 Madawaska Owls are taking on the No. 1 Machias Bulldogs for a chance at the Class D North title, and No. 2 Easton have to go through No. 1 Jonesport-Beals if they want to take home the new Class S North crown.
Depending on how things go Saturday, all three of the regional titles up for grabs during the day could be going back to Aroostook County. And there could also be Aroostook champions with the same last name in all three games, too.
That’s because, in addition to a high volume of County teams, there are also County players named Pelletier in each of the title games. Some, but not all of them, are related.
The Madawaska team features three Pelletier players: senior Brayden Pelletier and freshman Quinn Pelletier are brothers, and freshman Lucas Pelletier is their cousin.
And another of their cousins, Mason Pelletier, is a sophomore forward for Easton.
Mason Pelletier has been the tournament’s top scorer through two rounds with Easton, totaling nearly 80 points in those two wins. And Quinn Pelletier has once again been leading Madawaska in the tournament, following-up his astounding arrival last year as an eighth-grader who went on to win the Class C MVP nod as part of the Bangor Daily News All-Tournament team.
Shawn Pelletier, the Madawaska coach and father to Brayden and Quinn, said that in addition to being first cousins with Lucas Pelletier’s father, Mason Pelletier’s father is also his first cousin as well. That made for an interesting moment for the players earlier in the season when Madawaska matched up against Easton, and all four cousins were on the floor at the same time.
“It’s kind of cool to have them all related out there,” Shawn Pelletier said. “It’s great to get that name out there and to represent it well.”
And believe it or not, there’s still one more Pelletier playing a key role on a different North finalist.
Fort Kent has its own Mason Pelletier, a sharp-shooting junior guard for the Warriors who scored 20 points in their comeback win over Mattanawcook Academy in the semifinals.
Mason Pelletier of Fort Kent said he isn’t related to the other productive Pelletiers in this year’s tournament, but it’s good to see them all making their way through the postseason.
“It’s just putting our last name out there,” the Warriors player said. “It’s good to see all of them out there, and just keep it going.”
And the Fort Kent junior said he enjoys representing Aroostook County after putting in so many hours of work.
“It feels good to get some recognition and get our team to this point,” he said.