PORTLAND, Maine — Putting the safety of students, staff, and fans first was the driving reason for Mike Burnham, executive director of the Maine Principals' Association, to postpone all basketball tournament games on Thursday.
So before taking a one-day hibernation during a late winter snowstorm, basketball arenas were packed across Maine on Wednesday.
Since games have entered the semifinal round, Burnham said each of the tournament venues had the flexibility to host more games Wednesday or Friday.
"Probably smarter to cancel them, than not," former Gorham girl's head coach Patrick O'Shea said.
O'Shea was in the stands as the Rams held on for a close overtime win over Stanford inside the Cross Insurance Arena on Wednesday.
While he's just a supportive community member this week, O'Shea knows what it takes to win a state title.
"It takes a lot of work, and some luck," he said. "You have to have some luck along the way too, so many good teams."
The 1990 Gorham girls had the perfect mix of luck and skill as O'Shea and his daughter helped the Rams to a gold ball.
Thursday's postponement of games may be a tough break for some underdog teams building off the momentum from wins earlier in the week.
But for the Thornton Academy boy's team, it allowed some players to cheer on the girl's squad Wednesday night.
"[We'll have] a lot of chants, we're going to bring the energy, you know, we don't have a game tomorrow so we can bring the energy tonight," William Davies said.
Something must have worked, as the TA girls beat Scarborough to advance in the Class AA South bracket.
If you're wondering when your local school will play next, you can find an updated schedule here.