AUGUSTA, Maine — For the first time this week, tournament action spanned across four venues throughout the state.
Regional semifinal games were held in Bangor, Augusta, and at both the Portland Expo and Cross Insurance Arena in Portland on Wednesday.
St. Dominic Academy and Forest Hills kicked off the action from the Augusta Civic Center, an early game, which St. Dom's coach Josh LaPrell preferred, so the nerves didn't have as much time to set in. He did admit, he was mostly talking about himself.
The Saints cruised with an 80-55 win to advance to the school's first regional final game.
“It’s just such a good group of kids and it makes coaching them so easy and I’m just so proud [that] their hard work is getting rewarded," he added. “We get to play for the first regional final ever for St. Dom's which is definitely exciting, so Saturday is going to be a big day.”
After beating Wiscasset 76-36, Valley will meet St. Dom's in the regional final back at the Augusta Civic Center on Saturday at 2:45 p.m.
While it wasn't the result former Wiscasset coach and high school math teacher Tim Flanagan was looking for, this was the first time his old team made it this far in the tournament in years.
“So, this is a nice positive thing for the town, for the school," he added. “I loved [Wiscasset], it’s a small school system, we were sorta like a family.”
Flanagan reflected on his coaching days and said in the 80s and 90s the Civic Center was packed with fans, the school bands played loudly, and "It was the best show in town".
“When we played in the state championship back in '91, there was hardly a light on in town, we were all up in Bangor," he said.
The annual tournament provides incredible experiences for the student-athletes playing on the court but also provides opportunities for more students to be part of the action.
“It kind of feels like we’re getting rewarded for the effort and the energy that we bring," Bangor High School band member Alex Busko said before the Rams Girls Class AA North semifinal game against Oxford Hills at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
The band made the two-hour drive from Bangor several hours before tip-off so the students could tour the Portland Art Museum and made a whole trip out of it.
“It’s been so fun actually," freshman Paige Beyeler said about her first tournament experience. “I can tell it’s going to be rewarding and it’s going to be a great time.”
Stanley Carter, who is a veteran when it comes to rocking out during big playoff games, said it feels "electric" to get the crowd excited.
"It feels amazing, it's like nothing else," he added.
The band provided plenty of support during the back-and-forth battle on the floor.
Neither Bangor nor Oxford Hills could pull out a win at the end of the fourth quarter, so the semifinal game had to be decided in overtime.
Oxford Hills was able to advance to the Class AA regional championship after winning 47-42.
The Vikings will meet Cheverus, who downed Lewiston Wednesday, in their third straight Class AA North title game.
Of course, there were several other games played across the state Wednesday. For an updated list of results, future game schedules, and regional brackets, click here.