Players to Watch

Carylanne Wolfington, Hall-Dale forward (13.2 ppg); Taylor Massey, Hall-Dale forward (15.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg); Martha Vernoneau, Waynflete guard (16.6 ppg); Lydia Stegemann, Waynflete guard (13.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg); Marissa Welch, Livermore Falls forward (13.7 ppg, 12.3 rpg); Kathryn Ventrella, Livermore Falls guard (9.3 ppg); Beth Moore, Jay forward (14.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg); Alexis Blodgett, Jay guard (13.3 ppg); Selena Lorrey, Traip guard (16.5 ppg); Hannah Knight, Dirigo guard (14.4 ppg); Alyssa Wade, Dirigo guard (10.1 ppg); Allaina Murphy, St. Dom’s forward (19.4 ppg).

Favorite

Hall-Dale has won two consecutive MVC titles on the Augusta Civic Center floor and has gone 17-1 in the regular season in between. Wolfington was the MVC South Player of the Year and when you match her with Massey, one of the top post players in the field, that makes Hall-Dale a tall order to beat. The Bulldogs led the MVC in scoring (48.6) and were second in defense (31.9).

Darkhorses

Pick any of next five teams in the Western C standings and you could have a contender. Jay could be the team mostly likely to challenge the Bulldogs. The Tigers handed Hall-Dale its only loss. Jay also has an experienced and well-coached team. The Tigers have won eight straight and could be playing their best basketball right now.

Livermore Falls had the best defense in the MVC (28.9) for the second consecutive year. With a loss to Hall-Dale in the MVC game, the Andies got more time on the ACC floor and showed they can challenge the Bulldogs. The Andies’ three losses were by an average of only three points. Dirigo will be a tough quarterfinal for the Andies, but if Livermore survives that, who knows how far it could go.

Fun Facts

Waynflete has won six in a row and 11 of its last 12. … WMC teams are 15-36 against MVC teams in Augusta and 20-56 overall in Western C. … Livermore Falls’ record of 15-3 is the best mark since going 15-3 and being ranked fourth in 1984. … Jay has won a quarterfinal in eight of its past 10 tries. … Traip has just one win over an MVC team since 1991. … Dirigo lost its six games by an average of 9.5 points — four games were decided by seven or fewer. … St. Dom’s has won seven in a row, but went just 1-5 against teams in the Western C field. … Georges Valley went 3-4 in its last seven before winning a prelim over Old Orchard Beach.