Waynflete’s Soloman Levy, left, and Domincik Campbell, right battle Winthrop’s Cameron Hachey, second from left, and Noah Grube, third from left, during Saturday’s Class C South regional final at the Augusta Civic Center. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal Buy this Photo

The coaches of the two teams playing in Saturday night’s Class C boys state championship see a lot of similarities between their teams, especially when it comes to their defensive toughness.

The schools do not share similar tournament histories, however.

Dexter (21-0) is playing in its first state championship game since 2005, when the Tigers lost to Hall-Dale. Its last state title came in 1986 when it beat Gorham for the Class B title.

Despite graduating four-fifths of its starting lineup from last year, defending state champion Winthrop (20-1) is making its state championship appearance in the last four years.

The lone returning starter, senior forward Ryan Baird, suffered what Winthrop coach Todd MacArthur termed a “bad” right ankle sprain early in the Ramblers’ 39-30 regional final win over Waynflete last Saturday. On Wednesday night, MacArthur was non-committal on his leading scorer and rebounder’s availability for this Saturday (8:45 p.m., Augusta Civic Center).

“We don’t know. We’ll see and play it by ear,” MacArthur said, adding the ankle seemed to be responding well to treatment.

“Obviously, our main concern is preparing without him because he’s not practicing,” MacArthur said. “But he’s here soaking in what we’re doing here for a game plan, I know Ryan and know that he’s smart enough to understand the game plan and what we’re trying to do, so he’ll be prepared.”

The game plan is for a Dexter team that the Ramblers are somewhat familiar with, having played them over the summer. But there is only so much a team can plan for against a team as versatile, disciplined and successful as the unbeaten Tigers have been this season.

“They’re an incredibly well-coached team. They’re disciplined. They’re fundamental,” MacArthur said. “They execute their offensive sets tremendously where they’re trying to get the best possible shot.”

One reason the Tigers can execute at the offensive end is their versatility and how they use their motion offense to utilize it. Their point guard, senior Nate Richards, can post his man up, while some of their big men can handle the ball on the perimeter and shoot from distance. The challenge that presents to defenders is it puts them in uncomfortable situations that they don’t typically have to defend.

“We’re trying to come up with some defensive adjustments to handle those situations,” MacArthur said.

Besides the 5-foot-10 Richards, who was the Class C North tournament MVP, the Tigers start one other senior, 6-foot-2 center Haedyn Guenther. Joining them are three juniors — 6-foot-3 forward Brett Kusnierz, 6-foot-1 forward/center Robert Dorman and 5-foot-9 junior guard Parker Ponte.

Dexter coach Peter Murray pointed to his team’s offensive balance and versatility as a key to their success. The Tigers frequently spread the scoring around, with four or five players reaching double figures in a game when they are at their best. Kusnierz’s ability to play inside and outside and Dorman’s willingness to mix it up in the paint are big factors, but it’s Richards who makes the Tigers go.

“He can impact a game in a lot of different ways,” Murray said. “He doesn’t have to score to do it. In the tournament, he had one game where he scored 29 points (in a 55-52 regional semifinal win over Fort Kent) and then seven (in the regional final), and he was highly effective for us in both games. He just impacted the game in ways other than scoring.”

Winthrop’s Jevin Smith collects a rebound over Monmouth’s defense during a Class C South quarterfinal game Monday at the Augusta Civic Center. Kennebec Journal photo by Andy Molloy

Ponte has proven to be a clutch performer for the Tigers, nailing the game-winning three-pointer with 2.7 seconds left against Fort Kent, then hitting the controversial buzzer-beater in the 50-48 regional final win over Central Aroostook. The championship game shot set off a statewide debate on the use of video replay at high school games after video footage appeared to show the ball was still in Ponte’s hand at the final horn.

Murray said his team has set the controversial ending aside and is focusing on what it needs to do to win this Saturday.

“We’re trying to just ignore it,” he said. “Certain things are out of our control, so we’ll just let other people talk about it.”

The Tigers are more intent on preparing for the Ramblers, which includes planning for Baird to play, Murray said. If he does olay, the Ramblers will try to establish the post with him and fellow senior forward Jevin Smith, then take the openings that creates on the perimeter for senior guard Cam Hachey, the C South tournament MVP after scoring 19 points in the win over Waynflete, and junior guard Gavin Perkins.

“They’re a very good, athletic team,” Murray said of Winthrop. “They are strong at every position, no weaknesses. They’ve got guards who can create and shoot and they have big players near the basket. And they are going to be playing on what is pretty close to their home court. We’ve just got to make them work for their offense.”

Dexter’s team approach to offense carries over to its stout defense, MacArthur said.

“They don’t give up easy baskets. They all help,” MacArthur said. “It’s a true man-to-man defense where everybody is helping each other. We’re going to have to be able to move the basketball and move that defense side to side in order to get some open looks, whether it’s inside or outside.”

If the teams are as closely matched as their coaches believe, the game could come down to the role players off the bench. Murray said Dexter typically goes seven deep, with senior Cameron Paige and freshman Will Kusnierz bringing additional versatility off the bench.

If Baird is available, Winthrop will likely go seven deep, too, with juniors Noah Grube and Ian Steele bringing energy and toughness off the bench. Grube handled a larger role with aplomb while stepping for Baird, providing much-needed bulk up front against a much bigger Waynflete team.

“We’ve done a good job of the young subs stepping up,” MacArthur said. “One of the unsung heroes of our team has been Noah Grube. He’s a kid that doesn’t say much, just goes in there and does his job and doesn’t get the praise he deserves. And he’s a workhorse. He’s got a high motor.”