Class B South girls’ basketball: Lincoln and Gray-NG contend for title

Players to watch: Sr. F Sydney Petrie, Mountain Valley; Jr. F Ashley Russell, Mountain Valley; Jr. F Skye Conley, Gray-New Gloucester; Jr. G Grace Kariotis Gray-New Gloucester; Sr. G Spencer True, Lake Region; Jr. G Kristen Huntress, Lake Region; Jr. G Brie Wajer, Lincoln Academy; Sr. F Avae Traina, Lincoln Academy; Jr. G Natalie Thurber, Wells; Jr. F Alison Clark Yarmouth; Soph. F Megan Cormier, Freeport; Soph. G Nathalie Theriault, Poland.

Favorites: Lincoln Academy, Gray-New Gloucester

The Eagles and Patriots are two of the most experienced teams in the field. Lincoln has three starters back from a squad that stunned York and reached the semifinals last year. Wajer (11 ppg,, 5.8 assists) is a dynamic point guard while Traina (6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Samantha Burke (6.6 ppg, 5.3 rpb) give the Eagles a solid post game that most teams in this field can’t match.

The Patriots earned a second straight No. 2 seeding, and Gray-NG wasn’t even healthy for most of the year. The Patriots returned to full strength late in the season after veteran guard Alicia Dumont returned from injury. Gray-NG has some experience and some balance and a team that only allowed 34.5 points against.

Dark horses: Lake Region, Mountain Valley

Lake Region is a regular threat in this tourney and typically one of the best defensive teams, averaging 36.8 this season. The Lakers’ three losses to teams in the B South field were only by an average of five points. The Lakers have a younger team than usual, but have proven to be competitive and a threat to the other B South teams, going 6-3 against the other tourney teams.

On paper, Mountain Valley looks like a dominant force in this field. The Falcons scored 51 points per game and only allowed an average of 27.7. Those numbers are tops of any team in the B South field. Mountain Valley is also very balanced. In addition to Petrie and Russell, Liza White (9 ppg) and Karen Flaherty (8 ppg 40 3’s) make the Falcons tough to defend. Being in the MVC hurts the Falcons. Mountain Valley doesn’t play the quality of teams that Western Maine Conference teams do, or even KVAC teams. Just ask Spruce Mountain how the top seed worked for them last year. The Phoenix have had great KVAC or MVC teams in the recent past that struggled to advance in the tourney, including a loss in the first round last year.

Fun facts: Mountain Valley has never won a semifinal game and won just four quarterfinal games, including last year in Western C. … No. 2 is the highest ranking for Gray-New Gloucester since going No. 1 in 2002. … This is the 18th straight tourney for Lake Region and 29th overall. … This is the highest ranking for Lincoln Academy since being third in 2001 at 14-4. Last year’s win was the first quarterfinal win for the Eagles since 1996, when LA went 18-0 and won the regional final. … Wells started the year 4-0 but lost five straight and finished the year 2-5 with three straight losses. … Yarmouth’s 9-9 record is the best since 2004-2005 and the first playoff for the Clippers in four years. … Freeport improved from 2-16 last year to 9-9 this year, but finished the year 3-7 after a 6-2 start. … Poland reached the quarterfinals for the first time ever a year ago and beat Oak Hill in the prelims a second straight year to return to the Expo.

Overview: The B South tournament looks a little different than the Western B tourney of years’ past. Powers like York and Greely have moved to A South while teams like Mountain Valley have returned to B. Teams like Yarmouth and Freeport have returned to the fold while a few traditional powers, like Gray-NG and Lake Region, remain.

It will be interesting to see how teams from the MVC and KVAC match up with the WMC teams. Lincoln played some of the WMC teams, like Gray-NG and Lake Region, going 3-1 against B South tourney teams. Mountain Valley didn’t play any of them.

The seeds should hold true through the first round. Poland might be a challenge for the Falcons, but Mountain Valley should be good enough to advance. Lincoln Academy will have the edge in the semifinals. The Eagles have some size, talent and experience that Mountain Valley can’t match. In the other semifinal, old rivals Gray-NG and Lake Region will likely meet. It was a three-point win for the Patriots in the regular season. A return meeting could go either way. A full-strength Patriot team might have the edge.

In the end, an experienced Lincoln Academy team might have the upper hand. Gray-NG won the regular season meeting, 34-33, but the Eagles might be primed for the rematch.

Prediction: Lincoln Academy

#Tourney16

Complete coverage of the high school boys and girls basketball tournaments includes: