AUGUSTA — Winthrop coach Todd MacArthur may be biased, but he makes a sound case for why the Western C boys tournament, which begins Monday at 2:30 p.m., is the most compelling of all.
“If you’re a basketball fan, the ‘C’ tournament is the one you want to watch,” MacArthur said. “I think from top to bottom, it’s anybody’s tournament. I don’t think there are any gimmes for any team in their opening round.”
Six of the eight teams from last year’s tourney field are back and they don’t need to be reminded how little seedings mean. That includes Waynflete and Maranacook, who met in the regional championship game as No. 3 and No. 5 seeds, respectively.
Coach Rob Schmidt’s Black Bears needed to win their preliminary against St. Dominic to earn the right to face top-seeded Boothbay (16-2). No. 9 Maranacook (8-11) had an up-and-down season in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference facing Class B teams. But picking up wins over Spruce Mountain and Gardiner during a season-ending three-game winning streak sent them into the postseason with some momentum.
Maranacook still has a number of key contributors from last year’s team in tow, including senior forward Cam Brochu and junior guard Kent Mohlar.
Boothbay earned the top seed in a very competitive Mountain Valley Conference by splitting with Dirigo and beating Winthrop twice. The Seahawks entered last year’s tournament as a No. 2 seed but were beaten in the quarterfinals by Hall-Dale after six players including three starters, were suspended for violating team rules.
Even if they don’t have a chip on their shoulder this year, the Seahawks are formidable, with brothers John and Evan Hepburn joining Abel Bryer in a long, athletic backcourt and point guard Julian Aponte making their offense go.
Waynflete (15-1) finds itself right back in the No. 3 slot it occupied when it won its first Western C title last year. The Flyers don’t have Serge Nyrikamba to dominate the tournament this time, but they still have a lot of quickness and guards Harry Baker-Connick and Milo Belleau, who were key contributors last year.
Waynflete will be the second straight hurdle from the Western Maine Conference that No. 6 Hall-Dale (13-6) will have to clear in this year’s tournament. The Bulldogs defeated Traip Academy in their preliminary to move on to Waynflete.
“I don’t know if it helps (facing one WMC opponent before another),” Hall-Dale coach Chris Ranslow said. “We’ll try to leverage some of our contacts and get a couple of scouting reports and develop a game plan and see where we are Monday afternoon.”
Hall-Dale boasts a big, active frontcourt led by seniors Brian Allen, Wesley LaPointe and Bryson Camp and a tough, athletic backcourt featuring Nat Crocker and Ryan Sinclair.
No. 4 Winthrop (15-3) hopes to carry some momentum from beating Boothbay in the MVC championship into its quarterfinal tilt with another MVC rival, No. 5 Madison (16-3). The Ramblers won the team’s only regular-season meeting on Jan. 26, 71-58, in Winthrop.
“It’s going to be a great game,” MacArthur said. “We’ve evenly-matched. We’re both quick, both fast. They have a lot of guard play and interior presence, same as us.”
The Ramblers follow the lead of senior point guard Taylor Morang, who drives their up-tempo attack with athletic senior Dakota Carter and sharp-shooting sophomore Jacob Hickey on the wing. Seniors Ben Allen and Matt Sekerak and junior Anthony Owens provide toughness at both ends, particularly on the boards, a point of emphasis for Madison coach Jason Furbush.
“Winthrop’s a very athletic team,” Furbush said. “They like to go up and down. We like to go up and down. When they beat us earlier in the year, we rebounded poorly. If we can rebound, and play better offensively, I think we can play with them. If we don’t rebound, then they’ll run away from us.”
Senior guards Jared Miller and Derek LeBlanc and sophomore guard Nick Morales are the Bulldogs’ sparks.
No. 2 Dirigo (16-2) compiled an impressive resume during the season, beating all of its conference brethren who remain in the tournament. MVC player of the year Riley Robinson, a junior, leads the Cougars, who will surround him with tournament veterans Tyler Frost, Kaine Hutchins and Gavin Arsenault for their quarterfinal game with No. 7 Old Orchard Beach (12-7).
Randy Whitehouse — 621-5638
rwhitehouse@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @RAWmaterial33
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