West teams’ proximity enabled tourney play

The Western Maine basketball tournament was delayed an hour but the entire Thursday card in Classes B, C and D at the Augusta Civic Center was played.

The Eastern Maine Tournament slate at the Bangor Auditorium was postponed by the storm.

“We delayed it for an hour in order to give Rangeley and Valley High of Bingham some extra time to get here,” said Bob Whytock, the site director of the Western Maine tourney.

The Rangeley and Valley girls played the second game on the card.

The first game featured Forest Hills of Jackman against Richmond. That game was moved back from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

“Earlier this week, the people at Forest Hills told me they were spending Wednesday night in a hotel here. And Richmond is only 10 miles away,” pointed out Whytock. “So we were going to get in one ballgame anyway.

“The people in Rangeley and Bingham are used to traveling in this kind of weather and they told us they had plans to be here today,” said Whytock.

Whytock said safety is the determining factor and if any school official had reservations about travel conditions, the game or games would be postponed.

“We consult all the teams before making our decision,” said Whytock, who heads up an eight-member committee responsible for such decisions. “If they feel comfortable traveling, we play.”

He said the Western Maine tournament has a distinct advantage over the Eastern Maine tournament in that “our locale, which is right off the turnpike, lends itself to being more able to play. And most of the teams in Western Maine are within 10 miles of the turnpike.”

Whytock continued by saying many more of the Eastern Maine schools, particularly those in Aroostook County and Downeast, have to spend much more time on secondary roads that aren’t as safe or as well-maintained as the interstate or turnpike.

“Travel conditions are a little better for Western Maine schools,” agreed Larry LaBrie, the assistant executive director for the Maine Principals’ Association.

Then there is the question of distance.

“The longest drive for a Western Maine team is 106 miles. That’s the distance from the Kittery bridge to the Augusta tollbooth,” said Whytock. “That’s an average trip for some of the Eastern Maine teams.”