Saturday night’s Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinal was a historic one for the boys from Erskine Academy, and not just because they were in it as the tournament’s top-seeded team.

The 15-point victory over Bucksport by the Eagles of South China was a first in more ways than one: It was their first Eastern Maine tournament game, their first victory, and their first game of any kind at the Bangor Auditorium.

“I’ve been here before in the stands, so I’ve seen how loud it seems up there, but it’s twice as good on the floor,” said Erskine senior forward Mitch Donar.

Senior guard Jason Bartlett concurred with Donar’s assessment.

“Everybody’s been saying how much better it is than the Augusta Civic Center and tonight was just 10 times what Augusta is. I love this place!” Bartlett said.

Asked what it was that made the Auditorium so much better, Bartlett wasted little time answering.

“The crowd! The crowd is right on top of you,” he said. “It’s really, really loud. There weren’t that many people here tonight, but it seemed like tons of them.”

Ever since Erskine switched its affiliation from Western Maine Class B to the East in the offseason, boys head coach Tim Bonsant, who also played basketball for Erskine, said he and his entire team have eagerly anticipated playing in Bangor.

“This has been our goal all season. Our kids like Augusta, but they LOVE the Bangor Auditorium,” Bonsant explained. “I just saw my first game here last year when Lawrence played the Cony boys in the semifinals. It’s amazing how much louder it is and it seems like the fans are right on top of you, which is good.”

Two years ago, the Eagles had to sweat out the final release of the Heal Points just to see if they were in the tournament. Last year, they upset defending state champ Greely before losing to eventual Western champ York. Now they feel they have their shot for championship hardware.

Bonsant said the players were getting anxious for their first trip to the Auditorium, which is about 50 minutes longer than the one they usually make this time of year to the Civic Center.

“I know today I woke up around 9:30 and it was still the longest day,” said Donar. “We couldn’t wait to get here and take a look at the place and maybe get a feel for it.”

It seems getting a feel for it didn’t take too long for the Eagles, who admitted that several of their shots early in the game rattled around and off the hoop due to their unfamiliarity with the backdrop and atmosphere. Now they’re anxious for their next trip back for a Wednesday night semifinal game.

“We just can’t wait,” Bartlett said. “Our coaches say it just gets better and better from here on out and we can’t wait to see what it’s like.”

Sinclair wins tourney debut

Rick Sinclair enjoyed his share of success as a player at the Bangor Auditorium.

The 6-foot-7 center led Husson College of Bangor to the Maine Athletic Conference championship there in 1995 and helped Hermon High School reach the Eastern Maine Class B final in the building back in 1991.

On Saturday, Sinclair’s Hermon Hawks provided their coach with his first coaching victory at the Auditorium.

“[Coaching’s] a lot less nerve-wracking because I know I’m not going to have to go out there [and play],” Sinclair said moments after Hermon posted a 41-31 quarterfinal victory over Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield.

“I got these guys ready all week and that was my job, to prepare them,” he said. “It’s a lot more frustrating, though, when things don’t go right.”

Sinclair accomplished the feat in front of his former college coach, Warren Caruso, who not only was at Saturday’s game to support Sinclair, but to watch 6-foot-9 center Chris Gray in hopes of putting him in a Braves uniform next season.

“He’s done a great job,” Caruso said. “I really enjoyed it.”