Several teams with sub-.500 records to challenge division leaders in EM boys’ B

To hear most coaches tell it, Eastern Maine’s Class B tournament should come down to the two divisional top seeds: defending state champ Camden Hills in the Southeast and the versatile and athletic Bucksport Golden Bucks in the Northeast.

The standings certain add credence to that school of thought as the Bucks are 16-2 and the Windjammers 17-1, especially when the runners-up in those divisions are a combined 22-14, record-wise.

But don’t let the records fool you too much. If ever there was a season to be wary of teams with less-than-stellar win-loss marks, this is it. Caribou, Hermon, Ellsworth, Erskine Academy, Orono, Foxcroft, Maranacook and Rockland are all teams with sub-.500 records, but for any variety of reasons, are primed for a few upsets.

The Caribou Vikings are the best example of below-average (record-wise) teams with a better-than-average shot at sticking around awhile. It wasn’t even a year ago the Caribou was one of the top teams in Class A after advancing to the regional semifinals. With three starters back, the Vikings were primed to be a prime player in Class B, but a few nagging injuries, a new schedule, and a head coaching change have caused the Vikes to struggle for much of the season’s first half before finally beginning to coalesce into that top-notch squad people expected.

Senior forwards Joel Griffeth and Tyler Giles lead the Vikings, but junior center-forward Matt Nason has also been a force inside. With such a solid, athletic frontcourt, guards like Griffin St. Peter and Josh Nadeau may prove to be the factors which determine how far Caribou goes.

Then there are teams wracked by injuries who are just now at full strength. Hermon is coming off back-to-back runs to the Eastern Maine championship game, but struggled through a 7-11 campaign after losing rebounding machine Ron Lane to a broken foot in preseason. Now the 6-foot-5 center is back and, paired with 6-7 center Ron Porter, form one of the best twin tower combos in the tourney field. The Hawks already have solid, experienced guards in Joey Schacht and Jason Ouellette plus athletic forwards in Matt Watson and Wayne Shaw, so don’t be shocked to see the Hawks – who have thrived in the role of underdog the last two years – make another run, this time all the way from the eighth position in the Southeast (11th overall).

Those are the brightest of the dark horse teams, but there are plenty of others who wouldn’t be a total shock to crash the elite eight party in the Bangor Auditorium.

Others like 8-10 Rockland, which features an uptempo offense, pressing defense, and solid shooters like 6-3 swingman Casey Kenniston (among the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference’s top four scorers) plus 6-4 banger Todd Curtis (12.9 points per game, 10.0 rebounds); 7-11 Maranacook with KVAC leading scorer Charlie Calligan (24.3 ppg) along with Matt St. John (10.5 ppg); 9-9 Erskine Academy with sophomore forward Matt Donar (16.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg); 7-11 Elllsworth with solid frontcourt players Adam Smith, John Morse and Jake King; 7-11 Orono, which features a three-guard lineup and two giants underneath in 6-5 forward Jesse White and 7-0 center John Saucier; 8-10 Foxcroft Academy with slick-shooting junior guard Danny White; senior-laden Houlton, 7-11; and 10-8 Winslow, with Micah Grant and Mike Hughes, and 10-8 Mount View of Thorndike with Roy Goodale and R.J. Krueger.

With all this talk about dark horses, the favorites have been barely mentioned. Oh yeah, Camden, Bucksport and Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield have gone a combined 47-7 this season.

The Windjammers’ lineup may have shrunk a bit in terms of overall height, but their goals haven’t and neither has their win count. Camden is doing it with coach Jeff Hart’s tried-and-true recipe for success: suffocating teams with a defensive press that sticks to teams like a Neoprene suit, 3-point shooting, and multi-faceted scoring. It doesn’t hurt that the ‘Jammers are as deep as they’ve ever been and regularly rotate 8-10 players in.

Senior guard Troy Gabriele has led the ‘Jammers in scoring, but guys like senior swingman Tyler Warren and 6-5 center Grant Lippman have been consistent contributors as well. Senior guard Peter Moro is the team’s defensive specialist and floor leader.

Bucksport has been consistent all season long with a balanced scoring attack, versatile players, and reliable shooting. The Bucks are the only team to beat Class A standout Nokomis twice this year and they have one of the best guards in the state in 6-foot senior Jason Harvey. The mature lineup also features 6-1 swingman Corey Guilford, who usually teams with Harvey to give the Bucks one of the state’s best backcourts, along with a deep bench that allows the Bucks to press and go all-out, much like the Windjammers.

The 14-4 MCI Huskies were already in great shape coming into the season with explosive starters Andrew St. Clair and Ryuto Arakaki back, but adding 6-5 forward Chris Bedford, a transfer student from Rochester, N.Y., has literally been a huge boon. Key players off the bench last year who are now starters include Sindre Vad and Derek Saunders. The Huskies have one of the best starting fives in the tourney and have plenty of experience back after running all the way to the semifinals last year.