Raiders-Vikings matchup rarity in tourney play Winslow makes first trip since ’86

Friday’s Eastern Maine Class B quarterfinal matchup between Winslow and Caribou was a rarity in many ways.

Not since 1986 has Winslow played a tournament game at the Bangor Auditorium. Back then, the Black Raiders were a Class A team.

“It’s been awhile and we have a fairly young team, so I’m hopeful this experience will help us make some noise next year,” said Winslow coach Mike Thurston – ironically a well-known name in the Caribou area as a different man with the same name hit a famous game-winning shot from beyond half-court for the Vikings in the Class A 1969 state final.

Caribou was also a Class A team the last time it played at the Auditorium, but it wasn’t nearly as long ago. The Vikings made it all the way to the semifinals last year before dropping down to the Class B ranks this season.

“It’s taken us awhile to adjust to the new schedule and some new systems and coaches, but we feel like everything’s coming together for us well right now,” said first-year Caribou coach Chris Casavant, a former star player at Presque Isle High School.

Black Bears show vast improvement

Despite a 55-45 loss to Houlton in a Class B quarterfinal Friday, Maranacook coach Mike Packard couldn’t be happier with the kind of season his team had – especially considering last year’s woes.

The Black Bears, who competed in Western Maine last winter, went 2-16 in the 2000-01 regular season. This year they finished at 13-5 and won a Southeastern region playoff game against Erskine of South China.

“We won two games by a total of three points last year and one of them was in overtime,” Packard said. “As far as I know this was the best turnaround in the entire state. It’s quite a turnaround.”

Packard attributes the team’s success to the emergence of several players, including senior guard Kasie Mason, 5-foot-11 junior center Erica Brennan, and freshmen guards Toby Martin and Maddie Edwards.

“Our returning players had a good off-season,” he said. “They put in a lot of work and matured. And obviously Toby and Maddie really did a great job as freshmen.”

Mason will be the only starter graduating and is one of two seniors on this year’s team.