An 18-game regular season has changed little at the top of the Class C boys basketball rankings.

The Dexter Tigers began the winter as a favorite in the division, and a 16-2 record has done nothing to diminish that stature as tourney time arrives.

“We had the kind of season we hoped we might have,” said Dexter coach Peter Murray. “Our goal going in was to get one of the top four playoff spots to get a bye for the first round.”

Dexter’s strength rests with its experience – six seniors play the bulk of the minutes, including several who played key roles two years ago when the Tigers reached the EM final – and chemistry – that group has played together since its elementary school days.

The Tigers also feature balance, with perimeter players Eric Day, Matt Murray, Mark Pullen and Sam Bowers complementing frontcourt forces Chris Rabideau and Tim McCarthy.

Dexter moved to the top of the charts thanks to early victories over the likes of Eastern B power Foxcroft Academy and Class C rival Penquis of Milo.

The Tigers’ only losses came back-to-back on the road against those same teams, an overtime decision at Milo and a four-point loss at Dover-Foxcroft.

“It’s a long season, but we really didn’t have a dip,” said Murray. “Some big early wins set us up for the second half of the season, and we were able to cruise it out without having to worry about every single game.”

Penquis may be among Dexter’s chief challengers. Not only has Tony Hamlin’s club split its two games with the Tigers, but the Patriots enter the postseason playing their best basketball of the season as led by seniors Jordan Allen and Devin Perkins.

Penquis also will benefit from surviving a succession of close games late in the season, including overtime victories over Dexter and Central of Corinth.

Two other teams with recent experience deep in the Eastern C tournament are 2003 champion George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill and 2004 runner-up Washington Academy of East Machias.

WA is not nearly the same team it was a year ago when the Raiders nearly won the regional crown, only to be denied by Mark Socoby and the Houlton Shiretowners. The guard-oriented attack of 2004 has been replaced by a team led by its frontcourt. Senior forward James Ramsdell leads the way, while Jarred Sternbergh and Sam Hostetter give coach Chad Fitzsimmons’ Raiders good size.

Two other highly seeded contenders are Madawaska and Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln.

Madawaska, coached by St. John Valley legend Matt Rossignol, features a fairly veteran cast lacking only successful tournament experience – the Owls have never won a tournament game at the Bangor Auditorium.

But the switch of 2004 leading scorer Myles Morneault to point guard has been a major success this winter, with 6-3 Alan Campbell, 6-3 identical twins Mark and Kenny Sirois and 6-5 center Josh Pelletier joining to give Madawaska one of the taller lineups in Eastern Maine.

“We’ve been pretty young the last two years, so we knew we’d be better this year,” said Rossignol. “The question was how much. But things have gone pretty well so far, and we’re not done yet.”

Mattanawcook doesn’t have a senior on its roster, but combines the guard play of juniors Steve Andrews and Dylan Hanscom with the inside strength of sophomores Adam L’Italien and Isaac Young. Swingman Derek Libbey is one of the more promising freshmen in the region.

Among other playoff qualifiers, Piscataquis of Guilford is young, but boasts one of Eastern C’s more explosive offensive talents in senior guard Ryan Yeo. Houlton is back minus Socoby, who transferred to Class A Bangor, but with veterans Jordan Hill, Brett Miles, William “Winky” Lloyd and Justin Stewart.

Looking for a sleeper? How about Calais, which started 0-4 but finished with 12 wins in its last 14 games under new head coach Ed Leeman. Senior Garrett Dickerson and sophomore Chris Taylor lead a balanced offense, while freshman Sammy Bell has provided stability at point guard.

Or Central, which gave Dexter one of its toughest battles and took Penquis to overtime? The Red Devils are sparked by the brother tandem of Joey and Danny Kane.

Schenck of East Millinocket, which battled its way to the quarterfinals with a preliminary-round upset last year, fought through injuries and illness this season. Aaron Waite and Nick Bishop are among the Wolverines’ leaders.

Woodland joins WA and Calais as Downeast Athletic Conference teams in the field. The Dragons feature sophomore Brandon Tomah.

“It’s a typical Class C race,” said Murray. “The teams within our area know each other well and how we stand up, but there’s always the question marks from the other areas, like George Stevens and Washington Academy and this year Madawaska that are all highly rated teams coming in with good records.

“We don’t play a lot of common opponents, so you have to look at it and say Class C is up in the air.”