No. 1 seed Calais Blue Devils will face solid competition at boys’ C tourney

Of the 78 schoolboy basketball teams in Eastern Maine, only one finished its regular season undefeated.

In fact, Eastern C top seed Calais is one of just two programs among 162 boys basketball teams statewide – along with Western B’s Mountain Valley of Rumford – that emerged from Stage 1 of the season without a loss.

But for all that success, the Blue Devils begin postseason play just where they and the other playoff qualifiers started their 2005-06 journey, at 0-0. The difference is that Calais has gained a ton of confidence after surviving what wasn’t necessarily the toughest schedule in the division but one that earned coach Ed Leeman’s club a decisive advantage in the final Heal point ratings.

It’s not that the Blue Devils went untested, as evidenced by two quality wins apiece against Downeast Athletic Conference rival Washington Academy of East Machias and Class D contender Lee Academy, as well as a hard-fought road victory in the St. John Valley that knocked another talented Class C rival, Madawaska, from the unbeaten ranks in late December.

The Blue Devils got a taste of the Bangor Auditorium experience last February before bowing out in the quarterfinals. This year Calais is deeper and more experienced as it seeks the school’s first regional title in boys basketball since 2002.

The No. 1 seed boasts plenty of weapons, among them Sam Bell, Mike Guthrie, Adam Knowles, Chris Taylor, and Brandon Tomah, with Tomah and Knowles transfers from nearby Woodland. But no matter the level of success in December, January, and early February, the latter stages of the month will offer plenty of challengers targeting not only Calais’ undefeated record but the championship gold at the end of Tourney Week 2006.

Among those other contenders is last year’s champion, Dexter. Coach Peter Murray’s Tigers graduated their entire starting lineup from a year ago but rebuilt quickly, shaking off a 1-2 start to win 14 of their last 15 games, with senior forward Ryan Martin leading the way.

George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill had a brief postseason stay last year as late-season injuries frustrated the Eagles’ aspirations. But coach Dwayne Carter has a veteran cast led by frontcourt standouts Collin Henry, Sam Bridges and Caleb Owen. GSA went undefeated against the Class C teams on its schedule this winter while splitting two games against Class B playoff qualifiers Ellsworth and Mount Desert Island of Bar Harbor and losing twice only to Eastern D power Deer Isle-Stonington.

Madawaska earned its first-ever postseason victory in Bangor last year, and coach Matt Rossignol brings back to the Queen City one of the bigger front lines in the region in 6-foot-6 Josh Pelletier and 6-4 Mark Sirois and Alan Campbell along with junior point guard Dominique Rossignol, the coach’s son.

One team that has surged in the second half of the season has been Piscataquis Community High of Guilford. Using a patient offense featuring guard Mike Wharff and center Roy Burdin and a stubborn defense typical of the program under coach Jamie Russell, the Pirates ended a 10-game Dexter winning streak. They then knocked off 2005 regional finalist Penquis of Milo late in the season to move into position to host a preliminary-round contest.

Penquis and Central of Corinth join Dexter and PCHS as top contenders from Central Maine, the Pirates and Red Devils using a formula similar to that employed by the Tigers and Pirates that emphasizes hard-nosed defense. And Washington Academy has plenty of tournament experience under coach Chad Fitzsimmons, not to mention a powerful inside presence in senior Jarred Sternbergh.