BANGOR – The blocks just seemed to keep coming.

“It seemed like she had about eight in the last two minutes,” said Bangor High girls basketball coach Tom Tennett said with a smile and a shake of his head Tuesday night after his Rams suffered a 50-47 exhibition loss to McAuley of Portland, which features star forward Ashley Cimino.

Nobody likes a loss, but the preseason battle against the Lions and Stanford-bound Cimino (9 blocks) was just what the Rams were looking for going into the opening weekend of high school basketball.

Bangor hosts Eastern Maine Class A runner-up Skowhegan tonight in a 7 p.m. season opener, then travels to Hampden Tuesday to face University of Maine-bound Tanna Ross and the tough Broncos. The Rams’ stretch of what should be highly competitive games continues Friday, Dec. 15, at Lawrence of Fairfield.

It’s a rough way to open the season, but the Rams are hoping their preseason schedule has toughened them up a bit.

“What we decided to do this year was try to schedule the best teams we could,” Tennett said. “Knowing that we have Skowhegan Friday and Hampden and Lawrence next week, we really wanted to make the preseason as hard as we could.”

The Rams faced three Class A teams in the preseason, beating Edward Little of Auburn last week, falling to South Portland in a tournament at Bowdoin College, and losing to McAuley Tuesday.

In addition to wreaking havoc on defense – four of Cimino’s blocks game in the first quarter alone – she also had 10 rebounds. Cimino did have a relatively quiet offensive outing with 13 points, including four field goals. She averaged about 17 points per game last year.

“Tonight I thought we played pretty well,” Tennett said. “So I think we’re coming along. I’m not sure anyone we play is going to have a dominating person like that. If we play that way on Friday night [against Skowhegan] I’ll be pleased.”

Hampden doesn’t have it any easier for its opening schedule. The Broncos will face Mt. Blue of Farmington Saturday at 2 p.m. as Ross and Cougar center Christina Mosher, who is also headed to Maine, will face each other. Ross missed the entire 2005-06 season with a knee injury.

Then, the Broncos play Bangor Tuesday.

Hampden scheduled Mount Desert Island, Medomak Valley of Waldoboro and participated in a play day at Greely of Cumberland Center early in the preseason. Medomak struggled to a 4-14 record last year but MDI made it to the Eastern Maine Class B semifinals.

There are plenty of good matchups the first two days of the season.

Like Bangor and Skowhegan, Class A Nokomis of Newport will get a tough test in its season opener hosting Messalonskee of Oakland tonight.

There are some interesting Eastern Maine Class B matchups this opening weekend, too, as Camden Hills travels to Waterville Friday and John Bapst of Bangor will head to Presque Isle Saturday in a rematch of last year’s regional final in which the Wildcats prevailed 43-35.

Both the defending Class C and Class D state champions open their seasons this weekend. Class C winner Dexter will host Piscataquis of Guilford Friday night while Class D’s Woodland opens up at home Saturday against Machias.

Also Lee Academy, the 2005 Class D champ, will face perennial Class C power Calais Saturday, while Class D Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook, the 2006 regional runner-up, meets likely contender Washburn.