Venues in Bangor and Augusta experienced a slight dip in attendance for the 2007 regional basketball tournaments.

Attendance at the Eastern B, C and D tournament in Bangor was down by a modest 742 paid spectators over 21 sessions, or an average of 35.3 spectators per session.

This year’s B-C-D tournament totaled 39,203 fans, slightly less than the 2006 total of 39,945 but still better than the 37,266 that attended the 2005 regional tournament in those classes.

This year’s Eastern B-C-D tournament boasted seven sessions of at least 2,000 fans, the same number of 2,000-plus sessions as last year. The best-attended session was the 2,818 that watched the Class D boys semifinals last Thursday evening, followed by the 2,750 that watched the Class B boys semifinals on Wednesday evening of tournament week.

The smallest crowd was 971 for a Class D girls semifinal session on Thursday afternoon.

A boys Class D quarterfinal session drew the biggest crowd in 2006, 3,130.

Of the tournaments contested at the Bangor Auditorium, Class C experienced an attendance increase of 1,403 from a year ago, drawing 13,460 in 2007 compared to 12,057 in 2006. Class D – despite having the most sessions with 2,000 or more fans (3) – experienced a drop of 1,711 in overall attendance, with 12,473 fans in 2007 compared to 14,184 in 2006.

Class B drew 13,270 in 2007 compared to 13,705 in 2006 – a drop of 435.

In Augusta, attendance for the Eastern Maine Class A tournament fell from 16,202 in 2006 – the first year that class played at the Augusta Civic Center – to 14,983 this year, a drop of 1,219. The decrease may have been due to having three schools represented in the finals instead of four as both the Messalonskee girls and boys teams competed.

The 2006 gate was boosted by a pair of early boys rivalries, with Morse of Bath facing Brunswick and Hampden Academy squaring off against Bangor in quarterfinal matchups. This year’s draw didn’t have those same degree of quarterfinal rivalries, said Eastern A and Western C-D tournament director Mike Burnham, principal at Monmouth Academy.

Overall the combined Eastern A and Western C-D tournaments at Augusta experienced a drop of 1,919 fans from a year ago, with a total of 31,418 in 2007 compared to 33,337 in 2006.

Western C drew 10,443 in 2007 compared to 10,443 in 2006 – a drop of 431. Western D drew 5,992 in 2007 compared to 6,261 in 2006 – a drop of 269.

A taste of tourney tradition

When Bangor and Portland meet in Saturday’s Class A boys basketball state championship game at the Augusta Civic Center, it will mark the first time these schools have met for the Gold Ball in 71 years.

Not since Portland defeated Bangor 30-15 in the 1936 state final have the Rams and Bulldogs squared off on the hardwood with a state championship on the line.

They’ve met plenty of other times in other sports, most recently in the 2006 Class A state baseball final, when Bangor rallied for a 4-3 victory over Portland at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish.

Both basketball programs have won their share of championships since their last head-to-head meeting, with Bangor winning nine titles since 1936 and Portland claiming six more championships.

Both schools endured a lengthy drought along the way. After winning titles in 1942, 1943 and 1950, Portland endured a 36-year drought before winning its next championship in 1986. Since then the Bulldogs added titles in 1999 and 2004.

Bangor has taken a similar path to championship glory. The Rams won state titles in 1947, 1955 and 1959, then went without a crown until 1993, the first of Roger Reed’s six Gold Balls as Bangor’s coach. The Rams followed that title with crowns in 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001 and most recently in 2003, when they defeated Cheverus of Portland in the state championship game.

In Class B, Camden Hills of Rockport will seek to bring the Gold Ball back to the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference for the seventh consecutive year.

The Windjammers have had a lot to do with that run, having won three titles in the last six years – 2001, 2002 and 2005. When known as Camden-Rockport, the school also won the 1999 state title under current coach Jeff Hart’s watch, as well as Eastern Maine championships in 1994 and 1998.

Camden Hills will square off at the Cumberland County Civic Center on Friday night against Western B champion Mountain Valley of Rumford, which is making its second straight trip to the state final.

Mountain Valley, which formed from a consolidation of Rumford and Mexico high schools about two decades ago, last won a state championship in 1994, when guard Andy Bedard led the Falcons past Camden-Rockport 84-71.

The Falcons since have won Western B regionals in 2003 and last year, when they lost to Maranacook of Readfield 73-58 at the Bangor Auditorium.

In Class C, Calais will be playing for its second state championship in as many years at the Bangor Auditorium on Saturday night when it faces Boothbay.

The Blue Devils will take a 43-game winning streak into that matchup, including a 56-49 victory over Winthrop at the Augusta Civic Center last year to win the program’s first state title.

Boothbay is seeking its first state championship since 2001, when it defeated Piscataquis of Guilford 71-66 for its initial state crown.

Deer Isle-Stonington will be in search of its first state championship when it faces Gould Academy of Bethel in the Class D final Saturday afternoon at the Bangor Auditorium. The Mariners last played for a Gold Ball 10 years ago, when they lost to the Hyde School of Bath 49-43. Deer Isle-Stonington also played in the 1989 state final, falling to Rangeley 82-66.

And before the consolidation of Deer Isle and Stonington, Stonington won back-to-back Class S (now Class D) championships in 1961 and 1962.

Gould Academy is back in the state championship game for the first time since 1982, when the Huskies lost to John Bapst of Bangor 67-48.

Before that, Gould had a strong run in the early and mid-1970s. The Huskies lost to Jonesport-Beals in the 1970 and 1971 title games, then ended the Royals’ five-year run as champions with a 57-56 victory in their 1975 rematch.

Gould then edged Hodgdon 57-52 in the 1976 state championship game.

TOURNEY ATTENDANCE

At Bangor Auditorium

Eastern Maine Classes B, C, D

2007 – 39,203

2006 – 39,945

2005 – 37,266

At Augusta Civic Center

Eastern Maine Class A

2007 – 14,983

2006 – 16,202