ROCKPORT – With four state championships and seven Eastern Maine titles in the last 14 years, the Camden Hills boys basketball program is accustomed to being targeted by would-be successors to the Class B throne.

Anchored by 6-foot-1 senior guards Paul Campbell and Christian Pieri, there’s little reason to believe the Windjammers won’t be in the thick of the chase for another gold ball this winter.

“We don’t want to lose,” said Campbell, who helped Camden Hills win the 2007 regional title before the Windjammers fell to Mountain Valley of Rumford in the state final.

“We want to go into every single game looking for a win. We don’t want to drop any games this year. We want to keep getting better every game, and take it as far as we can go.”

Campbell and Pieri have been a tandem since their days on a third-grade travel team. Not surprisingly, their success as third-year starters for Camden Hills is based as much on chemistry as talent, and their efforts in leading the ‘Jammers to an 17-5 record last winter suggests they have plenty of both.

“They’re both totally unselfish, and they play different games, too,” said Camden Hills coach Jeff Hart. “Christian is unbelievable at getting into the open floor and picking his times for getting to the basket. He’s really improved his outside game, too. Paul’s an outstanding 3-point shooter and all-around player, and they both defend.

“And when your best players are your hardest-working players, that’s a good sign for your team.”

Pieri is more the point guard of the two, but Campbell also is an adept ballhandler, a fact that eliminates fullcourt pressure as a defensive option for most opponents.

“Our pressbreaker is that they just bring it up,” said Hart. “That’s a really nice feeling when it’s not in your mind all the time about what you’re going to do against pressure, to the point where you hope the other team presses you.”

The two also are complementary in their on-court demeanor.

“His intensity is the big thing,” said Pieri of Campbell. “He comes to play every time, he never slacks off. Obviously he’s really talented and athletic, and mentally he’s just tough.”

“I consider Christian to be a cool operator,” added Campbell. “I always look for him to calm me down.”

Campbell and Pieri earned Eastern B all-tourney honors in leading Camden Hills to its 2007 regional crown, as the Windjammers edged Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln 61-60 in the final to avenge an overtime loss to the Lynx in the 2006 preliminary round.

The road to that title was minus one major obstacle with the quarterfinal ouster of 2006 state champion and top-ranked Maranacook of Readfield. The Black Bears fell to No. 8 Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield while playing without starting guard Will Bardaglio, sidelined with mononucleosis.

Until then a third Camden Hills-Maranacook matchup of the season – they split two regular-season meetings – had been anticipated, with one of the key subplots pitting Pieri and Campbell against Maranacook’s stellar backcourt trio of two-time All-Maine honoree Ryan Martin, Bardaglio and Mike Poulin.

“I think we’re still looked a little as a second fiddle,” said Campbell, “because when they lost in the tournament they didn’t have one of their best players, so we still have to beat them with them having the core of their team they didn’t have last year.”

All five guards are now seniors, and after they meet twice during the coming regular season there is the expectation they might meet one last time with a championship on the line, given that Camden Hills and Maranacook are considered among the teams to beat in Eastern B.

“We’ve known those kids since we were in the sixth grade together, knowing that we were going to have to compete with them in high school,” said Campbell. “Every single year we’d catch up to them a little bit. They were beating us by 60 points back in sixth grade, but every year we keep improving. I’m sure they’ve been improving, too, but we’ve been getting closer and closer.

“Knowing that those guys are there and that they’re going to be good, that’s what we look forward to. We look forward to all the games, but competing against those three guys is special.”

Campbell and Pieri will get additional backcourt support when they square off against Maranacook and other Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference foes this winter from talented freshman Graham Safford. They’ll combine with a frontcourt led by versatile 6-5 junior Gordon Fischer to give Camden Hills a deep roster that Hart will use to wear down opposing teams.

“We have a lot of returning players, a lot of veterans,” said Campbell, the brother of former Bangor High School and University of Maine standout Joe Campbell. “Even the young guys know what they’re doing. We were deep last year, and it’s kind of the same thing now, but I think we’re a stronger team this year.”