Five minutes, five turnovers.

That, unfortunately, was how the John Bapst girls basketball team started in the 2007 Eastern Maine Class B final against Waterville, a game the Panthers eventually won en route to the state title.

Waterville returned four starters this year and has finished the 2007-08 regular season with an 18-0 record.

But considering the season that the Crusaders of Bangor have had this year with 17 wins and the No. 2 seed, despite graduating three starters from last year’s team, Bapst will be just as much of a threat as Waterville when the EM Class B tournament starts.

The Panthers and the Crusaders have emerged as the top two teams in Eastern Maine Class B, followed by a group of Big East Conference and Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference squads that have taken wins from each other, in their respective leagues, all season long.

Bapst won its first eight games before a Jan. 5 loss to Hermon. Since then, however, the Crusaders have been tough. And they’ve faced tough teams in the Big East almost every night.

“The quality of the basketball in the Big East has really prepared us,” Bapst coach Mike Webb said. “Playing [MA], Hermon, Old Town coming down from Class A, we were challenged every night.”

There are few guaranteed wins as teams like the Hawks, Old Town, Caribou, and Mattanawcook of Lincoln could all be competitive in the tournament, along with KVAC squads Camden Hills, Erskine of South China, Gardiner, Mount View of Thorndike, and Winslow.

The Crusaders have leaned on senior center Hillary Laferriere, a member of the 2007 EM Class B all-tourney team who has become one of the most dominant players in Eastern Maine.

While Laferriere has had a stellar season, Webb feels an improved defense has been key.

“There’s a lot of very good basketball teams that could have beaten us this year if not for our defense,” he said. “We stepped up that end of it. … And we’ve done a much better job of lessening our turnovers.”

Samantha Gormley, a 6-foot-1 junior center, has come into her own as a starter this season, while returning starter Samantha Maquillan, a junior guard, is one of the top defensive players around. Senior guard Eve Jordan provides defense and a good perimeter shooting touch when needed.

The big addition this year has been Morgan Chasse, who transferred from Bangor Christian and provides quickness, especially in transition.

Mattanawcook, the team that nearly knocked off Waterville in the regional semifinals, is the No. 3 seed with 16 wins. The Lynx get most of their scoring from senior forward Brianna Hanscom, senior guard Michelle Paul, who was on the all-tourney team last year, and Hanscom’s sister, sophomore guard Brooke Hanscom. Deni Nicastro and Erin Anderson have also started, while senior forward Kristy Burleigh is a threat off the bench.

Coach Brian McDormand also brings in guards Brittany Piche and Katelyn Deraps off the bench, and both have had strong seasons in those roles.

Hermon, which has relied on center Ashley Kelley en route to a 14-win season, will have to march on without her after she suffered a knee injury in a 54-24 loss to Bapst. That means the Hawks will look to players such as Erin Arnold, Emily Berglund, Katie Durgin, and Hillary Keith to pick up their scoring if Hermon can win its prelim.

Old Town, Caribou, and Foxcroft, which will also have to win prelim games to make it to the Bangor Auditorium, have all played tough in close games – and each has at least one of the Big East’s legitimate scoring threats in Jenna King (Old Town), Karyn King (Caribou), and Vanessa Lougee (Foxcroft).

As expected, junior center and 2007 tourney MVP Morgan Frame has been both the top scorer and rebounder for top-seed Waterville, with Paige Gardiner and all-tourney team member Steph Whitten getting the ball inside to Frame and Sarah Given a consistent outside threat.

Erskine (14-4) has wrapped up the No. 4 seed. Britt Belden has been among the Eagles’ top scorers with Ashley Richardson as a strong rebounder.

Forwards Allie Parent and Kristen Tedford have been the top scorers for Camden Hills, which will go into the tournament with the No. 5 seed. Maggie Smeaton and Kate Fetterman contribute on the rebounding end, too, while Fetterman and Parent have led the KVAC in assists.