The Washburn girls basketball team enjoyed a Cinderella season last winter.

However, the clock struck 12 for the Beavers in the form of an Eastern Maine Class D championship game loss to Lee Academy, now one of the top teams in Class C.

Fast forward a year later, and the Beavers are again one of the top two teams in Class D heading into the Eastern Maine tournament.

Coach Ron Ericson’s Beavers made some adjustments in the backcourt this winter, after three-year starting point guard Alex Bird went down with a knee injury during soccer season.

Kelsee McLaughlin, Erica McDougall and Morgan Burbee have shared the ball-handling duties depending on certain game situations.

“You can find any of those three on the point sometime at any given time in a game,” Ericson said.

Washburn has been one of the more consistent clubs in the Class D ranks this winter, posting a 16-2 record while priding themselves on tough defense, patient offense and taking care of the basketball.

“Our shooting percentage has generally been pretty good,” Ericson said. “We’ve rebounded well and for the most part we’ve kept our turnovers at a reasonable number.”

At 5-9, McDougall is a solid ballhandler who can play in the post along with 6-1 center Rachel Palmer, while Rebecca Campbell gives Washburn a formidable outside presence.

“Rachel has stepped up and had a really solid season, that’s allowed us to move Kelsee onto the perimeter,” said Ericson. “Rebecca Campbell is having a great year shooting from outside, she’s been remarkably poised.”

The Beavers are just one of several of teams who can emerge from the Eastern D tournament as the top dog.

Aroostook County foe Central Aroostook of Mars Hill was one of two teams who knocked off the Beavers this season, and coach Rodney Codrey’s club is hoping for a longer stay in Bangor after a first-round exit last year.

The Panthers have been bolstered by the inside-out play of 6-foot center Sarah Long, 5-11 forward Alex Dame and guard Amber Bradley.

While CAHS has a solid inside game and is tough defensively with its zone, the Panthers will have to stay out of foul trouble as they don’t have a deep bench.

That can be particularly tough when you have an aggressive defense, according to Codrey.

“We’ve got to stay out of foul trouble. They want to steal the ball but they’ve got to wait until it comes to them,” he said. “They do like to pressure the ball.”

Coach Bill Nemer’s Ashland Hornets have been a tourney mainstay the last few years, and they’ve had yet another solid season, posting a 12-5 record heading into their regular-season finale.

The Hornets, who are led by 1,000-point scorer Mindy Chasse and guard Whitney Flint, are a pressure-defense team that tries to generate easy baskets.

“We like to press, from the backcourt all the way to the front,” said Nemer.

Greater Houlton Christian Academy, a consistent top-5 team throughout the season, split with both Ashland and Washburn in the regular season and is led by Sarah Riopel.

Farther down Route 1 in Washington County, the Woodland Dragons have been slaying their opponents on a nightly basis.

Coach Arnie Clark’s club entered the final week of regular-season play with only three losses, two of which came to Lee Academy.

The Dragons knocked off Class C power Washington Academy of East Machias in the season’s final week, and a lot of the County coaches know that they could be the team to beat.

“I think that anybody that doesn’t take them seriously is nuts,” said Ericson.

Clark has been led by the inside play of 6-foot center Courtney Cochran and forward Julia Nichols, who stands 5-8, along with guards Ariel Knights and Ashley Laking.

Penobscot Valley Conference entries Bangor Christian and Deer Isle-Stonington are certainly capable of pulling upsets.

The Mariners have been sparked by the play of Audra Eaton, who scored a team-high 13 points in a recent loss to Lee while the Patriots have quietly reeled off a 12-4 record with two regular-season games still to be played at press time.

Hope Johnson, Katherine Bragg and Hannah Pray have been the key cogs for coach Phil Robinson this winter.