Class B basketball has been the domain of the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference for nearly a decade.

The KVAC is home to the last four state champions in the division with Erskine Academy of South China (2004), Winslow (2003) and Camden Hills of Rockport (2001 and 2002).

The conference also owns six of the last seven Eastern Maine titles, with only Hermon’s 2000 crown interrupting a run that began with Camden-Rockport’s (now Camden Hills) Eastern B championship in 1998 and state title in 1999.

So it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that the KVAC boasts two of the three heaviest favorites to represent Eastern Maine in the 2005 Class B state final, scheduled for Saturday, March 5, at the Augusta Civic Center.

One is Camden Hills, at 18-0 the only undefeated boys basketball team in Eastern Maine. The Windjammers feature the experience and talent of four starting seniors in Tim Stammen, Jamey Davis, Will Horn and Nick Tedford, a group that has endured numerous postseason battles to earn its status at the top of the rankings.

“Camden’s the team to beat if things stay as they are,” said Fort Kent coach Tim Farrar.

But Erskine has proven itself a worthy contender to defend the school’s first state basketball championship. The Eagles, led by talented senior guard Darrell Haskell and 6-4 frontcourt standouts Josh Jones and James Leibowitz, have suffered just two narrow losses to Camden Hills. In one they led in the fourth quarter, and the second game was an overtime loss at Rockport.

At the top of the Big East Conference Class B ranks are the Foxcroft Academy Ponies, which has challenged Camden Hills throughout the season for the No. 1 spot in the Heal Point ratings.

Coach David Carey’s club, a regional semifinalist each of the last two years, features the imposing frontcourt tandem of versatile senior forward Matt Carey – a 1,000-point scorer – and 6-5 senior center Kyle Rideout.

“Matt’s the kind of kid who can play with anybody, he’s very adaptable,” said coach Carey, Matt’s dad. “And once Kyle gets the ball in the low post, he’s tough to stop.”

Other top contenders include Presque Isle, Fort Kent and Mount Desert Island.

Presque Isle boasts a quality go-to player in 6-5 junior Greg Whitaker, and has come on strong since the return of senior point guard Chris Carlin to the lineup from an elbow injury.

Fort Kent is poised for its first trip to the Bangor Auditorium since 1996, and the Warriors field a senior-laden lineup led by 6-6 center Mitchell Ouellet, forward Seth Rivera and guards Thomas Bard and Pat Caron.

“We’ve played hard every night, and we’ve learned how to win,” said Farrar. “We’ve had a lot of close games this year, but down the stretch we’re very confident something really good is going to happen.”

MDI used a strong start this season to build momentum for its playoff run under veteran coach Wilton Jones. The Trojans feature a solid perimeter game led by guard Kyle Staples and forward Robin Daley.

Several KVAC teams and Big East entry Ellsworth were jockeying for preliminary-round berths in the final days of the regular season.

Winslow, which has knocked Camden Hills out of the tournament each of the last two years, is a dangerous first-round opponent for anyone with 6-3 senior guard Eric Lopez, one of the more talented players in the state.

Maranacook of Readfield is perhaps the youngest team in the field, with guard Ryan Martin among three freshmen seeing considerable action along with senior center Logan Gerrity.

Mount View of Thorndike is considered a sleeper in the field, with first-year coach Jim Pettis guiding the Mustangs to a successful season after the team narrowly missed the preliminary round a year ago.

Ellsworth has battled injuries and attrition throughout the winter, but sophomore guard Corey Dewitt has returned from injury to give coach Dan Clifford’s Eagles a late-season spark.

Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield also has benefited from a late-season addition to its ranks, with senior forward Phil Hendricks back from a broken wrist to provide the Huskies a strong dose of two-way play in helping coach Mike Brown’s club enter the playoffs on a confident note.

Eleven teams ultimately will battle for the Eastern Maine championship, with the final eight bound for the Bangor Auditorium beginning Friday with quarterfinal-round play.

Favorites exist, to be sure, but nothing can be taken for granted.

“I’ve learned a valuable lesson, that you can’t count anybody out,” said Carey. “But if we go in and play well, we’ll be right there.”

“I can only go by the teams I’ve seen,” added Camden Hills coach Jeff Hart. “There’s not a lot of difference between ourselves and Erskine Academy, and Foxcroft has improved over the course of the year, they’re strong and big and they have their own style of play.

“I don’t see a lot of difference with those three teams.”