The Deer Isle-Stonington boys basketball team compiled a season of memories last winter, finishing 17-3 and reaching the Eastern Maine Class D championship game.

But the memory that lingered throughout the off-season wasn’t so pleasant – the 80-52 loss to Central Aroostook of Mars Hill in the regional final.

No shame that the Mariners lost, as Central Aroostook went on to win its second straight state title.

But the fact Deer Isle-Stonington fell behind early and never really mounted a serious comeback left a sour taste with the large majority of that team that returned this season.

“I think they would have like to played again the next day, they weren’t happy,” said Mariners coach Glenn Billings. “But you’ve got to go out and do it when you get the chance.”

A veteran Deer Isle-Stonington team hopes to have the chance to play for a championship again this winter. If the regular season is any indication, it will take a strong effort to deny the Mariners that opportunity.

At 15-0, Deer Isle-Stonington is one of three remaining undefeated teams in the Eastern Maine boys basketball world, along with Central Aroostook and Class C Calais.

“We had a lot of players coming back, but you always wonder when you have a lot of seniors coming back whether they’ll use the summer to get better, of it they’ll feel they’re good enough and not push themselves to get better for next season.

“Fortunately this team worked hard to get better,” Billings said.

The Mariners are ranked second in Eastern D in the latest Heal points, trailing only 13-2 Schenck of East Millinocket, which plays a predominantly Class C schedule.

“We had some hope that we’d be in the top two or three when the season started,” said Billings, whose team has just two games left, against Lee Academy on Saturday and at Bangor Christian on Feb. 8. “But we expected some tough games … and you never know about injuries and the other things that crop up.”

Actually the injuries cropped up during the off-season.

Senior guard Bryant Ciomei – who last week became just the second Deer Isle-Stonington boys basketball player to reach 1,000 career points – and sophomore swingman Eben Powers both were sidelined last summer, Ciomei as he recovered from shoulder surgery and Powers with a broken hand.

“The other kids had to step up and take on bigger roles without [Bryant] there,” said Billings.

Ciomei, a four-year starter and the team’s leading scorer, remains the Mariners’ catalyst.

“He basically has been our floor leader,” Billings said. “Our offense usually goes through him, but what goes unnoticed is that he contributes as much defensively as he does on offense.”

Deer Isle-Stonington also benefits from the versatility within its lineup, as Ciomei and fellow starters Collin Ciomei (Bryant’s brother), Rob Brown, and Shane and Jon Eaton (no relation) as well as sixth man Powers are all comfortable either on the perimeter or closer to the basket.

That stems in part because several of the current starters played on a junior varsity team lacking in true perimeter players earlier in their high school careers, and they took advantage of that opportunity to develop guard skills.

“It makes planning for us a little more difficult, because you have to take a look at all five of us,” Billings said.

That versatility also has shown itself in an increased emphasis on 3-point shooting this winter, and the ability to win at any tempo. Deer Isle-Stonington traditionally has employed a fast-paced approach, but earned perhaps its most impressive victory so far this season – a 56-47 win at Lee – with a successful halfcourt attack.

“Since we’ve been playing them I think it was our first win up there,” said Billings. “We knew it would be tough because they shoot well and are well coached, and they have three or four really talented kids that know how to play the game.

“We had to execute our game plan, and we had to play 32 minutes. We learned to play halfcourt basketball in that game, we were patient in our offense and looked for high-quality shots.”

Many schoolboy basketball followers expect Eastern Maine Class D to be the most competitive division come tournament time.

Billings isn’t one to disagree.

“It’s going to be a fun tournament,” said Billings. “There are going to be teams in the tournament that have been there before, and players who have been there before. I think a team is going to have to play well all the way through to win it.”

All-tourney passes available

With the opening day of the 2007 high school basketball tournament a little more than two weeks away, it’s not too soon to think about purchasing all-tournament passes.

Longtime tournament director Bill Fletcher thought the same thing, so he’s making passes for all games of the Eastern Maine high school basketball tournaments available to the public next Monday through Wednesday, Feb. 5-7, from noon to 3 p.m. each day at the Bangor Auditorium lobby.

“I sold them for three hours on three days last year,” said Fletcher, “and I was surprised at the number of people who came in.

“We have quite a few people who never miss a game.”

All-tournament passes for Eastern Maine Classes A, B, C and D or for just Eastern B, C and D will be available, costing $95 each for adults and $35 for students.

For more information, call Fletcher at 942-2256.