A unique combination of team speed, height unheard of for a Class C team, smarts, shooting touch, power – and that 18-0 record – have made the Dexter girls basketball team a favorite to take its first Eastern Maine Class C championship.

But there are plenty of teams out there – including squads which have already fallen to the Tigers twice this season – who would love to challenge Dexter, and have tournament experience and talent to do so.

“After years of going to the tournament, the one thing I’ve learned is that a tournament game is everybody’s last game,” said Dexter coach Margaret Veazie. “Every team is good and you have to be ready for that.”

The Tigers fell to Calais in the semifinals last year, but tournament fans got a good look at Dexter’s frontcourt duo of 6-3 Ashley Ames and 6-0 Ashley. Both girls have had stellar seasons and are a big reason the Tigers have averaged 61 points per game as a team. Dexter has only allowed 30.6 ppg. Ames is averaging about 20 points and 15 rebounds per game, while Foster is averaging about 15 ppg and 10 rpg.

The Tigers have strong starting guards in Brittany Veazie (12 ppg, about 5.5 assists per game) and Keriann Patterson (10 ppg, about 5 apg). Lindsay Turner, who also starts, has stepped up her shooting lately and has become the team’s long-distance threat, Margaret Veazie said.

The big guard statistic has been Brittany Veazie’s six steals per game. “We put her on the other team’s point guard and she just harrasses them,” Margaret Veazie said of her daughter. “She’s so quick and rangy and she’s an intense defensive player.”

Dexter’s starters haven’t seen as much playing time because they tend to have games in hand early, so the Tigers have turned to another big key – a fine bunch of substitutes.

Senior forward Amanda Pullen and freshman guard-forward Sabrina Cote, both 5-8, have both had lots of playing time. Senior Sarah Turner, Lindsay’s twin sister, and sophomore Meagan Fogarty have also been big off the bench.

The No. 2 Central of Corinth girls (16-2) didn’t fare well against the Tigers this year, with two losses of at least 15 points, but the Red Devils certainly have the players to challenge Dexter late in the tournament.

No. 2 Central starts 5-10 forward Katie Ahearn and guard-forwards Jenny Rollins and Nicole Daniel, guard Casey Davis and forward Caitlin Elliott, who all had tournament experience last year (Central fell to Penquis in the semifinals). And after losing to Dexter twice, the Devils would surely love to win a third matchup.

“They just want to beat us so bad,” Margaret Veazie said. “… Jenny’s a tough player and she’s a good scorer.”

Downeast Athletic Conference teams Calais and Narraguagus of Harrington will come into the tourney thinking about an upset or two. Given its history, No. 3 Calais certainly can’t be ignored. The Blue Devils have won nine Eastern Maine titles since 1991. Calais finished the season at 13-5, including a four-game winning streak in the final two weeks with victories over top-notch teams like No. 6 Mattanawcook of Lincoln, No. 5 Narraguagus, and Woodland, the top seed in Eastern Maine Class D.

The Devils defeated Dexter in the semifinals last year, but Calais graduated most of its starting lineup from that team. Still, senior Crystal Martin has emerged as a team leader and several underclassmen who started or saw frequent action off the bench last year have come up huge.

Martin, Danielle Feck, Tracie Eagan, and Danielle O’Brien have all had high-scoring games this year.

The Blue Devils will wait for the winner of a preliminary game between Mattanawcook and No. 11 George Stevens of Blue Hill. Calais and MA split two games during the regular season.

The No. 5 Knights of Harrington will face No. 4 Hodgdon in the quarterfinals. Like Calais, Narraguagus has a tough regular-season schedule. The Knights had to face the Blue Devils, Woodland, and Shead of Eastport, the No. 4 seed in Class D twice each.

Narraguagus is led by 5-8 senior forward Shelby Howe and cousins Linny and Missy Barbee. The Knights and the Blue Devils split a pair of regular-season games.

No. 4 Hodgdon is lucky to have a variety of scoring options – Shanna McGary, Amanda Fitzpatrick, Jamie Nightengale and Erin Foster had all scored in double figures for the Hawks this year. Foster is also one of the team’s top rebounders. Hodgdon went 13-5 this season, including big wins over Southern Aroostook, the No. 2 team in Eastern Maine Class D. The Hawks dropped two of their final three games but had a five-game winning streak before that.

For Dexter, one of the scarier teams out there is No. 7 Stearns of Millinocket, which will host No. 10 Washington Academy of East Machias in a preliminary game. “Stearns is very athletic,” Margaret Veazie said. “They’re the one team we played that I can say is overall as quick as we are.”