There’s a thrill in the air for both players and fans as tourney time rolls around again, and several Aroostook County high school basketball teams are prepping for the annual road trip to Bangor’s Cross Insurance Center.
Final Heal Point standings were released Feb. 8. Leading the local pack are the Caribou Vikings, with both boys and girls teams ranked first.
In boys varsity, 10 local teams earned tourney berths. In Class B North, along with the Vikings, the Houlton/Greater Houlton Christian Shires earned a spot at No. 8.
Class C North will see four local teams battling for wins: Third-ranked Madawaska Owls, fourth-ranked Hodgdon Hawks, fifth-ranked Fort Kent Warriors and No. 8 Fort Fairfield Tigers.
For Class D North, the Katahdin Cougars will go in at No. 2, with the Central Aroostook Panthers at No. 3, the Easton Bears at 7 and Southern Aroostook Warriors at 8.
In girls varsity, 12 County teams are in the running. In Class B North, along with the Vikings, the Presque Isle Wildcats earned a tourney spot, coming in at No. 8.
For Class C North, the Fort Kent Warriors are the sole local team headed for Bangor.
And in Class D North, five County teams will join the battle for the championships: the Central Aroostook Panthers, the Wisdom Pioneers, the Ashland Hornets, the Katahdin Cougars and the Southern Aroostook Warriors.
Here are the top 8 seeds for Class B, C and D North.
Class B North Boys
1 – Caribou
2 – Ellsworth
3 – Orono
4 – MDI High School
5 – Winslow
6 – Hermon
7 – Old Town
8 – Houlton/Greater Houlton Christian Academy
Class B North Girls
1 – Caribou
2 – Erskine Academy
3 – Old Town
4 – Ellsworth
5 – MDI
6 – John Bapst
7 – Hermon
8 – Presque Isle
Class C North Boys
1 – Mattanawcook Academy
2 – Machias
3 – Madawaska
3 – Hodgdon
5 – Fort Kent
6 – Dexter
7 – Calais
8 – Fort Fairfield
Class C North Girls
1 – Penobscot Valley
2 – Mattanawcook Academy
3 – Fort Kent
4 – Mount View
5 – Calais
6 – Dexter
7 – Machias
8 – Central
Class D North Boys
1 – Schenck
2 – Katahdin
3 – Central Aroostook
4 – Bangor Christian
5 – Lee Academy
6 – Jonesport-Beals
7 – Easton
8 – Southern Aroostook
Class D North Girls
1 – Bangor Christian
2 – Central Aroostook
3 – Wisdom
4 – Schenck
5 – Shead
6 – Ashland
7 – Katahdin
8 – Southern Aroostook
Tournament brackets are available on the Maine Principals’ Association website.
The Class D, C and B North tournaments will be held at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor starting next week. First round action at the Cross Center will get under way on Friday, Feb. 14 after a few preliminary games starting Wednesday, Feb. 12.
The Class A North tournament will be held at the Augusta Civic Center.
The Class C and D state championship games will take place in Bangor, the Class B state championship game will be held in Portland at the Cross Insurance Arena, and the Class A state championship game will be in Augusta.
More than 93,000 fans are likely to travel to game sites throughout the state to see their favorite teams compete to hoist a “gold ball” trophy and participate in the tradition of cutting down the nets, according to the Maine Principals’ Association, the state’s governing body for high school athletics.
“We are thrilled to welcome back thousands of student-athletes, including cheerleaders and band members, to the 2025 tournament,” said Michael Burnham, executive director of the MPA.
Ware-Butler Building Supply, a division of Pleasant River Lumber, is presenting the tournament once again this year, Burnham said.
“What an exciting month in the state of Maine,” Ware Butler President Glen Albee said. “The tradition of this basketball tournament means so much to so many Mainers, and once again we are honored to support the MPA and its schools, coaches and student-athletes.”
Special moments happen at tournament time and the excitement is palpable, Albee said.
Tickets for all sessions at all venues are available via GoFan. Tickets may be purchased on site at the same price as online tickets, and only credit or debit cards will be accepted.
2025 is a milestone year, as the principals’ association will celebrate the 50th year of sponsoring a basketball tournament for girls varsity players, MPA officials said.
When the first tournament was held in 1975, the following champions were crowned: Class A, Gardiner defeated Morse, 70-62; Class B, Lake Region defeated Van Buren, 63-55; Class C, Hall-Dale defeated Katahdin 64-62 in three overtimes; and Class D, East Grand defeated Richmond, 49-41.
Members of these championship teams have been invited to attend this year’s state championship games, and team members will be honored during halftimes. Team members may reach out to mpa@mpa.cc for information.
BDN Sports Editor Matt Junker contributed to this report.
