Even after 50 years as a reporter, the Maine basketball tournament can still surprise you

By Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News Staff

It’s the beauty of sports.

Just when you think you’ve seen everything in covering the Northern Maine high school basketball tournament for 50-plus years, you realize you haven’t.

Caribou High School senior forward Liv Adams never expected to play another basketball game for the Vikings.

She blew out her knee during the first game of the soccer season and wound up having season-ending surgery.

So instead of being the go-to player and a valuable contributor on the court, she had to settle for being the inspirational leader on the bench.

Adams, who played a key role in last season’s Class B state championship, attended every practice and every game and was on the sideline for the Vikings’ Class C North semifinal against Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln.

During a timeout with 10 seconds remaining in the game and Mattanawcook holding a comfortable lead, Mattanawcook Academy coach Pat House sent assistant Jackson Weatherbee over to Caribou head coach Mackenzie Turner with a unique offer: 

Mattanawcook wanted to give Adams the opportunity to go onto the court and score an uncontested basket.

House explained after the game that he got to know Adams because she had come down to Mattanawcook’s summer tournaments. He always felt that Adams was “underrated and under-appreciated” and said she is one of the hardest working kids he’s ever seen. 

“I was heartbroken this fall when I heard she was out for the year,” he added.

And House knows how meaningful it can be to score in the postseason at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. It’s not something that everyone gets to do, after all. The Mattanawcook coaching staff felt that Adams deserved a chance for one last tournament basket to end her impressive high school career. 

“I was really surprised when it all happened,” said Adams, who was wearing a brace on her knee. “The adrenaline hit me. I was all shaky and nervous.” 

The senior said it was “really nice” to have two different communities recognize her amid the injury. 

“That was really nice of them. Kudos to them,” Turner said after the game. 

The Caribou coach said it was a special moment for Adams. 

“If anyone deserves that kind of thing, it is Liv,” Turner said. 

In a day and age when there are plenty of negative things occurring in the world of sports, it is nice to see a positive gesture that echoes the virtues and value of sportsmanship.

For Liv Adams and anyone who was in attendance at that game, Pat House and the Lynx provided a feel-good memory through a classy act that will never be forgotten.

It’s what sports are all about, or should be.

And the Lynx wound up as the Class C North champs.

The tournament also showcased a new class after a statewide reclassification by the Maine Principals’ Association created Class S for schools with under 100 students.

And it was a pair of Aroostook County teams that claimed Class S North titles in the Easton boys and Wisdom girls from St. Agatha.

Two of the tournament’s most memorable performances came from the newly-crowned champs, as Easton sophomore Mason Pelletier had a 42-point game and Wisdom’s Ava Lerman had a 41-point outing. 

And there was the triumphant return of prominent central Maine schools for the Class B Tournament for the first time in years. They had been playing their tournament games in Augusta. 

And those central Maine schools from the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference proved that the change of scenery from the Augusta Civic Center to the Cross Insurance Center was favorable.

The Lawrence High girls from Fairfield upset Gardiner in the B North championship game and the Gardiner boys knocked off top-seeded rival Cony High of Augusta in the boys title game.

And their fans were certainly willing to make the trek to Bangor as proven by the large turnouts for their games.

These are just some of the moments that made for another unforgettable regional basketball tournament in Bangor.