The road to a state championship game is rarely easy. But the similar routes taken by the Hampden Academy and Dexter boys basketball teams epitomize the depth and the unpredictability of tourney time in Maine.

The Maine Principals’ Association basketball committee will discuss the situation involving a controversial game-winning 3-pointer by Dexter’s Parker Ponte.

Despite having won the team’s semifinal game, 54-39 vs. No. 4 Temple Academy of Waterville three days earlier, players and coaches of the top-seeded Forest Hills Consolidated School of Jackman felt the squad did not play its best. This turned out to be bad news for No. 3 Greenville High School in the 2020 Class D South championship on Feb. 22 at the Augusta Civic Center as Forest Hills won 74-44 at the Augusta Civic Center.

The Northern Maine basketball tournament ended in dramatic fashion Saturday night, with Parker Ponte’s 3-point shot as -- or after -- time expired giving Dexter a 50-48 victory over Central Aroostook of Mars Hill in the Class C boys final.

Richards was the glue who held Dexter together through a grueling tournament that culminated in the Class C championship. Feeney was a force for the upstart Machias Bulldogs, who shocked No. 1 Jonesport-Beals in the semifinals en route to the D North crown.

The team may not have played as well offensively as the coaches and players wanted, but holding the opposition to just one point over nearly two quarters’ worth of game time made up for any shooting woes as No. 1 Greenville High School defeated third seed Upper Kennebec Valley High School of Bingham 45-22 in the 2020 Class D South championship on the afternoon of Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Augusta Civic Center.

Parker Parker Ponte’s controversial 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired lifted undefeated Dexter past top-ranked Central Aroostook of Mars Hill 50-48 in the Class C North boys basketball final on Saturday night, Feb. 22 at the Cross Insurance Center.

Junior guard Parker Ponte took a feed from Nathan Richards and buried a 3-pointer from the right wing with 2.7 seconds left, helping No. 2 Dexter escape with a 55-52 victory at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. “It’s one of those moments where if you’re open, you’ve got to shoot it,” Ponte said. “It was quite an experience. I don’t really know how to put it into words.”

Wells High School, which recently captured its fourth consecutive Class B wrestling state championship, added a new piece of hardware Friday, Feb. 21 by winning the inaugural Class B state dual-meet competition at Penobscot Valley High School in Howland.

Central Aroostook junior guard Maci Beals lobbed an inbounds pass from midcourt to a wide-open Breann Bradbury for a crucial layup with 26 seconds remaining and the sixth-seeded Panthers upset No. 2 Dexter 35-32 in a Class C North girls semifinal at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor Friday, Feb. 21.

Gracie Talbot of Piscataquis Community High School came in third in the 220-pound division. In the consolation finals Talbot pinned Tayanne Aquino of Mountain Valley High School of Rumford at the 3:45 mark.

Halle Pelletier scored seven of her game-high 22 points to help fuel a fourth-quarter surge on Feb. 20 as top-seeded Greenville earned its second straight trip to the Class D South girls basketball championship with a 52-33 semifinal win over No. 4 Seacoast Christian Academy of South Berwick at the Augusta Civic Center.

The Maine Association of Basketball Coaches recently announced that three players from the region have been chosen for the 2020 Maine McDonald’s Senior All-Star Games on Saturday, March 7 at Newman Gymnasium on the campus of Husson University.

With the game on the line, Dexter boys basketball coach wants the ball in the hands of Nathan Richards. The senior guard made sure on Feb. 19 that the Tigers didn’t make an early exit from the Class C North tournament. Richards scored eight fourth-quarter points, including some key free throws, to lift No. 2 Dexter to a 39-36 victory over No. 7 Central of Corinth at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.

Two Foxcroft Academy relay teams competed in the 2020 Class B Swimming and Diving Championship on Monday, Feb. 17 at Bowdoin College.

Grant got the ball, came off a high screen and took a few quick dribbles before lofting a high shot from the top of the key. The ball bounced twice on the rim, then fell through the net as the horn sounded to lift the second-seeded Tigers to a 38-35 Class C North girls quarterfinal victory over No. 7 Narraguagus of Harrington.

Dexter crowned two individual champions. Justin Wing edged Hainer 2-1 at 145 pounds while Gage Stone decisioned Anthony Mazza of Mountain Valley in Rumford 5-0 in the 160-pound final.

Top-seeded Greenville received a game-high 27 points from senior center Halle Pelletier and cruised to a 59-14 Class D South quarterfinal win over No. 8 North Haven Community School on Monday morning, Feb.  17 at the Augusta Civic Center.