This past Friday we started the most highly anticipated event of the year, the Maine High Basketball Tournament. Friday opened with Class B girls action and by the end of the day Saturday Class D had started and we had buzzer beaters, great crowds, and an even greater feeling walking away on Saturday night that our beloved tournament is finally back like we all remember.
Now some may say that there are less points being scored across the state and that has made the tournaments worse, meaning they can’t score as much so the talent level has diminished but I contest a different position- what if the tourney is better and there is more talent because of these scores. Now you could say how lower scores mean better product, but let me tell you- higher scores are indicative more typically of a more exciting product for the casual audience with there being more shots going through the basket. However, to those who truly love the game the product on the court right now, though not as high scoring, has been fantastic. We have seen records broken already this year in offensive stats despite the idea that scoring has been at more of premium. We saw Ellsworth girls tie the record for three-pointers in a game, Presque Isle boys upset Winslow. We also saw East Grand, a girls team with eight total players one of which didn’t play because of an injury, upset a Machias girls team who had a great season, and many more upsets all around the state. Above all the action on the floor the crowds in the Cross Center were the best I have seen in quite a while. People are excited to be back, and they’ve shown that through the support they are giving their student athletes and students are getting more coverage than ever before, which is truly what this is all about.
So, as we go back to tournaments this week think more about the athletes and the opportunities they are getting and less about the quality that these student athletes are putting on the court, which by the way is also pretty good.
Editorial by Gabe Nason/Photo courtesy of Lisa Prescott- The East Grand girls celebrate a first round Class D upset over Machias on Saturday, February 18, 2023
