We ran our girls’ basketball overview earlier in the week and our Winter Sports Tab section comes out Friday.

Just in case you haven’t gotten enough preseason hoop hype, here’s a few more things to watch for this season in our area.

Teams To Watch

These are the clubs with the best chance of winning some kind of title this season.

1. Leavitt: The Hornets have most of the team back after winning 17 games last year and ultimately losing in the Western B semifinal to Greely. Leavitt has the shooting of all-stars Courtney and Kristen Anderson while Adrie Newton was an all-star in the post. Add in veterans like Abbey Randall, Amanda Jordan and Sarah Frost and the Hornets will be a high-scoring team that likes to run-and-gun. They’ll play aggressive defense and force turnovers and be fun to watch. There won’t be too many teams in the KVAC that will be much of a match for them on most nights. Nokomis and Winslow might be their toughest tests. The Hornets should challenge for the KVAC title again and earn a high seed in Western B. Shooting in unfriendly places like the Expo or the Cumberland County Civic Center doesn’t suit Leavitt’s game well. That was the case last year when the Hornets struggled to hit shots at the CCCC in the loss to Greely. This year, the Hornets might be able to adjust a little better in that situation. They’ll likely draw a tough semifinal foe, probably a Lake Region or Greely and then get the ultimate test against the defending state champs from York in the regional final.

2. Rangeley: The Lakers have already had a tough season and the first tip hasn’t even happened yet. Rangeley lost four guards to injury or relocation. That included all-star veteran Allie Hammond. She was hurt during soccer season and her knee injury has her out for the season. The Lakers have a huge void to fill losing a player and leader like Hammond. But I wouldn’t count the Lakers out quite yet. Sister Emily and Chantal Carrier return in the post. Rangeley also return starters Sierra Machacos, Lexi Letarte and Jenney Abbott. Rangeley started last year losing its first four games and then bounced back and reached the regional final before losing to Greenville. The Lakers usually put themselves in the hunt in Western D and then see what it can do during tourney week, and more often than not, they make some things happen. Greenville and Richmond could be the two favorites, but Rangeley won’t be an easy draw in February. I think this Rangeley team still has the makings of a club that could win a couple games in Augusta and reach the regional final again.

3. Mountain Valley: The Falcons won 11 games last year and lost in the Western B quarterfinals. Mountain Valley could be one of the top teams in the MVC and should conted for a shot at the MVC title. The Falcons return all-star Ayla Allen as well as fellow starters, Breana Roberts, Lindsay Gallant and McKenzie Paterson. Jay and Hall-Dale will be two of the other contenders in the conference, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Falcons in the MVC game. In the Western B tourney, the WMC teams usually have the upper hand on the MVC clubs. That might be the case again. The Falcons might have enough experience to get past the quarterfinals but they’ll likely have a tough draw with either Leavitt or York in the semifinal.

4. Jay: The Tigers had a disappointing finish with a quarterfinal loss in the Western C tourney last year. Jay has three regulars back and should be in the hunt again. Beth Moore established herself as one of the top post players in the conference. Alexis Blodgett was a shooting threat from the outside while Brittany DiPompo, Alannah White and Alexi Deering are all veteran players that should make Jay a formidable foe. I think the Tigers could challenge for a spot in the MVC game. As mentioned above, teams like Hall-Dale and Mountain Valley will challenge them for that opportunity. In the tourney, Jay will certainly be a team to watch in Western C. Hall-Dale and Waynflete will be among the top teams, but the Tigers could make some noise as well. I can see Jay at least reaching the semifinals, and the Tigers certainly have the kind of talent and experience to win out in that situation to get them to the title game.

More Teams To Watch

There are some local teams to keep an eye this year as they progress. There are a lot of young teams that have some work to do but some with plenty of potential to make things happen down the stretch.

Edward Little and Oxford Hills: Both teams lost a lot of talent from last year. They have a couple core returnees back. Coaches Craig Jipson and Nate Pelletier always have their teams playing great defense and have them in the thick of the playoff hunt. Both teams will be hard-pressed to match what last year’s teams did, but if either club gets some confidence and consistency on offense, they’ll be a team that could be a tough out come tourney time.

Dirigo: The Cougars are young with only a couple of veteran players, including Hannah Knight. Still, Dirigo could be a team on the rise. The Cougars should be competitive during the year and be in the hunt for a tourney berth. With some experienced players, a solid defense and a little momentum going into the tourney, the Cougars could be a club other contenders won’t want to face.

Oak Hill: The Raiders have just missed the playoffs the last few years. With Maggie Sabine back along with seven others that saw action last year including starters Abby Goulet, Darby Beaulieu, Jessica Roberts and Becka Lehotay. Oak Hill doesn’t have an easy path to the tourney. They face a KVAC B schedule while jostling with MVC and WMC teams. If you figure that York, Leavitt, Mountain Valley, Greely, Lake Region, Gray-New Gloucester all reach the tourney, that only leaves two other spots available. Oak Hill could have enough experience and talent this year to get above .500 and get those extra few wins to get them over the hump.

Gray-New Gloucester: The Patriots lost some talent from last year’s team that won 12 games and lost in the Western B quarterfinals. Coach Chris Aube sees great potential in this club. Rachel Edson, Alicia Valente and Meghan Dehetre are all veteran players back. The Patriots should win enough games to challenge for a tourney berth.

Livermore Falls: The Andies had the best defense in the MVC last year and return the inside-outside attack of Kathryn Ventrella and Marissa Welch. Livermore Falls isn’t deep but still has nine players back from last year. They’ll be among the better teams in the MVC and should challenge the favorites in Western C.

Players To Watch

Courtney Anderson, Leavitt G (18.7 ppg)

Kristen Anderson, Leavitt G (15.4 ppg)

Adrie Newton, Leavitt F (15.4 ppg)

Allaina Murphy, St. Dom’s F(22.1 ppg)

Beth Moore, Jay F (10 ppg, 10.5 rpg)

Alexis Blodgett, Jay G (10 ppg)

Kathryn Ventrella, Livermore Falls G (10.5 ppg)

Marissa Welch, Livermore Falls F (10.4 rpg)

Hannah Knight, Dirigo, G (10.9 ppg)

Ayla Allen, Mountain Valley, G (15.2 ppg)

Maggie Sabine, Oak Hill F (18 ppg, 12 rpg)

Emily Carrier, Rangeley F

Chantal Carrier, Rangeley F

Games To Watch:

Here’s look at the best matchups for the first weekend of play.

Friday, December 10

Brunswick at Oxford Hills, 7 p.m.  – The Dragons return a solid post game. So this could be a good test for the Vikings.

Winthrop at Lisbon, 5:30 p.m.- Both of these MVC teams lost talent from last year but should be competitive clubs in the conference. They matchup pretty well. This could have the makings of a pretty good season opener.

Falmouth at Gray-NG, 7 p.m. – Falmouth could be one of those teams challenging for a spot in the Western B tourney. So a good performance by the Patriots could get them off on the right note.

Valley at Buckfield, 5:30 p.m. – Both teams missed the postseason last year and hope to improve. A win here by one of these teams will be a great boost on confidence and set the tone to start the year.

Saturday, December 11

Livermore Falls at Jay, 7 p.m – These two rivals could be two of the better teams in the MVC. The Andies stunned the defending C champs a year ago on opening night. Both teams return strong clubs with good inside games. This could be another great matchup.

Rangeley at Greenville, 1 p.m. – Rangeley opens up on the road against the defending Western D champs. It’s a rematch of last year’s regional final. The Lakers are still adjusting to some heavy losses but this will be a good test against one of the preseason favorites in Western D.