Players to watch

Falmouth — Charlie Fay (Sr. F), Grant Burfeind (Sr. G), Jack Simonds (So. F); York — Zach Leal (Sr. G), Aaron Todd (Sr. C), Hayden Webster (Sr. F); Cape Elizabeth — Henry Babcock (Sr. G/F), Chris Robicheaw (Sr. F); Mountain Valley — Jacob Theriault (Sr. G/F), Ryan Nicols (Sr. G), Dom Haines (Sr. F); Spruce Mountain — Peter Theriault (So. G), Scottie Hall (Jr. G), John McKenna (Jr. F); Wells — Jake Moody (Jr. G), Dylan Stevens (Sr. F), Chris Carney (So. G); Greely — Mike McDevitt (Jr. C), Connor Hanley (Jr. F), Bailey Train (Jr. F); Maranacook — Taylor Wilbur (Jr. G), Kyle Boucher (Sr. C).

Favorites

Falmouth and York have been on a collision course since getting knocked off in the late rounds a year ago. You might expect their two regular-season meetings to have been classic confrontations. If you like last-second drama or even competitive fourth quarters, though, they’ve been a disappointment. Each team won at home in a blowout, the Yachtsmen by 20 points and the Wildcats by 26.

The teams are so deep and talented that it seems the third time would have to be the charm. The Yachtsmen have no shortage of players who can light it up for double digits on a given night, led by the 6-foot-5 Fay, the the explosive Simonds and the steady Burfeind. York has two huge targets down low in 6-7 Todd (17.3 points, 9.7 rebounds per game) and 6-6 Webster, and Leal, the league’s assist leader, feeding them consistently.

Darkhorses

Never count out Cape Elizabeth, which took a year to reload after reaching the state final in 2011. Three-year starter Babcock is a link to the team. The 6-4 Robicheaw gives the Capers strength inside.

The MVC is guaranteed a representative in the semifinals for the second year in a row. Mountain Valley and Spruce Mountain split during the regular season, with the fifth-seeded Phoenix winning the rematch at home as part of a 10-1 run at the end of the season.

It’s an intriguing matchup of the streaky Theriault and Nicols and their perimeter prowess against Spruce’s depth and athleticism. While the winner would be a decided underdog in a likely midweek matchup with Falmouth, stranger things have happened to top seeds under the pressure of the tournament spotlight.

Fun facts

Spruce Mountain’s only loss in its last 11 games was a 7-point defeat at MVC champion Dirigo … Moody (22.4) and Stevens (19.8) were 1-2 in the WMC in scoring for Wells … Falmouth didn’t play a game all season with a margin of victory smaller than 12 points … Maranacook knocked out 2012 state champion Yarmouth in the preliminary round … York won its last regional title in 1999 … Mountain Valley is back after failing to reaching the quarterfinals for only the second time in school history … Wells lost five of its last seven games but was held under 60 points only three times all season … This is Greely’s first tournament since Mt. Blue product Ken Marks retired with more than 300 wins and multiple state titles. One of Marks’ former players, Travis Seaver, now leads the Rangers.