AUBURN — The last time the Edward Little girls’ basketball team finished with the top seed, the current Red Eddies hadn’t even been born.

So this year’s top ranking in Eastern A has been a long time coming for EL, especially after finishing second so often in recent years.

“In my four years, we’ve always been No. 2,” said senior guard Ashlee Arnold. “So it’s a really nice accomplishment. We worked for it this year and worked really hard.”

EL finished 15-3 and hold the top seed in Eastern A. The last and only other top ranking came in 1992 when the Red Eddies went 17-1 and lost to Portland in the Western A final.

“It’s hard to (be No. 1),” said EL coach Craig Jipson. “It’s a great league. It’s tough to win games in Eastern Maine. We’ve had a lot of tough games this year, and I’m really pleased with the regular season.”

EL will play in its fifth straight KVAC championship game Monday. The Red Eddies have won two of the previous four. Then EL gets the prelim winner of Cony or Brewer in next Friday’s quarterfinals.

“We’re excited,” said junior guard Kory Norcross. “As coach said, it’s time for a clean slate and start over and get ready for the next game.”

EL lost in the Eastern A final to Cony last year. That’s had the team extra motivated this season. The top seed in Eastern A has only lost once in the quarterfinal and five times in the semifinal.

“I think we’re a lot better team this year,” said Arnold. “I think we’re a more prepared team. We worked 10 times harder in practice because we knew we have a chance this year.”

The Eastern A tourney won’t be easy. EL could draw the defending Eastern A champs from Cony in the first round. Among the other locals are Mt. Blue in fifth and Oxford Hills in sixth.

“Who knows who wins Eastern Maine this year,” said Oxford Hills coach Nate Pelletier. “We have No. 1 and No. 2 teams that have three losses and all the other teams have 11 or 12 wins. We don’t have a clue. It’s going to be who gets hot at that moment. It could be us or it could be anybody.”

The Cougars were third last year and lost in overtime to Skowhegan. Most of that club returned to go 12-6 for the fifth seed. That means Mt. Blue draws Lawrence, a team the Cougars lost twice to in the regular season.

The Vikings have missed the tourney in recent years but are excited about a return.

“They’re ready,” said Pelletier. “A couple of seniors we have were able to play their freshman year but they’re definitely antsy and ready to go. We have a nothing-to-lose attitude.”

The Vikings finished 11-7 for sixth, but Oxford Hills beat some of the top teams like Edward Little, Mt. Ararat and Lawrence.

“You just want to battle every night” said Pelletier. “Early in the season I felt there were nights where we just didn’t show up. Consistently after the Cony game, we’ve shown that we’re going to show up and work hard.”

Another local club claiming the top seed is Rangeley in Western D. The Lakers finished 17-1 and ended Richmond’s string of three straight No. 1 rankings. It’s the first top seed for Rangeley since 2005, the last of four straight for the Lakers. Rangeley, which has been in four of the last six regional finals, will play the prelim winner of Vinalhaven at Islesboro.

Rangeley won its games by an average of nearly 30 points and only allowed about 29 points per game during the regular season.

The Bobcats finished second at 14-3. The three-time defending regional champs split in the regular season with the Lakers.

In Western B, Spruce Mountain finished with a perfect 18-0 record and landed third in the seedings behind Lake Region and York respectively.

“We look forward to playing for the second straight season at the Portland Expo,” said Spruce Mountain coach Gavin Kane. “We played with a great deal of nervousness last year, and we just need to go out and play the game the way we are capable.”

The Phoenix lost to Leavitt in the quarterfinals last year. Spruce will play in the MVC championship game Monday night at 7:30 p.m. against Boothbay at the Augusta Civic Center. The Phoenix will then play either Wells or Gray-New Gloucester at the Expo in the quarterfinals.

“We have played well down the stretch, and we’re seeing continued progress in various aspects of our game,” said Kane. “We have the utmost respect for both Gray-New Gloucester and Wells, whichever team we end up facing.

Both are excellent teams and at this time of year you need to play at a high level to advance.”

Leavitt, which reached the semifinals last year before losing to Lake Region, finished fourth at 13-5 in Western B.The Hornets started the year 8-1 but finished the season 5-6 after senior guard Kristen Anderson injured her ankle.

“We’re really excited to be in fourth and not having to play a preliminary game,” said Leavitt coach Tammy Anderson. “That will give us a lot more time for Kristen and her injury. We’re pretty thankful it worked out the way it did. When we lost to Maranacook and lost to Morse, we were afraid we would be in trouble and have to play that prelim.”

The Hornets have also had to play without starter Chantel Eells and Jenna Cote at times this season. Leavitt hasn’t had a full healthy roster since early in the season. Avoiding the prelim has allowed the Hornets to get healed and prepare for Greely, the fifth-seed. The Rangers have had their own troubles of late, including three straight losses and four of their last seven.

“I feel pretty good where we’re at,” said Anderson, who said Kristen is still not 100 percent but hopes she’ll improve over the next week. “It’s given the kids a lot of playing time. All in all, if we can get Kristen back somewhere near 100 percent, it will be nice to have a full squad. It’s been one injury after another.”

Gray-New Gloucester finished sixth at 13-5. They’ll host Wells in a prelim Tuesday. The Patriots edged the Warriors by two in the regular season.

In another Western B prelim, Oak Hill  plays at Cape Elizabeth. The Raiders finished 11-7 for 10th. They’ll play a Capers team that has won four of its last five and went 9-3 following a 1-5 start.

In Western C, all the local squads will have to survive the preliminary round Tuesday.

Dirigo took the fifth seed at 14-4. The Cougars host Sacopee Valley in a prelim Tuesday. Monmouth (13-5) followed in the sixth spot. They’ll host Kents Hill. Mt. Abram (9-9) took the seventh seed and host Traip. It will be the last home game for longtime coach Doug Lisherness, who is retiring after this season. St. Dom’s (10-8) earned the ninth spot and  host Hall-Dale in a prelim. The Saints and Bulldogs split during the regular season.

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