Valley, in white, and Greenville play a Class S South quarterfinal basketball game on the first day of Maine Principals’ Association basketball tournament games at the Augusta Civic Center on Wednesday. (Joe Phelan/Staff Photographer)
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AUGUSTA — It’s not the traditional start date, but the newly laid floors, smell of fresh chicken tenders and Maine Principals’ Association labeling on press row left no doubt: Tournament time is here.
Wednesday marked the start of play at the Augusta Civic Center with the first Class S South regional quarterfinal games. Here are four takeaways from the afternoon and evening.
A NEW TOURNEY BEGINNING
For years, Maine’s smallest schools started play on Monday of February break week or the Saturday leading into it. Not so this year, and with Forest Hills in school Wednesday, longtime boys basketball coach Anthony Amero had a sudden realization.
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“I was teaching third-graders on the computer and I realize, ‘Wait, I’ve got to catch a bus to the Civic Center,’” Amero said. “It was different but I’ll tell you what: I think it’s great. Being here for an afternoon game instead of in the morning, our kids were amped. It felt like a championship game coming here.”
There were varying sentiments about the new arrangement as Class S teams came to Augusta. Some called the tournament feel similar, while others were less enthusiastic after having grown accustomed to the old Class D schedule.
A member of Greenville’s state title-winning girls team in 2020, Tiegan Murray has fond memories in Augusta. Even though the start is now a Wednesday and Class D is now S, Murray, now Greenville’s coach, feels the magic is still there.
“Having it not during break is a little weird, but it still feels like tourney time,” Murray said. “We were at school until 11 today, and then we had a pep rally and a little send-off. … I really like what they’ve done with Class S; it’s something we’re excited about.”
Although Forest Hills’ Jaxson Desjardins agreed with Amero, the reaction at Somerset County’s other Class S school, Valley, was different. Boys coach Mike Staples and senior Harry Louis said they preferred the old format, while girls coach Gordon Hartwell and sophomore Liana Hartwell called the Wednesday night game an adjustment.
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“I think having school the same day made it a little bit different, but we just focused all day on being mentally ready to play,” Liana Hartwell said. “Once we got out here, we just stayed focused and played our game.”
Jaxson Desjardins of Forest Hills drives against Temple Academy’s Sam Frank during a Class S South quarterfinal Wednesday at the Augusta Civic Center. Desjardins scored 36 points in a 77-55 win. (Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer)
A DESJARDINS LEGACY CONTINUES
The Desjardins family keeps cranking out shooters — and as was clear after one of Jaxson Desjardins’ many baskets Wednesday, it can be tough to keep track of them all.
After a Desjardins 3-pointer in the third quarter of the Forest Hills boys’ 77-55 win over Temple Academy, public-address announcer Mike Hopkins inadvertently referred to Jaxson as “Mason.” With the sophomore possessing the same scoring acumen as his older brothers, Hopkins’ miscue was understandable.
“I didn’t hear it, but we were laughing about it in the locker room when (my teammates) told me,” Desjardins said. “It’s really cool. I got to watch them and follow them around, and now that it’s my turn, they’re supporting me.”
Desjardins scored 36 points, hardly unusual for an underclassman who’s already reached 1,000 for his career. His success follows that of Parker, a 2,085-point scorer who graduated in 2021, and Mason, a 2023 graduate who finished with 1,682.
Like his brothers, Jaxson Desjardins is a premier shooter. The family has a shooting machine set up in its home, and the brothers put it to good use.
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“Five hundred shots per night, that’s the goal,” said Desjardins, who hit five 3-pointers Wednesday. “You’ve just got to keep practicing at it — working at it as much as you can.”
VALLEY BOYS, GIRLS AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED
The Valley boys and girls entered the tournament as heavy favorites to win regional and state championships. They showed why, the boys beating Greenville 70-16 and the girls topping Rangeley 82-13.
The Valley boys (17-2) forced the Lakers into 27 turnovers, taking a 41-2 lead into halftime. The Cavaliers held Greenville without a point from the 3:33 mark of the first quarter to the 4:47 mark of the third.
“We are defensive-driven; our offense runs on our defense, and if we get stagnant defensively, we get stagnant offensively,” Staples said. “I preach to them constantly that we’ve got to get out there, shut them down, and that will drive our offense, and it does.”
What the Valley girls (18-1) did might have been even more impressive. The Cavaliers forced 37 turnovers and recorded 30 steals — 12 by Liana Hartwell — and led 53-1 at one point to cruise to the semis.
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RANGELEY’S MOMENTOUS RETURN
Despite the loss, just being here was a huge occasion for the Rangeley girls. Formerly a powerhouse in girls basketball, the Lakers went three years without a team from 2022-25 before finally returning to the court this winter.
At the start of the year, Rangeley coach Chip Smith said, the Lakers were expected to be the one team in the nine-team class that didn’t make the tournament. Rangeley beat those odds, and now, reaching this stage can be a building block.
“For us to be back here where Rangeley lore has been, it’s huge for us,” Smith said. “I told the girls to cherish it because not everyone gets this opportunity. We got here, and next year our goal is to be back here and win a game.”
On March 2, Spurwink will join community partners for a special viewing of Building Hope: Ending Homelessness in Maine at the University of Southern Maine’s McGoldrick Hall.
Directed by Richard Kane and produced by Melody Lewis-Kane, the film shines a compassionate light on the realities of Maine’s homelessness crisis. Through deeply personal stories, Building Hope explores the challenges faced by unhoused individuals and families, while highlighting the hope that emerges when communities come together to create solutions. It’s been praised for its honesty, dignity, and inspiring message: change is possible when we work together.
Following the screening, a panel of local leaders and advocates will discuss the film and the ongoing effort in Maine to end homelessness. Panelists will include Katherine Rodney, Director of Spurwink’s Living Room Crisis Center; Cullen Ryan, Chief Strategic Officer at 3Rivers; Donna Wampole, Assistant Professor of Social Work at USM; and Preble Street staff. Catherine Ryder, Spurwink’s Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, will bring her expertise in trauma-informed care and community collaboration to the panel as the moderator.
Keon Johnson had 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Maine Celtics defeated the Windy City Bulls 122-87 in an NBA G League game on Sunday afternoon at the Portland Expo.
Hason Ward scored 16 points and Jalen Bridges 14 for Maine (13-15), which had seven players score in double digits. Bridges drained four 3-pointers for the Celtics, who shot 13 for 28 (46.4%) from beyond the arc.
Max Shulga dished out 11 assists and scored nine points.
Maine led 33-18 after one quarter 72-36 at halftime.
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Keyshawn Bryant scored a game-high 25 points for Windy City (12-12).
AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) – An emotional day from Fairfield to Augusta, but felt throughout Maine and beyond, as state officials, community members and loved ones honored the lives of two Department of Transportation workers who tragically died in the field.
Maine DOT Commissioner Dale Doughty described the accident as “the nightmare that commissioners worry about.”
While working on Interstate 95 in January, Maine DOT workers James “Jimmy” Brown, 60, and Dwayne Campbell, 51, died after a driver failed to brake at a stop sign and crashed into a tractor-trailer traveling on the highway.
To honor the men’s commitment to public service and their legacy as fathers, outdoorsmen and Mainers, a procession including DOT officials, family members and more traveled to the Augusta Civic Center Saturday for a memorial service.
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Among those in attendance was Gov. Janet Mills, who remarked on who Brown and Campbell were and their dedication to their profession.
“Jimmy, as you know, worked for the Maine Department of Transportation for 12 years. Dwayne for more than 23 years,” Mills described. “We could count on Jimmy and Dwayne just as we could count on the 1,600 Maine dot workers who keep our roads and bridges safe every day.”
Brown was known for his humor and love of fishing, cars and his children.
Campbell got his start in the DOT by following in his father’s footsteps. Mills said at the service that Campbell loved his daughters and time spent outdoors.
For Commissioner Doughty, losses like this hit hard because of the closely bonded “family business” that DOT is.
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That family expands past state lines, as departments of transportation from New Hampshire and Vermont were present to show their support.
New Hampshire DOT State Maintenance Engineer Alan Hanscom said he called Maine DOT just hours after hearing of the accident to see what his crews could do to help.
“My employees are impacted or subject to the same dangers that Maine and every other state is,” Hanscom said of the importance of his attendance. “I have an employee that was killed in a motor vehicle crash some years ago, so it kind of hits home.”
Saturday’s event served not only as a commemoration but also as a call to action. Despite DOT’s training, Doughty says it is rendered useless if motorists put right-of-way employees in danger through reckless or distracted driving.
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Hanscom expanded: “People don’t realize that this is our office. You’re driving through our office space. We’d like you to give us some consideration and slow down and be mindful of where we are. Give us a little respect.”
Doughty mentioned that these dangers extend beyond DOT workers to everyone who does roadside work. Because of this, he says, agencies must join forces to develop solutions.
“I really think it’s time, and we have a meeting coming up in April, where we pull all agencies and all companies that work in the right-of-way, contractors, utilities, everyone to start to talk about that message,” Doughty said.
On the podium, Doughty told audiences: “Please help us carry forward their memory, not only with tears, but with action.”
On Thursday, the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation authorized the Maine Turnpike Authority to conduct a pilot program for speed enforcement in work zones. The legislation is now headed to the House and Senate.
