Spring weather nearly upon us (not near enough, say some), but the victories and defeats of the winter season remain crisp in hearts and minds across the region. Indeed, many athletes at Bonny Eagle, at Windham, at Gray-New Gloucester and Lake Region High School had seasons they’ll never forget.

GRAY-NEW GLOUCESTER

The G-NG boys basketball team struggled in 2013-14, finishing outside the playoffs at 3-15; the girls, however, amassed an 11-7 record to secure the six-seed and a bye through the prelims, where they faced Wells. Wells won, eventually going on to take B West runners-up honors.

The hockey team, a combo squad with nearby Poland, landed outside the postseason as well, ending 4-13-1, but opened the run with an encouraging win over South Portland – who did make the playoffs, at 11-7 – and picked up another later in the season against Lake Region/Oxford Hills/Fryeburg, who also advanced to the tournament, at 8-10.

On the track, Will Shafer earned state titles in the 800-meter dash and one-mile run; Adam Dumas finished fourth in the 400.

And in the snow, Kaelyn Woods finished first at Class B Nordic States in both classical and freestyle. The Patriots girls took fourth overall and the boys fifth. Noah Lobozzo finished third in the giant slalom at Alpine States, and his squad took fourth overall.

Combining the finishes of those skiers who participated in both halves of States yields some particularly impressive results: Keaton McEvoy had no top-10 finish in any event, for instance, but did finish in the teens for all four events, giving her the girls Skimeister title by a significant margin – 59 points to 97 – over her nearest competitor, Abby Condon of Yarmouth. McEvoy’s teammates Caitlin Holmquist finished third.

Similarly, Eric Wilcox claimed the Skimeister title, and by an even larger margin – 40 points to Stephen Sylvester’s (Spruce Mt.) 151.

LAKE REGION

The Lake Region Lakers girls track team took fifth at Class B States, powered forward by star runner and jumper Kate Hall. Hall took first in the long jump, breaking the state record she set last year by more than 16 inches, at 19 feet, 3.75 inches. Likewise, she took first in the 55-meter dash (setting a new record of 7.05 seconds) and the 200-meter dash (in 25.36, again besting her own state record). Hall is only a junior, by the way, so LRHS can expect her to garner further accolades next year (not to mention in the upcoming outdoor track season).

The other big story at Lake Region is the culmination of a years-long quest to grab the girls gold ball on the court. Led by Tiana-Jo Carter, the Hancock sisters and others, the Lakers cruised to a 56-47 victory over Mt. Desert Island in the state finals.

WINDHAM

Over in Windham, the boys basketball team made the playoffs with a 6-12 record, but exited early in a loss to Sanford. The Lady Eagles, on the other hand, pushed through all the way to the A West finals, upending No. 2 Thornton Academy and No. 6 Cheverus to face McAuley – that force of nature which emerged triumphant and went on to capture a fourth consecutive state title.

On the track, the Lady Eagles took third at States in the 4×200-meter relay and Alexis Wintle took home the high jump title, while in the pool, Joseph Paluso finished third at States in the boys 500-meter free and fourth in the 100 breast.

BONNY EAGLE

Bonny Eagle earned some top honors on the track, Kialeigh Marston (just a sophomore) taking first at States in the 800-meter and the one-mile. Kyaunna Libby earned third in the 800, and Mary Szatkowski placed second in the two-mile. Overall, the girls finished fourth, with 39.5 points, just half a point back of third-place Bangor.

On the mat, Robbie Martin defeated Malik Geiger 3-2 in three overtime periods to take the 170-pound wrestling state title, while Isaiah Reynolds snatched fourth in the 285-pound division.

The Lady Scots, with their combo-program teammates from Gorham, had some success on the ice, going 7-11 and making the playoffs – but Biddeford dispatched them in the prelims. The boys team couldn’t find their footing this year, and finished 2-14-2, outside the tournament bracketing.

The girls basketball team finished 6-12 and advanced, but exited the tournament early with a loss to Cheverus. The boys – an exceptional lineup including “Mr. Maine Basketball” Dustin Cole – went further. They advanced all the way to the A West Finals, as they had done in each of the previous three years. Alas, they fell short a fourth time, to yet another remarkable opponent. This time, it was Portland, who went on to claim the state crown.

The Patriots’ Andreas Kariotis moves the ball upcourt at home against Freeport in late January.Bonny Eagle’s Nick Dubay breaks upward in the Scots’ tournament semifinal victory over Falmouth.Windham’s Katie Herzig looks to pass beyond a Cheverus defender in a semifinal tournament bout.Tiana-Jo Carter of Lake Region ascends to the net during her team’s B West Final against Wells.