PORTLAND — After a compelling regular season and early postseason, York County is down to its final two teams in the high school basketball playoffs.

Thornton Academy finished the year with a 16-2 record, good for the No. 2 seed in the Class AA South. The Trojans survived a late surge by Gorham in the semifinals to clinch a spot against No. 1 seed and defending conference champion South Portland, who knocked TA out of the 2016 postseason.

The Trojans and Red Riots squared off in the regular season, with South Portland earning a 68-58 win on the road. The Red Riots have followed up 2016’s surprise postseason success with an impressive 2016 year, topping teams like TA as well as North Division powerhouse Portland.

Defense has been South Portland’s calling card, and it has cemented its place as perhaps the conference’s most physical team in the paint.

Between big men such as Ruay Bol, Riley Hassan, and Ansel Stilley, the Red Riots are well-stocked with forwards. With seven players of at least six feet tall, South Portland also presents one of the state’s biggest lineups.

Not only do the Red Riots have size, but they also have experience. The Red Riots are composed of 12 upperclassman, most of which were there for last year’s postseason run.

TA has a new look this year after the graduation of playmakers such as Jack Tilley, Ben Lambert and Corey Hart, however the new regime hasn’t skipped a beat as the Trojans hope to clinch their first conference championship since 2009.

Austin Boudreau has emerged as an all-state guard, while David Koehan has stepped up as one of the conference’s premiere big men. Newly-aquired Evan Christensen has made an impact as a scorer, and John Fogg has also continued his impressive run at TA.

Both teams are balanced, experienced and athletic. South Portland is hoping to redeem itself after a heartbreaking, double OT loss to Portland in the 2016 state finals, and seems to be perhaps the hungriest team in the state.

Boudreau expects a tough battle against the Red Riots.

“We played South Portland and it was a tough game at home, we have to play them tough — we have to stick to our gameplan and play the way we know how to play,” said Boudreau.

Wells has enjoyed one of its most successful campaigns in recent years, and is set to take on No. 2 Spruce Mountain in the Class B South Semis on Thursday. 

Like TA, the Warriors fell to its upcoming opponent in the regular season. Despite nearly completing a nine-point comeback in the fourth quarter, Wells fell in a tough 59-51 loss at Spruce Mountain.

The Phoenix pose an elite defense, holding over half of their opponents to under 50 points. The Warriors on the other hand have been highly efficient offensively, and have shown the ability to score on the perimeter with shooters like Liam Bell and Tyler Dewey, while also getting steady contributions from starting forwards Deandre Woods and Cam Cousins.

Although Spruce Mountain has been slightly more successful this season on paper, the Warriors have a size advantage and have been on a tear, posting a 9-2 record in their last 11 games. The only two losses came from No. 1 seed and heavy favorite Yarmouth.

The Warriors haven’t played in the semis in a decade, and Woods and Cousins are looking forward to facing one of the state’s best teams.

“It should be a good game, we lost to them up there in the regular season and they have good home game, it should be good,” said Woods.

“It’s a great accomplishment … we’re looking forward to it,” said Cousins.

— Associate Sports Editor Alex Sponseller can be reached at asponseller@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.