Monmouth Academy Mustangs turn from winning regional title to preparing for Class D state boys basketball championship

MONMOUTH, Maine (WABI) - The Monmouth Academy Mustangs will play for a state boys basketball championship on Saturday.

The No. 2 Mustangs knocked out No. 7 Telstar, No. 3 Madison, and No. 1 Mt. Abram on the way to the Class D South title.

Now, the Monmouth Academy players are preparing to face North champion and No. 1 seed Machias for the Gold Ball.

They hope to add to their trophy case after winning it all in Class C in 2024.

“Our motto every year is just make it to the final game now. Ever since (winning state in 2024), that’s our goal. We go all the way, or we go out, and that’s it. When we went and won, nothing compares to that feeling. It was just so fun. I would love to do that again in my last year,” said Aiden Oliveira, senior point guard.

“(It takes) lots of hard work, staying together like a family, and building off each other. It’s hard to keep yourself in the game, all game, so you rely on your teammates to do that,” said Liam Ennis, senior center.

“We’ve got a lot of heart. We came from ups and downs at the beginning of the season. We got through great adversity, and we just came here because we’re a good team,” said Levi Laverdiere, junior shooting guard.

Saturday’s tipoff is at 4:15 p.m. at the Augusta Civic Center.