Sometime after the whistles stop blowing, when the dribbling is done and this season has turned into this past season, Cape Elizabeth Coach Jim Ray will run into Ken Marks, his counterpart at Greely, and they'll talk.

They'll talk about their Western Class B semifinal Wednesday night, when the Capers won a game that was sometimes hard on the eyes, yet intriguing because of the similarity of the teams. And they'll talk about how they reached that point.

Greely beat the Capers early this season, then just a couple of weeks ago with the regular season drawing to a close, Cape Elizabeth got its payback with a double-overtime victory that clinched the top seeding.

"Kenny and I were just talking about that double-overtime game before the game tonight," said Ray. "We'll talk about this game, too."

Seven of the eight quarterfinalists in Western Class B, which means everyone but Mountain Valley, were from the Western Maine Conference. The coaches know each other well, know what each other's teams can do, and understand no matter how competitive they can be, it's never personal.

"I have a lot of respect for every coach in the conference," said Ray. "I don't know how every coach prepares, but I think if they've been around, they know what we're going to do at Cape Elizabeth. Then it just comes to execution."

And execution was the difference Wednesday night. A Shaine Burks hustle play here, a Woody Tabery rebound there, or Tom Ray, the coach's son, hitting a shot when it was so very much needed.

And yet it also was ugly at times, mainly because of the Cumberland County Civic Center itself. It's a vast building that offers no backdrop for shooting. It's a wide court that can alter defenses. And it has an NBA 3-point line that to high schools kids can be confusing.

"Our guys were running around, starting the offense beyond the NBA 3-point line," said Coach Ray. "I think they thought it was the real 3-point line."

For Cape Elizabeth, playing at the Civic Center was an invaluble experience as it begins preparation for the regional final Saturday against Yarmouth or Freeport, who play Thursday night.

For Greely, this season already has turned into this past season.

But yes, it left plenty for coaches to talk about.

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