By the time you read this, Waterville girls basketball coach Ted Rioux has probably talked about the importance of today's game some 2,000 times.

"My girls tease me about it," Rioux said. "Every game, I'm always nervous, and every game is our biggest game."

This time, the Purple Panthers can take it seriously. Waterville, the No. 1 seed in Eastern B with a 20-0 record, is facing No. 3 Mattanawcook (19-2) in the Eastern B final at 2:05 p.m., at the Bangor Auditorium.

These teams met in last year's tournament with virtually the same casts on both sides. Waterville, on its way to the state title, led by 13 early in the second quarter and had to hold on for a 57-55 victory.

"We can't get in a hole like we did last year," Mattanawcook coach Brian McDormand said. "We have to defend. We have to be patient. We have to get good shots."

Six-foot junior center Morgan Frame had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Waterville in last year's meeting, and the Lynx don't have anyone who can match Frame's attributes and battle her to a draw.

"She's improved a lot this year," McDormand said. "That's our biggest matchup problem. If we go big, our bigs aren't as quick as her. If we go small, there's a size disadvantage."

While Mattanawcook doesn't have a force like Frame inside, the Lynx do have guards like Michelle Paul, who scored 21 points and hit a tournament record-tying six 3-pointers against Waterville last year.

Paul also hit two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter of Mattanawcook's semifinal win over John Bapst.

"Offensively, they explode," Rioux said. "You're talking about a team that had 12 points at half (against John Bapst) and all of a sudden, they're hitting threes left and right. They explode, and we're going to have to really make sure that we pay attention to those guards."

Mattanawcook has never won an Eastern Maine title in boys or girls basketball.

This is the furthest the girls team has gone since reaching the Eastern C final in 2001, and while he is concerned about Frame, McDormand knows Waterville is more than just its talented center.

"I think they might even be better this year," McDormand said. "If they're all on, we're going to be in trouble."

Matt DiFilippo -- 861-9243
mdifilippo@centralmaine.com