AUGUSTA — During a listless play in the second half of Rangeley’s 46-10 victory over Valley, Lakers’ senior captain Seve Deery-DeRaps stumbled over a Valley player along the Cavaliers’ baseline.

Deery-DeRaps clearly was not seriously hurt, yet winced slightly as she took her time to climb back to her feet.

“Be tough Seve,” Rangeley coach and Seve’s mother, Heidi Deery, shouted from the sidelines.

Deery-DeRaps picked herself off the floor and jogged back on defense, but not before nonchalantly waving toward her coach to let her know she was all right.

“I didn’t want her to take me out either, so I was like, ‘I’m good. I know I need to be tough,'” Deery-DeRaps said. “That’s kind of like our relationship.”

When describing her relationship with her mother-coach, Deery-DeRaps said they’re “really close,” although — as anyone who has ever played for a parent can usually attest — it has not always been easy.

“It’s definitely been challenging at moments just because of the mother-daughter bond, but overall it’s probably been the greatest experience of my life,” Deery-DeRaps said. “She’s an amazing coach. I’ve grown up as a “Lady Laker.” I’ve been on the sidelines for as long as I can remember so it’s been a really good experience.”

Deery-DeRaps — who will play at Central Maine Community College in the fall — started playing varsity at Rangeley as an eighth grader, at which time her mother let her know how it would be to play for her.

“Coaching is challenging to begin with, but to coach your own kid is tough,” Deery said. “We’ve come to an understanding that it’s my way or the bench or maybe another sport.

“She has gotten the message and she got that early on.”

That message clearly has been heard loud and clear, as Deery-DeRaps is one of the top players for a Lakers squad that is one win away from playing for a regional title.

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Dirigo girls basketball coach Karen Magnusson was a star player at Cony High School and the University of Maine at Farmington, then had a successful stint coaching the Cony girls. Magnusson resigned from Cony after becoming pregnant with her first child, but ended up taking only one season off before signing on to coach the Cougars this winter.

“People don’t coach or don’t get it — high school basketball is absolutely amazing,” Magnusson said. “Especially Maine. Playing in it, and now coaching in it, I love it. It was different last year. It was hard, because I got to enjoy it from a fan’s perspective, but seeing the kids celebrate, seeing them get so excited — you love that. You love looking at their faces and them being so happy.”

Dirigo opened the Western C tournament by defeating Monmouth, 48-33, on Tuesday afternoon. The Cougars will be back in action on Saturday.

“I just had jitters,” Magnusson said. “I was like this little kid that was like, ‘Let’s go!’ I went in the locker room and was going nuts. I was like, ‘Next game! We get another game!’ I want them to appreciate these moments, because, I guess, playing, you don’t really get that. You’re in that moment trying to win and do all these things. But now, looking back, I was so fortunate to play in so many tournament games.”

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Whether it is listening to “Eye of the Tiger” or watching “Hoosiers,” basketball players often find different ways to motivate themselves for a game.

Monday night, the Vinalhaven girls basketball team found their impetus watching the eighth-seeded Maranacook boys knock off No.1 Boothbay 57-54 in the Western Class C quarterfinals at the Augusta Civic Center.

“The kids sat there and their eyes got bigger and bigger and bigger,” Vinalhaven coach Sandy Nelson said. “We said we can do this. Come the tournament, anybody can win.”

A little over 12 hours later the ninth-seeded Vikings followed suit, knocking off No. 1 Pine Tree 45-43 in the Western D quarters behind 24 points from freshman Gilleyanne Davis-Oakes.

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The 2013-14 season has been one of attrition for the Richmond girls. From an unbalanced schedule that had them playing on the road most of the first half of the season to an unusually high number of injuries and illnesses, the Bobcats have been fighting for their survival seemingly all season long.

Richmond survived and advanced Tuesday with a 32-22 quarterfinal win over Hyde. Unfortunately, injuries continue to be an obstacle for the Bobcats. Junior guard Julie Plummer and sophomore guard Camryn Hurley could not suit up Tuesday.

Hurley is out for the season with various foot and ankle problems. Plummer suffered a slight concussion in the Bobcats’ regular-season finale against Buckfield on Feb. 6. Her return is subject to concussion protocols.

“It’s been a little bit of an adjustment (playing without Hurley and Plummer),” Ladner said. “Luckily, we just got (junior forward) Kalah Patterson back. She played the first half and made a couple of baskets, so it was nice to get her back. We’ve got a decent rotation. I’m trying to get seven or eight in regularly.”

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There were those who doubted Madison’s chances of upsetting No. 2 Boothbay on Tuesday, but none of those naysayers resided on the Bulldogs’ sideline.

A lot of that confidence stems from success the team has enjoyed on either the soccer field or softball diamond.

Kayla Bess, Aly LeBlanc, Erin Whalen and Madeline Wood were each teammates on last spring’s Madison softball team that defeated Calais 1-0 to win the Class C state title. Bess said throughout the basketball season they have made a point of it to wear their rings at different times. She also said she wore her ring to the game Tuesday.

“We show it to all our teammates,” Bess said. “We want that to be motivation for our team to work hard and your hard work will pay off in the end.”