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AUGUSTA — The setting established one thing almost immediately: This was not your typical Cony-Gardiner boys basketball showdown.

Outside, it was 90 degrees Monday at Cony High School for the G&E Roofing League semifinal — a 180 from when the Rams and Tigers usually meet in the depths of winter. The parking lot, usually packed with vehicles for one of the state’s premier rivalry games, was mostly empty.

Inside, there was no packed house with banners, student sections, cheerleaders and the other fanfare you associate with high school hoops. Also, Cony and Gardiner were playing in the smaller middle school gymnasium rather than the Rams’ large high school gym just a few feet away.

“It’s Cony-Gardiner, and these kids love it; they get amped for it,” said Cony coach Isaiah Brathwaite. “We’re doing our thing, and Gardiner’s program is on the up-and-up. Even if it’s the summer, it’s exciting, and (the rivalry this year) is going to add a lot of excitement to central Maine.”

Yes, even if the atmosphere was different, but the intensity was still there for two rivals that got a rare chance to meet in a summer league playoff matchup. The rivalry battle, which Gardiner won 48-46 in a game that went down to the wire, also served as a precursor to what could be the most promising season in years for both the Tigers and the Rams.

There was plenty for Cony and Gardiner fans to be excited about Monday. Both teams feature many of the key players who made them successful a year ago. Both teams will shift from Class A to Class B in the new classification and will not longer have to face Northern Maine powers like Hampden and Messalonskee.

For Cony, there’s another factor fueling excitement: Carter Brathwaite. In a loaded 2029 Maine high school basketball class, the incoming freshman and son of Isaiah Brathwaite might the best. On Monday, his size and athleticism were on display as he cut to the basket with ease to keep a Cony team missing Parker Morin, one of its top players, in the game.

“There’s definitely a lot more aggressiveness and physicality (in Maine high school basketball), but it’s been good,” said Brathwaite, who returned to basketball activities a month ago after missing a month with a fractured tibia. “I like our team. If we can run our offense and get the ball moving more, we’re going to be good.”

Gardiner meanwhile, is fresh off its first tournament berth in eight years, and returns four strong starters in forward Brady Atwater and guards Brayden Elliott, Brady Peacock and Trace Moody. The Tigers finished 9-3 in the G&E Roofing League, losing to Camden Hills in the championship game, 53-45.

“There’s a lot (of excitement) for us right now,” Moody said. “Not making the playoffs for eight years and then finally getting there last year, that felt really good. Now, we’ve got to get farther and farther in the playoffs and keep on continuing to win and strive for greatness.”

After years of Cony dominating Gardiner — the Rams didn’t lose to the Tigers from 2014 until 2024 — the rivalry has been competitive the past two years. In both 2023-24 and 2024-25, Cony beat Gardiner in the first matchups before the Tigers got their revenge in the final game of the regular season.

Monday’s matchup between Cony and Gardiner was the latest in a string of close ones between the two in the 2025 calendar year. Add this game to Cony’s 71-70 win over the Tigers on Jan. 23 and Gardiner’s 60-57 victory Feb. 7, and you get three games between the two decided by just six points — but there’s even more.

“We actually played another game a week ago, and that was a three- or four-point game, too,” said Gardiner coach Aaron Toman. “I have so much respect for (Isaiah), and it’s awesome to play high-level basketball against those guys, whether it’s now or in the regular season. It’s fun, and it’s great for central Maine basketball.”