The Boothbay Lobster Jam is anything but your typical summer high school basketball tournament. The fouls count. The points count. And more importantly, the games all count toward crowning a champion. The Boothbay Region High School girls basketball program hosted the fourth annual Lobster Jam tournament on July 25 and 26.

The tournament had 16  teams from as far north as Foxcroft Academy in Piscataquis County, and south of the Piscataqua River with Newfound Regional High School representing the Granite State.

The teams are split into four groups. Each team plays three games and the group’s winner advances to the semi-finals. And ultimately, the two remaining teams play for the Lobster Jam championship. Boothbay Regional High School girls coach Tanner Grover said the basketball program created the format to bring the best Maine basketball teams together for a unique event.

“This is something you don’t get to see a lot during the regular season. We have teams from western Maine playing against the east. You also have Class C schools playing against some of the largest schools in the state,” Grover said. “I think it’s a great event, which also has some pretty competitive action.”

Boothbay Region sends invitations to every Maine high school seeking a competitive mix of teams from all four classifications. Each year, the Lobster Jam gets bigger. In 2010, five teams entered the tournament, and now the field has grown to 16. This year’s field could’ve been larger. The tournament had more teams who wanted to compete in this Midcoast basketball event. All entrants were accepted on a “first come, first served” basis, according to Grover.

“It grows every year. It started with five. It expanded to 10, then 12, and now 16. We had a waiting list this year so I’m not sure how big it might become in the future,” Grover said.

Playing against top level competition is a part of the tournament’s allure. Maine’s smaller Class C schools like Boothbay Region, George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill, and Lisbon all get a chance to compete against Class A teams like Thornton Academy in Saco, Oxford Hills in Norway, South Portland, Leavitt in Turner, and Cheverus, a private school in Portland. Grover believes the competitive format is a welcome change to summer league games.

“The Lobster Jam has a real mid-season feel about it,” Grover said. “It’s a tournament that actually crowns a champion. I think that’s important. Everyone takes the games more seriously because you’re playing for something in the end.”

The Lady Seahawks began the tournament on Friday with a 41-36 victory over Hermon. Boothbay nearly had a second win Saturday against Newfound High School from Bristol, N.H. The Lady Seahawks had an 11-point lead in the second half before Newfound rallied to earn the 55-48 victory. Boothbay failed to qualify for the semifinals after losing to South Portland.

Grover believed the tournament was a good experienced for his squad. The Lady Seahawks have most of their roster returning from last year. Grover liked what he saw from his team this weekend on offense. The Lady Seahawks played an up-tempo game that resulted in a scoring a lot of points on the fast break and off defensive turnovers. But Grover thinks his team needs to improve its half-court man-to-man defense to have a successful winter.

“I liked what I saw out there,” Grover said. “We pushed the ball the up the court and shot well. But I think our defense still needs to improve.”

Lincoln Academy of Newcastle defeated South Portland, 63-58, in overtime on Saturday to win its first Lobster Jam title. Defending champion Cheverus also made the semifinals. The fourth semi-finalist was Spruce Mountain of Jay who reached the championship rounds in both 2011 and 2013.