It's a little too soon to tell which games are going to end up being big ones, but guessing which games will be interesting ones is fine even after one weekend of games. Here's a look at some interesting matchups in the week ahead:

TUESDAY

Messalonskee at Skowhegan: The Eagles surprised a lot of people when their new-look team went up against Mt. Blue's traditionally strong defense and scored 67 points on opening night. Skowhegan, meanwhile, put up a strong showing against a Lawrence team that some are tabbing as the best in Eastern A, losing a competitive game by 16 on the road. Both of these teams are a little raw, and will get much better as the season goes on.

Valley at Richmond: This will be a good gauge for how far Valley has come this season. The return of guard Morgan Staples after a school year at Bangor Christian has already provided benefits, as Staples scored a combined 35 points in two Valley wins over the weekend. Richmond made it to the Western D semifinals last season, and has a good chunk of that team returning.

Oak Hill at MCI: This will be the first game for the Huskies after a 66-15 loss to open the season against KVAC B favorite Waterville, so it will be interesting to see how the Huskies respond. MCI has a fine post player in Jenna Lorentsen, but needs to improve its ball-handling. Oak Hill's highly-touted freshman Maggie Sabine announced her presence in a one-point loss to Erskine Friday night with 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Nokomis at Bangor: Nokomis rode Kelley Paradis to a 45-40 victory over Brewer Friday night. Paradis scored 22 points and dished out eight assists, which means she had a hand in 38 of Nokomis' 45 points. Bangor will clearly look to stop her, and the Rams are coming off a convincing win over Hampden on opening night. Bangor must play with more consistency that it did last season, however. Also worth noting in this game is that first-year Nokomis coach Kori Dionne is a Bangor grad and was an assistant with the Rams last season.

THURSDAY

Carrabec at Wiscasset: Both of these teams are in building modes, but this is the kind of game where Carrabec has to seize an opportunity to take the next step. Even after the first game, it's obvious the Cobras are improved -- they led Dirigo 10-6 after one quarter -- and they have the ability to translate that improvement into some wins.

FRIDAY

Mt. Blue at Nokomis: Mt. Blue has a new coach in Tim Kane, and looked strong defensively in preseason before giving up 67 points on opening night to Messalonskee. This game could tell whether the Cougars will need a little time to jell or are ready to beat the teams below Lawrence in the KVAC North. Nokomis, which held Brewer to 11 field goals on opening night, will need to counter Mt. Blue's height.

SATURDAY

Bangor at Lawrence: On Friday night against Skowhegan, Lawrence got 57 of its 63 points from four players -- Brogan Liberty, Megan Gilbert, Alexa Bernatchez and Kelli Murray. Liberty and Bernatchez are tough inside, and Gilbert and Murray combined to hit six 3-pointers. Bangor has had its best success in years' past when the Rams have been able to keep the score down. The Rams return guard Amy Hackett, who contributes in a variety of ways.