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District tournament brackets set
The brackets are set. It’s time to see which teams are going to finish off the 5-6 grade season in style.
The District 1 and District 2 tournaments are set to be played over the next five days, starting with boys games in District 1 Friday night. Both tournaments are set to conclude Tuesday night, with the D1 tournament being hosted at Bobby Ray and Eastside serving as the venue for District 2.
In every bracket, there is an unbeaten team serving as the No. 1 seed. In District 1, the undefeated regular season champs were the Irving College Tigers (8-0) and the Hickory Creek Lady Hawks (6-0).The Centertown Warriors and Eastside Lady Bulldogs were both 6-0 while dominating District 2 in the regular season.
It comes as no surprise that all the title favorites are led by the league’s top scorers. There were some high-level bucket getters this season in elementary basketball and most of them all reside on the teams with No. 1 seeds.
Irving College point guard Anden Green and Eastside Lady Bulldog Sarah Kate Winfree were the league’s scoring champions during the regular season. Green averaged a whopping 18.9 points a game in the Tigers eight games, while Winfree put up a robust 25.7 points per game in six Lady Bulldog blowouts.
Green’s dominance in District 1 even drew the praise of Boyd coach Brian Reed, who got to see the awesome Tiger up close Tuesday when Irving College won on the road 43-6 in each team’s regular season finale. Green had just 16 points, but coach Reed explained why on the WCSA Facebook page.
“We found a way to hold (Anden) under his average. The secret was getting beat by so much he doesn’t play as much in the second half – it’s a bold strategy,” joked Reed about his team’s tough loss in the season finale. “Seriously, he’s an amazing player and that whole team plays great and is well coached.”
Boyd has nothing to hang its head about though. The Broncos, easily the youngest team in the league, were ahead of schedule this season with a pair of regular-season victories. Those wins vaulted the Broncos to the No. 3 seed in the District 1 tournament, where they’ll face No. 2 Hickory Creek (6-2 this season). That matchup is set for Monday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m.
The District 1 boys tournament starts Friday when West Elementary and Bobby Ray play in the 4/5 matchup. The two teams just squared off Tuesday, with the Wizards picking up a win. Friday’s game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and the winner will move on to face the Tigers Monday.
Winfree continued her string of sensational performances with another big night Tuesday in the season finale. The Lady Bulldog guard scored 23 points as Eastside completed its perfect regular season with a 33-16 victory over Morrison.
Winfree and the Lady Bulldogs will make their tournament debut Monday night against the Dibrell Lady Wildcats (0-6). Eastside will look to defend its home court at 4 p.m. The Morrison Lady Eagles (2-4) will face the Centertown Lady Warriors (4-2) at 6 p.m. in the other semifinals matchup.
The Centertown Warriors, one of the most complete teams with a fierce starting 5, will have more than a week’s worth of rest by the time they get back on the court in the tournament. Centertown completed its regular season last Friday with a 49-31 win at Dibrell, a game that featured Kiptyn Medley scoring 31 points – the most by any player in a game this season.
With Medley at the controls and dependable starters Jackson Moore, Isaac Smith, Carter Melson and Welsey Romzek flanking him, Centertown is capable of going all the way to a championship. The Warriors will meet Morrison (0-6) at 5 p.m. Monday.
In the 2/3 boys Division 2 matchup, the Dibrell Wildcats and Eastside Bulldogs are looking to win an impressive rubber match. The teams split their two regular season matchups, with Eastside winning 23-20 at home and Dibrell returning the favor on its home court last Monday 32-28. The longtime rivals will clash at 7 p.m. Monday.
Back at Bobby Ray, the District 1 girls tournament will kick off with every other team hoping it can finally find a way to contain the powerful Lady Hawk combo of Maelee Turner and Kinsley Simpson. No team has found a way yet as Hickory Creek soared to a 6-0 record as Turner and Simpson averaged an identical 12.8 points per game.
The Lady Hawks will face Bobby Ray (0-6) before the Irving College Lady Tigers (4-2) play the West Lady Wizards (2-4). Girls District 1 tournament action is set to start at 5 p.m. at Bobby Ray.
Title games in the respective districts are scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Tuesday. District championships will move on next week to play in the county championships Friday night. More information on the county championship games will come following the completion of the district tournaments.