Every child who has played the game of basketball has dreamed of winning a state championship. That is a fairly safe statement to make. And this week, the next step in the fullfillment of that dream for players across the state of Arkansas resumes with regional tournament play. Conferences from across the state will be paired in regionals held at host sites. For the 3A-4 conference, they will play against the top seeds from the 3A-1 in the regional tournament that will be held at Bergman High School. If you are not familiar with the location of Bergman, it is located northeast of Harrison.
After district tournament play in the 3A-4 conference, the girls qualifiers for the regional are Cassotot River, Danville, Cedarville, and Charleston. They will be paired against the qualifiers from the 3A-1 that will include Bergman, Elkins, West Fork, and Valley Springs.
To qualify for state tournament play, all teams must win their first round games. Each win beyond the first round will give the teams a higher seeding in next week’s state tournament. So it is advantagous for all teams to win as many games as possible in the regional, but, coaches are laser-focused on winning the first game to ensure that their teams advance to the state tournament.
Regional play for the girls will begin on Wednesday March 3. The schedule of games for March 3 is:
Bergman vs. Charleston, 10 a.m.
Cossatot River vs. West Fork, 4 p.m.
On March 4, the schedule of games is:
Danville vs. Elkins, 10 a.m.
Valley Springs vs. Cedarville, 4 p.m.
The Bergman vs. Charleston winner will play the winner of Danville vs. Elkins on Friday, March 5 at 10 a.m.
The Cossatot River vs. West Fork winner will play the winner of Valley Springs vs. Cedarville on Friday, March 5 at 4 p.m.
On the boys’ side of the regional, play will begin Wednesday March 3. The schedule of games for March 3 is:
Bergman vs. Booneville, 1 p.m.
Waldron vs. Green Forrest, 7 p.m.
On March 4, the boys schedule is:
Charleston vs. Elkins, 1 p.m.
Valley Springs vs. Cedarville, 7 p.m.
The Bergman vs. Booneville winner will play the winner of Charleston vs. Elkins on Friday, March 5, at 1 p.m.
The Waldron vs. Green Forrest winner will play the winner of Valley Springs and Cedarville on Friday, March 5 at 7 p.m.
The girls side of the bracket is loaded with good teams from both conferences. The Danville Lady Little Johns could be a team that could rebound after their upset loss in the district tournament final to Cossatot River and make a serious run through both the regional and state tournaments. The 3A-4 was loaded with good teams this year, and any one of the qualifying girls teams could be a factor this year.
On the boys side of the bracket, there are no weak links in the regional tournament. Any one of several teams could emerge to make a state tournament run. Waldron is playing impressive basketball and is a hot team right now, and I am picking the Bulldogs to make a run through both the regional and state tournaments. The Charleston Tigers could be this year’s surprise team. The Tigers have a young and talented team led by their outstanding sophomore guard, Brandon Scott. Charleston will be a tough out in this year’s regional.
But one thing is for sure. Tournaments can be very unpredictable and that is what makes them so exciting. Every player will be giving it their all and hoping to make their dreams come true.
Good luck to all of the teams in this year’s regional tournament!
