March is the month usually associated with postseason basketball madness, but for those craving the drama that only “win or go home” hoops can provide, a February frenzy is underway at the high school level.
While only a handful of states begin full-fledged state tournament action this week, filling out the field is at least half the fun and that process is underway nationwide.
Here are a few “hot spots” for postseason high school basketball action this weekend;
Austin Rivers, Winter Park
File photo by Jim Redman
Regional quarterfinal play takes place tonight across the Sunshine State in all classifications. Winners move to the regional semifinals (second round) and take the floor again Tuesday, Feb. 23. While nationally-recognized programs appear at every level, the 6A title hunt could be a wild one.
Winter Park (Winter Park, Fla.) enters as the headliner and slight favorite. The Wildcats feature star junior guard Austin Rivers (23.7 points per game) and have beat some of the nation’s elite teams this season. But Winter Park has also shown its vulnerability with five losses – including a setback to potential second-round opponent Edgewater (Orlando, Fla.) last Saturday.
Dr. Krop (Miami, Fla.) looks dangerous coming out of the lower half of the bracket. The Lightning has won 14 of 15 games and has an impressive resume with victories over Arlington Country Day, Dwyer and New York City power Lincoln.
Star watch: Tim Hardaway Jr., Palmetto; Jonathan Holton, Coral Gables; Janeil Jenkins, First Coast; Shane Larkin, Dr. Phillips; Xavier Martin, Miramar; Marvens Metellus, Boyd Anderson; Austin Rivers, Winter Park; Angel Rodriguez, Dr. Krop.
Nevada – Sunset Region
What’s going on in Nevada’s Sunset Region basketball tournament? Thanks to a lawsuit, absolutely nothing.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a hearing will take place today that could decide the fate of Western High School (Las Vegas, Nev.), who is appealing four forfeits handed down due to the use of an ineligible player. Meanwhile, games Wednesday night were postponed.
The most optimistic take on beginning the tournament would be Friday. The Sunset Region includes all of Nevada’s Las Vegas-area schools, including nationally-ranked Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.).
“We just don’t know when we’ll play,” Bishop Gorman head coach Grant Rice told the Review-Journal. “The tough part is we built our weekend and Monday and Tuesday around being ready to play Wednesday. It’s frustrating for the kids, obviously.”
Nevada’s state tournament begins a week from today, so affected teams are keeping fingers crossed for a quick resolution to Western’s case.
Tennessee – District 16-AAA
Thanks to Memphis' hottest rivalry since Jerry "The King" Lawler and Austin Idol wrestled at the Mid-South Coliseum in the 1980s, high school basketball has been a big ticket in the southwest corner of Tennessee this winter.
The entertainment continues over the weekend with three of the state's top four teams slugging it out in the District 16-AAA tournament.
White Station (Memphis, Tenn.) faces nationally-ranked Ridgeway (Memphis, Tenn.) tonight at Wooddale High School in the Memphis Interscholastic Athletic Association Class AAA City Championship Game, then must jump right into the District 16-AAA Tournament.
Area high school fans are hoping for White Station vs. Melrose III. This season's two previous meetings drew over 3,000 fans with each team winning on the other’s home floor.
But first Melrose (Memphis, Tenn.) has to get by Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.) in the quarterfinals on Friday. Other matchups tomorrow include Mitchell (Memphis, Tenn.) vs. Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) and Hamilton (Memphis, Tenn.) vs. Memphis Central (Memphis, Tenn.).
White Station will face the Mitchell/East winner, while top dogs in the Melrose/Whitehaven and Central/Hamilton matchups also square off in the semifinals.
The District 16-AAA championship game is slated for 7:15 p.m. on Monday at Melrose High School.
Cole Dickerson, Federal Way
File photo by Bill Soderberg
The goal for Class 4A teams in the state of Washington is to make the state tournament, a 16-team extravaganza played at the Tacoma Dome over four days.
Surviving district play is the ticket in, and nowhere is that a bigger deal than in the West Central District, where the top 16 teams from the South Puget Sound and Narrows leagues battle it out for six spots to the Dome.
Federal Way (Federal Way, Wash.), led by state player of the year leader Cole Dickerson and ranked nationally by some media outlets, has been the bully all year in the WCD with a 21-1 record. But things have got interesting in recent weeks with UCLA-bound big man Joshua Smith leading a resurgent Kentwood (Covington, Wash.) and Puyallup (Puyallup, Wash.) emerging as one of the hottest teams in the state with wins in 18 of its last 20 contests.
First-round games were played Wednesday night, setting up four winner-to-state contests for Friday. Kentwood meets Decatur (Federal Way, Wash.), Todd Beamer (Federal Way, Wash.) takes on Lincoln (Tacoma, Wash.), Wilson (Tacoma, Wash.) tackles Puyallup and Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, Wash.) challenges Federal Way with the ultimate prize on the line.
Star watch: Xavier Bazile, Mount Tahoma; Gary Bell, Kentridge; Kevin Davis, Todd Beamer; Cole Dickerson, Federal Way; Dom Holub, Puyallup; Davonte Lacy, Curtis; Jerron Smith, Decatur; Joshua Smith, Kentwood; Isiah Umipig, Federal Way.
