Familiar postseason foes will meet Wednesday as the the Class 4A North Regional Tournament begins in Lincoln.
In a first-round regional matchup last season, Maumelle defeated Gravette 74-66, and the two teams will again meet when they play at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday with a state tournament berth on the line.
Class 4A North Region Tournament
At Lincoln
Wednesday
Game 1: No. 1 Prairie Grove vs. No. 4 Waldron (G), 4 p.m.
Game 2: No. 1 Prairie Grove vs. No. 4 Dardanelle (B), 5:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 1 Pottsville vs. No. 4 Berryville (G), 7 p.m.
Game 4: No. 1 Maumelle vs. No. 4 Gravette (B), 8:30 p.m.
Thursday
Game 5: No. 2 Mena vs. No. 3 Ozark (G), 4 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 Subiaco vs. No. 3 Lincoln (B), 5:30 p.m.
Game 7: No. 2 Farmington vs. No. 3 Dover (G), 7 p.m.
Game 8: No. 2 Farmington vs. No. 3 Pottsville (B), 8:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 9: Game 1 winner vs. Game 5 winner (G), 4 p.m.
Game 10: Game 2 winner vs. Game 6 winner (B), 5:30 p.m.
Game 11: Game 3 winner vs Game 7 winner (G), 7 p.m.
Game 12: Game 4 winner vs. Game 8 winner (B), 8:30 p.m.
Saturday
Game 13: Girls third-place game, noon
Game 14: Boys third-place game, 1:30 p.m.
Game 15: Girls championship, 6 p.m.
Game 16: Boys championship, 7:30 p.m.
The other boys game Wednesday has No. 1 seed Prairie Grove facing No. 4 seed Dardanelle at 5:30 p.m.
Girls first round games Wednesday will pit 4A-1 Conference Tournament girls champion Prairie Grove against Waldron at 4 p.m., while No. 4 seed Berryville will face 4A-4's No. 1 Pottsville at 7 p.m.
Four more first-round games are on tap Thursday, and all first-round winners will punch a ticket to the Class 4A Tournament in Lonoke next week. The regional semifinals are Friday with the finals on Saturday.
No. 1 seed Maumelle (19-8) defeated Subiaco Academy 59-55 in the 4A-4 district finals, and a balanced attack has been a key for the Hornets all season. Six different players are averaging seven or more points a game with 6-foot-4 senior Kendall Donnerson leading the way with 11 points a game.
"We have our work cut out for us because Maumelle is very athletic," Gravette coach Dustin Peters said. "We have played some athletic teams this year, but top-to-bottom, they are the most athletic team we have played so far. We are going to have to handle their full-court pressure and make it a half-court game. Maumelle plays a bunch of players, and they just come at you in waves."
Donnerson scored 19 points in the win against Subiaco Academy, and he is averaging 16.5 points the last four games. He is also averaging 7.7 rebounds and one blocked shot a game. Gravette will counter with a potent one-two scoring punch of Terence Pierce and Otto Troutner. Pierce is averaging 25 points a game, while Troutner is scoring 18 an outing.
Subiaco (16-9) will get host Lincoln in a first round game Thursday that is a rematch from last season. Lincoln punched a ticket to the state tournament with a 56-49 win last season, and Subiaco Academy coach Tim Tencleve said playing on the Wolves' home court will be a disadvantage. Lincoln is the No. 3 seed at regional but won the 4A-1 Conference title before falling 47-46 to Prairie Grove at the district tournament Friday.
"It's a tough draw for us," Tencleve said. "I know Lincoln is very good, and they knocked us out last year. They have everybody back, and they are a well balanced team."
The Trojans are led by 6-foot-5 junior Cash Krueger. Krueger had 17 points and 12 rebounds in a district semifinal win against Pottsville. Senior guard Chris Reed added 12 points in the 51-50 decision over defending state champ Pottsville.
"Krueger is an inside-out player," Tencleve said. "He is our leading scorer and leading rebounder. Reed is a very athletic player. He runs well, and he jumps extremely well."
Sports on 02/25/2014