Marquee border battles set for today

Little Rock Central is sure to get most teams’ best shot this season, particularly from its in-state counterparts.

Today, the Tigers will cross the Mississippi River to get a stern test from a border foe.

Central (4-0), ranked No. 1 in the Class 6A early season rankings, and Bartlett (4-0), the top-rated team in Tennessee, square off in the Memphis Hoopfest on the Panthers’ home floor. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. and will cap the first day of the annual classic, which features a number of high-profiled teams from around the region.

Marion (2-0), last year’s Class 5A runner-up, joins the Tigers at the event and faces Memphis Mitchell (0-2) in the day’s opening game at 1:30 p.m. at Bartlett. The Patriots will also play Lausanne Collegiate School out of Memphis (2-0) at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Houston (Tenn.) High School.

In girls play, No. 1 Conway (3-0) and No. 2 North Little Rock (2-0) will entertain showdowns against out-of-state competition today as well. The Lady Wampus Cats will face Parkway (La.) (2-0), led by LSU commit and ESPN’s No. 2 player in the Class of 2023 Mikayla Williams, at 5:30 p.m., while the Lady Charging Wildcats play Bartlett (2-0), powered by North Carolina State signee and the nation’s 55th-ranked senior in Mallory Collier, at 4 p.m. Both games will be at Conway’s old gymnasium.

The four teams will shift to Buzz Bolding Arena on Tuesday, with North Little Rock playing Parkway at 1 p.m. and Conway battling Bartlett at 2:30 p.m.