State tournaments get underway on Tuesday
The Arkansas Activities Association state basketball tournaments begin Tuesday, and two Jefferson County boys’ teams are among 13 southeast Arkansas squads still playing.
The Pine Bluff and White Hall boys will both play in the Class 5A state tournament in Searcy, where they will be joined by the Sheridan girls.
First round games will be played Tuesday through Thursday. The quarterfinals will be played Thursday and Friday, with the semifinals on Saturday. The championship games for all classes will be played March 7-9 at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
White Hall (14-15) edged out Hot Springs for the No. 4 seed from Conference 5A South, setting up a firstround matchup with Alma (20-9), the 5A West champion, Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The winner will face either Marion or Little Rock Parkview on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Pine Bluff (20-6) finished tied with Lake Hamilton for second in 5A South but will enter the state tournament as the No. 3 seed. The Zebras will kick off their state title defense Thursday at 2:30 p.m. against Van Buren
(23-7), the No. 2 seed from 5A West. The winner will play again Friday at 5:30 p.m. against either Nettleton or Jacksonville.
The Sheridan girls (21-8) enter the state tournament as the No. 4 seed from 5A South after finishing tied for third with Hot Springs Lakeside. The Lady Jackets will take on 5A West champion Greenwood (24-4) at 4 p.m. Tuesday, right before the White Hall boys’ game. The winner will play again at 1 p.m. Friday against either Searcy or Beebe.
One southeast Arkansas team, the Warren boys, advanced to the 4A State Tournament in Farmington.
The Lumberjacks finished fourth in the 4A South tournament after defeating Arkadelphia but falling to Mills University Studies in the regional semifinals, then to Magnolia in the third-place game.
The 3A state tournament in Elkins will include the Dumas boys and girls, the Lake Village Lakeside and McGehee boys, and the Drew Central girls.
The Fordyce boys will join both Woodlawn teams at the 2A state tournament in Mansfield, and the Dermott boys will play in the 1A state tournament at North Arkansas College.