Potential district rematches may decide state berths

[KFDM COOP]

Potential district rematches may decide state berths

Bleachers were full, and there remained no place to stand. Tip-off arrived, and not everyone fit into the gym.

School officials closed doors and kept about 100 fans from entering to witness the season's most important game.

"Some of the players' parents couldn't even get in," said senior Zach Simmons while recalling the West Hardin boys basketball team's second contest this season against District 24-A foe Big Sandy.

After that game, the team's district records were equal. A third meeting and an exponentially more significant between the schools was needed to settle the district title.

The game, tacked to the end of the regular season, was played at Evadale and in a gym large enough to take in the crowd.

"We get about 500 people to our games," West Hardin coach Kent Fuller said. "In a community like Saratoga, that's the whole town."

West Hardin won both games to claim the school's first-ever boys basketball district title.

Now, after winning two more games - the first two playoff victories in school history - the Oilers might face Big Sandy a fourth time.

West Hardin and Kountze are two of six Southeast Texas teams who might need to beat a team from their own district to qualify for the state tournament March 8-10 in Austin.

The potential intra-district matchups involving Southeast Texas teams are West Hardin and Big Sandy in 24-A, East Chambers and Kountze in 24-2A and Hardin-Jefferson and Silsbee in 21-3A.

All three pairs played each other twice - each team winning once - during their district seasons. And all three pairs would meet again Saturday by winning regional semifinal games today.

Of the 192 districts statewide, 11 have two teams left in the playoffs, but no more than eight of the 24 regional championship games statewide will be contested by teams within the same district.

Coincidentally, the opponents for East Chambers and Kountze also hail from the same district, as do the opponents for West Hardin and Big Sandy.

"No matter what happens with us, I'll be supporting our district and hoping Big Sandy wins (today)," said Fuller, whose team plays Cayuga at 10 a.m. today at Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches.

Big Sandy follows at noon against Martin's Mill on the same court. The regional final is 10 a.m. Saturday at Stephen F. Austin.

Like West Hardin did against Big Sandy, East Chambers won a special playoff game against Kountze to settle the 24-2A title. The game was played in the Montagne Center and might have drawn a larger crowd than any Lamar University men's basketball game this season.

Kountze coach Duane Joubert noted the loss prevented his team from having a first-round playoff bye.

"But at the same time, we're always telling these guys, 'Everybody is always out to beat you,'" said Joubert, whose team plays defending 2A champion Arp at 8 p.m. at Tyler Junior College and could play East Chambers a fourth time.

"We gave East Chambers what they wanted that night - they got a victory that night. And it made them a little bit better, but at the same time, it made our guys better and it's going to make them a little bit hungrier."

East Chambers plays Tatum at 5 p.m. at Tyler Junior College. The regional final is 2 p.m. Saturday at Tyler.

Hardin-Jefferson won 21-3A without the need for a playoff game. The team's only district loss was to Silsbee, which finished second.

Silsbee plays Liberty Hill at 6:15 p.m., and H-J plays Connally at 8 p.m., both at Sam Houston State in Huntsville. The final is 1 p.m. Saturday.