Sports Calendar: 1A Regionals kick off Thursday
It's official, the postseason has finally arrived for basketball. The regional girls basketball tournament kicks off Thursday night for Class 1A around much of the state.
Several area teams will be competing in regions 7 and 8. NOTE: All games for Tuesday night are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Region 7
In Essex, the Trojanettes will be home as they host the East Mills Wolverines. It will be the third meeting between the two teams this season.
East Mills enters the regional tournament with a 10-12 record. East Mills went 2-4 in its last six games, following that third place Corner Conference tournament.
Essex meanwhile is coming off of a win at Farragut versus Nishnabotna. They're 7-11 at this point in the season. Essex plays Friday night at home against Sidney, making up a game that was postponed, last week.
The Trojanettes have to contend with East Mills leading scorer Devin Laughlin, who averages 14.9 points per game this season.
East Mills meanwhile will be contending with Seana Perkins, who averages 12.6 points per game.
The Wolverines have won both meetings versus Essex this season. The last win came Jan. 17 46-36.
The other first round games will feature Sidney versus Clarinda Academy, Fremont-Mills against Nishnabotna, Bedford vs. South Page and Lamoni vs. East Union.
Stanton has a first round bye. They will play the winner of Sidney and Clarinda Academy Tuesday night in Stanton.
There is one quarterfinal game set for the region 7 tournament. Murray will face Lenox in the quarterfinals Tuesday night in Murray.
Region 8
The Griswold girls basketball team will be in Region 8 when they take on Heartland Christian. The game will take place at Griswold High School.
The Tigers enter the postseason with a 6-15 record. They've struggled as of late, losing seven straight. Their last win was Jan. 21 against Audubon.
Heartland Christian meanwhile enters the postseason with a 13-9 record, winning their last two games, including Tuesday night at home versus East Mills.
Griswold will have to contend with the sister combination of Molly and Steffi Cunard. Both girls are in the top 10 of Class 1A in scoring. Steffi Cunard averages 22.1 points per game, while Molly averags 20.6 per game.
The Tigers meanwhile turn to the trio of Kayla Kirchhoff, Kinzey Nicklaus and Brooke Hansen. All three average at least 6 points per game this season.
The other first round games in region 8 will feature Adair-Casey versus Boyer Valley, Exira-EHK versus West Harrison, Whitling at Woodbine, Siouxland Christian at Kingsley-Pierson, Westwood vs. Charter Oak-Ute and St. Mary's, Storm Lake vs. River Valley.
The winner of Griswold/Heartland Christian plays the winner of Adair-Casey/Boyer Valley Tuesday in Adair.
Non-Tournament notes
The Red Oak girls basketball team will play once more before starting regionals. They head to Shenandoah Thursday evening to make up a game against the Fillies. The game is scheduled for 8:15 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Red Oak bowling team will also be in action when they head to Cyclone Lanes to take on Harlan. The meet is scheduled to start at 3:45 p.m.