article Sixth Region All A Preview

[Smallhoops]

While play gets under way on Monday in the Louisville Invitational Tournament at Valley High School, two miles down the road at Beth Haven another tournament will also be getting under way, the Sixth Region All A tournament.

 

Five teams will participate. Portland Christian (3-9) and Evangel Christian (1-7) open the tournament against each other Monday night. They have yet to play each other this season, but they have played three common opponents (Heritage Academy, Walden, and Christian Fellowship). The comparative results suggest that Portland Christian is likely to come out on top in that game.

 

The winner of that game will face the Holy Cross Cougars. Led by Sam Bearden and his 17.4 ppg, Holy Cross is 9-5 on the season, although it currently is on a 3-game losing streak. I think Holy Cross has been playing at a higher level than both Portland Christian and Evangel Christian and suspect the Cougars will advance to the championship game.

 

The other semi-final has Shawnee (8-5) taking on the host Beth Haven Bearcats (4-8). While those records might lead one to conclude that Shawnee will prevail, these teams just played on Thursday, with Shawnee prevailing 60-55. That result suggests to me that this game is up for grabs.

 

As for who will be crowned Sixth Region All A champion on Saturday, I think it will be Holy Cross. While the Cougars rightfully are disappointed that they are not playing down the street in the LIT, they appear to be the best of the teams playing in this tournament. But as we all know, the "best" team does not always prevail. Good luck to all participants.