Prep basketball schedule
TonightRegion 3-AA boys' final at Chattanooga StateBrainerd vs. Central, 7 Girls' state sectionals at higher seedsClass AMeigs County at South Greene, 7 Boyd-Buchanan at Clarkrange, 8 Pickett County at Van Buren County, 8Class AAMurfreesboro Central Magnet at McMinn Central, 7 Tuesday, March 3Boys' state sectionals at higher seedsClass AMeigs County at South Greene/Hampton winner, 7 Arts & Sciences at Clay County, 8 Goodpasture at Van Buren County, 8Class AALivingston Academy at Central/Brainerd winner, 7 Central/Brainerd loser at Cannon County, 8Class AAABradley Central at Blackman, 8
If familiarity does in fact breed contempt, then the city's most heated high school basketball rivalry is now undeniably Brainerd against Central.
For the fifth time this season -- all within less than two and a half months -- those two boys' teams will face one another tonight. The Region 3-AA championship and the right to host a state sectional are on the line when the Panthers and Purple Pounders meet at 7 at Chattanooga State Community College.
After their semifinal wins Saturday at Loudon, the teams got permission to move the final to a local neutral site.
"It's an unusual situation, that's for sure," said Central coach Rick Rogers, whose team has won 10 straight games. The Pounders' last loss was to Brainerd in mid-January.
The teams have split the previous four meetings in alternating decisions, with Brainerd winning both regular-season games and Central taking a double-digit win in the Christmas holiday Best of Preps tournament and the District 6-AA title game.
Each team owns both a double-digit win over the other and a close decision in the season series. Central (20-4) won the last matchup by one point, after Brainerd (21-6) had taken the regular-season district crown.
"It's been four great games already, and the one thing I know for sure is that whoever wants to come to this one had better get there early if they want a seat," Rogers said.
This also is the night for girls' state sectionals, but McMinn Central, in Class AA, is the only area girls' team hosting one. Boyd-Buchanan and Meigs County have Class A games.
The key to the Brainerd/Central game could be how well the Panthers, who have won eight of their last nine games, handle Central's array of pressure defenses. The Panthers turned the ball over a total of just four times in their two wins in the series but had 11 in the district tourney loss.
"We have to value the basketball," Brainerd coach LeVar Brown said. "No matter who wins this game it will be a tough road after that, because both of us have played four games in five days because of the weather last week and now we will have to turn around and play the biggest game of the season one day later without any rest."
The winner will host Livingston Academy in Tuesday's sectional round, while the loser must travel to Region 4 champ Cannon County. Only the winners of those games advance to next week's state tournament at Middle Tennessee State University.
Brainerd was last year's region runner-up and lost a close decision at Upperman in the sectional round, while Central is looking to reach the state tournament for the first time since 1997 and only the second time in the last 55 years.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.