By Jeff Devine, Dale County Chronicle
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…at least it is for basketball fans! High school basketball area tournament play is set to get underway across the Wiregrass this week, with teams from Ariton, Carroll, G.W. Long, Daleville, and Dale County all competing for area championships and postseason advancement.
In Class 2A Area 4 action, the Ariton Lady Cats will open tournament play on Thursday, Feb. 5, when they face G.W. Long at 5 p.m. The girls’ semifinal matchup will be hosted by Abbeville High School, with the winner advancing to the area championship game.
On the boys’ side, the Ariton Purple Cats are scheduled to play at home on Friday, Feb. 6, hosting Barbour County High School in a semifinal matchup set for 7 p.m. The winner of that contest will advance to face the winner of the earlier semifinal between G.W. Long and Abbeville High School, which is scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. The winners of those two games will meet for the Class 2A Area 4 championship.
In Class 5A action, Carroll High School will have both its boys and girls teams competing in area tournament play. The Carroll Eagles will face Headland High School on Friday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m. in a boys’ semifinal matchup. The winner of that game will advance to face Eufaula High School in the Class 5A area championship game, scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. in Eufaula.
The Carroll Lady Eagles will host the Class 5A girls area championship game on Monday, Feb. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at Carroll High School. Carroll will face the winner of the girls’ semifinal between Headland and Eufaula, which is set for Friday, Feb. 6, at 5:30 p.m. at Headland High School.
In Class 4A Area 3 play, hosted by Geneva High School, both Daleville High School and Dale County High School are set to compete in semifinal action. Dale County will play at 5:30 p.m. Friday, February 6.
On the girls’ side, Dale County will face Ashford on Feb. 6, at 12 p.m., while Daleville will take on Geneva at 1:30 p.m. The winners of those two games will advance to the area championship game scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m.
The boys’ Class 4A Area 3 semifinals will also be played Friday, Feb. 6, at Geneva High School. Dale County is scheduled to face Ashford at 5:30 p.m., followed by Daleville taking on Geneva at 7 p.m. The winners will meet for the area championship on Monday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m.
With multiple local programs taking the floor across Class 2A, 4A, and 5A, the coming days promise packed gyms and high-stakes basketball as teams compete for area titles and a chance to continue their postseason runs.
