Bearden-Oak Ridge marquee matchup in girls regionals

Now that the district tournaments are over, teams have sights set on state. Sixty-four girls basketball teams in each classification are still in the running to make it Murfreesboro, but by the end of the opening round of the regional tournaments Friday, that number will be trimmed in half. In anticipation for Friday’s 7 p.m. games, here are five things to watch for:

Heavyweight Bout: This is a matchup that was not expected to happen until a little further down the road, but a few surprising outcomes puts it on the docket now. Oak Ridge will host Bearden in a matchup of two top-ten Class AAA teams in the opening round of the Region 2-AAA tournament. The Lady Wildcats handled their business by beating Anderson County and Powell to win the District 3-AAA title. The Lady Bulldogs, however, lost to Maryville and Hardin Valley in the District 4-AAA tournament.

Rebel Rolling: After upsetting Bearden in the District 4-AAA semifinals, Maryville responded by crushing its county rival William Blount by 26 points. Those two performances are proof that the Lady Rebels have it figured out. They have also won eight of their last nine games. Campbell County, who Maryville will face in the first round of the Region 2-AAA, had it going before the District 3-AAA tournament, winning nine of its last 10 before dropping two in a row to finish fourth.

Come out on top: Both Tellico Plains and Oneida suffered a single setback in their respective district tournaments, but other than that, they have been on a roll. The Bearettes lost to Meigs County in the District 3-A championship, but enter the Region 2-A tournament having won seven of their last nine games. The Lady Indians dropped their District 4-A semifinal to Sunbright, but bounced back to beat Coalfield in the third-place game. That loss to Sunbright is the only loss Oneida has suffered in the last 11 games.

Bounce back: Alcoa could potentially be walking into the Region 2-AA tournament as District 4-AA champion had it not been for a technical on its coach in the final minutes of the title game against Kingston. That does not matter now, however. What does is how the Lady Tornadoes rebound when they host Carter, which has lost four of its last six games. A win would put Alcoa in the region semifinals for the second straight year.

Trap game: Gatlinburg-Pittman is 24-4 on the season and has won nine straight games. Scott has lost 13 of its last 15 games. On paper, this Region 2-AA matchup is one of the bracket’s most lopsided, but sometimes those are the games that also result in the biggest surprises.