Parkers Chapel and Ouachita might be feeling a sense of déjà vu when they take the court tonight in Woodlawn with a berth in the regional tournament at stake.
A year ago, the Trojans and Warriors collided in Gurdon as the same seeds they hold this year with Ouachita winning 72-57 to qualify for the regional tournament.
Tonight, fourth-seeded Ouachita (14-16) and fifth-seeded Parkers Chapel (7-17) meet in the 8-2A District Tournament needing a win to keep their seasons alive.
Game time is set for 8:30 p.m.
The Trojans and Warriors each went 5-7 in conference play and split their two meetings with each team winning at home.
“They are a solid team with good depth and can shoot the ball really well, especially if they get going,” Parkers Chapel coach Josh Langley said of the Warriors.
The meeting is the sixth in the last two years between the schools with Ouachita holding a 3-2 edge in the series.
If history is any indication, the game should also be a nip-and-tuck affair with three of the five games being decided by six points for less.
“We have been fairly evenly matched the past few years,” Langley said. “Both teams compete hard and both have passionate fanbases.”
The Trojans ended the regular season on a three-game losing streak, but Langley said he has plenty of confidence in his team.
“I feel good,” Langley said. “We are playing really hard, we just need some shots to fall. We are getting good looks lately. They just haven’t been falling for us.”
Langley said the Trojans have been inconsistent at times during the season.
“The season has been up and down, but our guys keep showing up and keep trying to get better,” Langley said. “We need to do a better job of finishing and shore up a few things defensively.”
Langley added that he didn’t move up any freshmen for the postseason, and if the Trojans are to advance to the regional tournament, there were several focal points for his team.
“We are going to have to play great defense, limit our turnovers and finish on the offensive end,” Langley said.