All four conferences of which Burke County high schools are members have adjusted the schedules for their basketball tournaments this week in order to get games in with winter weather potentially on the horizon.
Each of the four conference tournaments will now feature all first-round games on Monday (today) and all semifinal games on Tuesday. Each conference except the Catawba Valley 2A still has finals slated for Friday.
Four of the 10 varsity-level teams across the county – the East Burke girls, Patton boys, and both Freedom teams – will play first-round home games today.
The CVAC tourney semifinals have been shifted to higher seeds as hosts. The league’s finals are now slated for Wednesday, the same day snow is expected across the area.
The CVAC has not yet announced where the finals will be held. The original site was Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory.
EB’s teams open play this evening, with the three-time defending regular-season champion Lady Cavaliers hosting West Lincoln at 7 p.m. and the sixth-seeded Cavalier boys traveling to face Bandys at 7:30 p.m.
The EB girls are the county’s lone team seeking to defend its conference tourney title from last season.
The Western Highlands 1A/2A moved all girls first-round action to Mountain Heritage, with the rest of the event contested at Mitchell as originally planned.
The No. 5 seed Draughn girls in round one face a Madison squad (5:30 p.m.) with whom they split this regular season before the Patriots won the coin toss to take the No. 4 seed. The No. 6 Wildcat boys also face Madison at 8:30 p.m.
Also in WHC first-round action today, NCSSM-Morganton’s girls face top-seeded Mountain Heritage at 4 p.m. before the No. 7 Dragon boys meet Owen at 7 p.m.
Both the Northwestern 3A/4A and Mountain Foothills 7 1A/2A conferences kept the same semifinal sites as planned (Ashe County and Polk County, respectively) despite the move ahead two days. Those schools will still also host Friday’s finals.
Both Freedom teams start the NWC tourney at home today as the No. 3 seeds, with the Lady Patriots facing Ashe County at 6 p.m. before the FHS boys host Hibriten at 7:30 p.m.
The No. 4 seed Patton boys stay home to face East Rutherford, eyeing a three-game sweep of the Cavaliers after both teams were 6-6 in league play, while the Lady Panthers visit East Rutherford, with both games starting at 6 p.m.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT GLANCE
BOYS
NWC 3A/4A
First round
Monday
No. 6 Hibriten (3-21) at No. 3 Freedom (17-6), 7:30 p.m.
No. 5 Ashe County (7-14) at No. 4 Alexander Central (11-12), 7:30 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday (at Ashe County)
No. 1 Watauga (17-6) vs. Alex/Ashe winner, 5:30 p.m.
No. 2 South Caldwell (17-6) vs. Free/Hib winner, 8:30 p.m.
Championship
Friday (at Ashe County)
Semifinal winners, 8 p.m.
MF7 1A/2A
First round
Monday
No. 7 Chase (1-23) at No. 2 R-S Central (13-9), 6 p.m.
No. 6 Polk County (4-17) at No. 3 Brevard (11-11), 7:30 p.m.
No. 5 East Rutherford (7-17) at No. 4 Patton (9-15), 6 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday (at Polk County)
R-S/Chase winner vs. Brev/Polk winner, 5:30 p.m.
No. 1 Hendersonville (17-7) vs. Patt/East winner, 8:30 p.m.
Championship
Friday (at Polk County)
Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m.
CVAC 2A
First round
Monday
No. 8 Bunker Hill (2-22) at No. 1 Maiden (19-4), 7:30 p.m.
No. 5 West Caldwell (13-11) at No. 4 Newton-Conover (13-9), 7:30 p.m.
No. 6 East Burke (11-13) at No. 3 Bandys (17-6), 7:30 p.m.
No. 7 West Lincoln (8-16) at No. 2 Lincolnton (19-5), 7 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday (at higher seeds; times TBD)
Maid/BH winner vs. N-C/WC winner
Linc/WL winner vs. Band/EB winner
Championship
Wednesday (site TBD)
Semifinal winners, 7:30 p.m.
WHC 1A/2A
First round
Monday (at Mitchell)
No. 1 Mountain Heritage (19-2) vs. No. 8 Rosman (1-20), 4 p.m.
No. 4 Mitchell (13-8) vs. No. 5 Avery County (13-10), 5:30 p.m.
No. 2 Owen (16-5) vs. No. 7 NCSSM-Morganton (5-16), 7 p.m.
No. 3 Madison (12-12) vs. No. 6 Draughn (7-16), 8:30 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday (at Mitchell)
MH/Ros winner vs. Mitch/AC winner, 5:30 p.m.
Owen/NCSSM winner vs. Mad/Dra winner, 8:30 p.m.
Championship
Friday (at Mitchell)
Semifinal winners, 8:30 p.m.
GIRLS
NWC 3A/4A
First round
Monday
No. 5 Hibriten (12-12) at No. 4 Alexander Central (14-10), 6 p.m.
No. 6 Ashe County (10-13) at No. 3 Freedom (13-10), 6 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday (at Ashe County)
No. 1 Watauga (17-5) vs. Alex/Hib winner, 4 p.m.
No. 2 South Caldwell (17-7) vs. Free/Ashe winner, 7 p.m.
Championship
Friday (at Ashe County)
Semifinal winners, 6:30 p.m.
MF7 1A/2A
First round
Monday
No. 7 Chase (3-20) at No. 2 Hendersonville (18-5), 6 p.m.
No. 6 Patton (5-19) at No. 3 East Rutherford (10-14), 6 p.m.
No. 5 R-S Central (7-15) at No. 4 Brevard (7-16), 6 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday (at Polk County)
Hend/Chase winner vs. East/Patt winner, 4 p.m.
No. 1 Polk County (20-1) vs. Brev/R-S winner, 7 p.m.
Championship
Friday (at Polk County)
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m.
CVAC 2A
First round
Monday
No. 8 West Lincoln (2-22) at No. 1 East Burke (23-1), 7 p.m.
No. 5 Lincolnton (13-11) at No. 4 Bandys (15-7), 6 p.m.
No. 6 Bunker Hill (6-18) at No. 3 Newton-Conover (17-5), 6 p.m.
No. 7 West Caldwell (3-17) at No. 2 Maiden (20-4), 6 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday (at higher seeds; times TBD)
EB/WL winner vs. Band/Linc winner
Maid/WC winner vs. N/C/BH winner
Championship
Wednesday (site TBD)
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m.
WHC 1A/2A
First round
Monday (at Mountain Heritage)
No. 1 Mountain Heritage (20-3) vs. No. 8 NCSSM-Morganton (0-19), 4 p.m.
No. 4 Madison (9-15) vs. No. 5 Draughn (12-11), 5:30 p.m.
No. 2 Mitchell (15-7) vs. No. 7 Owen (3-20), 7 p.m.
No. 3 Avery County (17-6) vs. No. 6 Rosman (7-15), 8:30 p.m.
Semifinals
Tuesday (at Mitchell)
MH/NCSSM winner vs. Mad/Dra winner, 4 p.m.
Mitch/Owen winner vs. AC/Ros winner, 7 p.m.
Championship
Friday (at Mitchell)
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.
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