There are a lot of ways to advance in a district basketball tournament.
There is the first-round bye (Hartland and Howell), the mild upset based on having a higher seed but a worse record than an opponent (Brighton) and the season-redeeming upset by a team that struggled mightily during the regular season (Fenton).
All four teams meet tonight in a district semifinal doubleheader tonight at Fenton that will be broadcast by The Livingston Post starting at 5:20 p.m. Click here for the link to either broadcast.
Brighton (11-12) and Hartland (14-8) meet for the third time this season in the opening game. Brighton won both games in the regular season. Last season, Brighton won both games in the regular season but lost to Hartland in the district semifinals.
“Playing Hartland is always a challenge every time, no matter the circumstances,” Brighton coach Bob Wellman told the Livingston Daily. “You get the adrenaline going. Of course, at district time, you get a little more adrenaline. Being able to keep those nerves controlled is going to be important.”
Brighton, the No. 3 seed, beat No. 4 seed Linden 50-38 in Monday’s semifinal with a dominant second half.
In the nightcap, Howell (15-7), which gave Belleville all it wanted before falling in the KLAA championship game, takes on a Fenton team that flushed the bad taste of a 2-20 regular season with a 48-46 win over Swartz Creek.
It undoubtedly was a topic at Howell’s final practice on Tuesday, the kind of game that coaches in Jason Piepho’s place with the top-seeded Highlanders; A team coming off one of its best performances of the season taking on a team coming in with newborn faith and a why-not attitude.
Howell. which led No.-4 ranked Belleville at halftime and after three quarters, will want to put the Tigers away early, but the. charm of the state tournament is that anything can happen in a one-and-done format.
The Highlanders will be working to avoid that happening. Wednesday’s winners will meet in the district final at 7 p.m. Friday.
