Conference basketball tourney reset

HOPE – The Conference 7-4A senior boys basketball tournament will move to the next round Monday, Hope Public Schools Athletics Director Phillip Turner said.

“As of today, the senior boys will host Malvern at Jones Field House starting at 5 p.m. Monday in the second round of the tournament if weather conditions permit,” Turner said. “The winner will move on to the regional tournament at Star City.”

Regional play will be conducted March 3-6 for Class 4A conferences, and the state tournament will be held March 9-13 for Class 4A. State finals for all classifications will be March 18-20.

Hope High School stands at No. 4 in the conference with a 7-2 regular season record. Tournament brackets keep the higher seed as the host throughout bracket play at the conference level. Hope drew a bye in the first round to host the winner between Malvern and DeQueen.

No determination has been made regarding continued play in the girls senior bracket.

The Arkansas Activities Association has announced that boys and girls games scheduled the same date in the same venue against different opponents must be played three hours apart and the venue must be cleared and cleaned before each game to comply with COVID-19 protocols.