ON TAP TONIGHT (& SATURDAY) | Tatum boys play for trip to state; two soccer battles between Kilgore & PT; Whataburger Oil Belt Classic continues
EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s a busy night around the ETBlitz.com coverage area on Friday, with the Tatum High School boys basketball team facing Jefferson in Tyler, with a trip to the UIL State Basketball Tournament on the line; baseball continuing around the area, including the Whataburger Oil Belt Classic at Driller Park in Kilgore; soccer, and two big ones between Kilgore and Pine Tree, both girls and boys; and softball, which has started district play. There’s also Kilgore College basketball, as the Rangers and Lady Rangers are about to finish the regular season and head to the Region XIV Conference Tournaments. Here’s everything we could find that’s happening on Friday and Saturday.
BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
FRIDAY’S GAME
University Interscholastic League (UIL) Class 3A, Division I Region 2 Championship: Tatum (29-2) vs. Jefferson (28-4), 7 p.m., University of Texas at Tyler. Tatum will be the home team. Tickets will be available at the gate. Winner goes to the Alamodome in San Antonio on March 6-8 for the UIL State Boys Basketball Tournament. Tatum has 16 straight wins; Jefferson is one of only two teams to beat Tatum this year (Dec. 10, in double overtime).
GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER
FRIDAY’S GAMES IN DISTRICT 15-4A
Kilgore at Pine Tree (5 p.m. JV start, varsity to follow)
Sabine at Carthage (5 p.m. varsity only)
Spring Hill at Henderson (5 p.m.)
Tatum at Center (5 p.m., varsity only)
BOYS HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER
FRIDAY’S GAMES IN DISTRICT 15-4A
Pine Tree at Kilgore (5 p.m. junior varsity start, varsity to follow)
Carthage at Sabine (5 p.m. JV start, varsity to follow)
Henderson at Tenaha (6:45 p.m., varsity only)
Tatum at Center (4 p.m. JV boys start; varsity boys at 7).
HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL
WHATABURGER OIL BELT CLASSIC
(All games at Driller Park, Kilgore)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
9 a.m.: Prestonwood Christian vs. Central Heights
11 a.m.: Mineola vs. Redwater
1 p.m.: Pittsburg vs. Prestonwood Christian
3 p.m.: Collinsville vs. Harmony
5 p.m.: Collinsville vs. Redwater
7 p.m.: Kilgore vs. Pittsburg
SATURDAY’S GAMES
9 a.m.: Prestonwood vs. Harmony
11 a.m.: Collinsville vs. Central Heights
1 p.m.: Mineola vs. Pittsburg
3:45 p.m.: Kilgore vs. Redwater
NACOGDOCHES TOURNAMENT
(ETBlitz.com-area schools Henderson, Tatum in tournament)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
9 a.m.: Henderson vs. Livingston
5 p.m.: Tatum vs. Diboll
SATURDAY’S GAME
11 a.m.: Tatum vs. Rusk
5 p.m.: Henderson vs. Nacogdoches
ELYSIAN FIELDS TOURNAMENT
(ETBlitz.com-area programs Arp, Sabine in EF Tournament)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
12:30 p.m.: Sabine vs. Huntington
5:15 p.m.: Arp vs. Ore City
SATURDAY’S GAMES
11 a.m.: Arp vs. Huntington
1:15 p.m.: Sabine vs. Ore City
3 p.m.: Sabine vs. Elysian Fields
FRANKSTON TOURNAMENT
(ETBlitz.com-area programs Gladewater, Overton in tournament)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
9 a.m.: Overton vs. Elkhart
3 p.m.: Gladewater vs. Cushing
7 p.m.: Gladewater vs. Frankston
SATURDAY’S GAMES
To be announced (depends on outcomes of games on Friday)
TYLER HIGH / ELI SANCHEZ MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
(ETBlitz.com-area programs Troup, West Rusk in tournament)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
9 a.m.: Troup vs. Sulphur Springs
11 a.m.: Troup vs. Community
3 p.m.: West Rusk vs. Palestine Westwood
5 p.m.: West Rusk vs. Harleton
SATURDAY’S GAMES
1 p.m.: West Rusk vs. Brownsboro
5 p.m.: West Rusk vs. Tyler
GRAND SALINE TOURNAMENT
(ETBlitz.com-area program White Oak in tournament)
FRIDAY’S GAMES
9 a.m.: White Oak vs. Mount Vernon
11:05 a.m.: White Oak vs. Scurry Rosser
SATURDAY’S GAME
4:15 p.m.: White Oak vs. Palmer
GARY TOURNAMENT
(ETBlitz.com program Leverett’s Chapel in tournament)
FRIDAY’S GAME
1:45 p.m.: Leverett’s Chapel vs. Waskom
SATURDAY’S GAMES
To be announced (depends on outcomes of Friday’s games)
HIGH SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
Pine Tree’s Graham Knowles Relays, at Pine Tree Pirate Stadium in Longview, a 9 a.m. field-event start, with running events starting at 12:30 p.m.
The only ETBlitz.com-area track & field program in this year’s GKR is White Oak.
Results coming Saturday.
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HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
FRIDAY & SATURDAY GAMES
Arp, Sabine in Elysian Fields Tournament, TBA
Gilmer, Overton both in New Boston Tournament, TBA
Henderson in Coastal Classic Tournament in Ingleside, TBA
Kilgore in Carthage Tournament, TBA
West Rusk in New Summerfield Tournament, TBA
White Oak in Franklin Tournament, TBA
JUNIOR COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL – REGION XIV CONFERENCE
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Paris Junior College at Coastal Bend, 2 p.m.; Navarro at Lamar State-Port Arthur, 3 p.m.; Angelina College at Kilgore College, 4 p.m.; Trinity Valley at Lee College, 4 p.m.; Tyler Junior College at Panola, 4 p.m.; Bossier Parish at Blinn, 4 p.m.
JUNIOR COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL – REGION XIV CONFERENCE
SATURDAY’S GAMES
Kilgore College at Coastal Bend, 2 p.m.; Trinity Valley at Panola College, 2 p.m.; Angelina College at Tyler Junior College, 2 p.m.; Blinn at Paris Junior College, 2 p.m.