01 Mar 2017 501 basketball state tournaments roundup

Here comes March, and with it comes high school basketball state tournaments across all classifications.

The 501 boasts 53 teams in the various state tournaments.

In the 7A, the Conway Lady Cats look to make it back to their fourth-straight 7A state championship game. Conway is the No. 4 seed out of the Central and won their first-round matchup against Har-Ber, 73-44, Wednesday. Between top-ranked North Little Rock, Central and the Lady Cats, there’s a good chance the 7A girls title will come from the 501 yet again. The Conway Wampus Cats won their first-round matchup against Fayetteville, 48-34. The win marked Conway’s first playoff win in several years. The defending 7A boys champions, Cabot, won their first-round matchup Wednesday, 56-44, over Rogers Heritage. North Little Rock earned the top seed out of the 7A Central.

In the 5A boys bracket, Parkview and Maumelle earned top seeds from their respective conferences. Maumelle exploded for 100 points in their first-round win over Forrest City. Morrilton, the third seed out of the 5A West, beat Blytheville 72-58 on Wednesday.

In the 2A girls bracket, Quitman earned a top seed and first-round bye. They will play Carlisle Thursday night at 7.

In the 1A girls bracket, the three-time champion Nemo Vista Lady Red Hawks fell in the first round, ending their bid for four-straight championships. After two wins, the Wonderview girls are in the 1A quarterfinals.

On the boys side of the 1A state tournament, Guy-Perkins earned a bye and then beat Dermott, 102-73, to make it to the 1A quarterfinals. For full brackets, visit http://www.ahsaa.org/activity/4/basketball.