Yesterday, I discussed 2A and 3A basketball regionals play set for today. Today, it’s on to 1A and 4A action in what could be a pretty good day of basketball. Could we see an upset or 2 in both classes?
MASE vs Soulsville (1A)
MASE is probably the hottest team in the city right now. They have won over 17 games in a row and most of their wins have been by double digits. I think sometimes they are a bit overlooked because they play in 1A basketball but make no mistake, this is a team that is very, very capable of beating 2,3 and 4A basketball teams in the city. They have a pretty good mix of youth and experience, with Trey Leigh, Alex Gibbs, Jaylen Goodwin and 6’5 Terry Mitchell. Carlos Fitzgerald and Sebastian Jenious have been really good additions for them as well… and I can’t leave out an 8th grader with a familiar last name to hoop heads, Paris London who is an 8th grader playing varsity. He’s not only on the team, but he also gets minutes and provides Coach Moody quality minutes as well as a 6’4 G/F. I think he has a really good future ahead of him especially if he continues to get taller as he gets older which I think he will do.
The game these two played back in January wasn’t close and that’s not to say anything negative about Soulsville. That was a different team back in January but so is this MASE team. I think they are going to be a little bit too much for Soulsville to handle in this one. Stranger things have happened and maybe if Soulsville plays really well offensively and they are able to score like they did scoring 90 points against Oakhaven, maybe there is a chance. No disrespect to Oakhaven but they aren’t MASE, they aren’t as talented and not as deep as MASE and that’s obviously one of the reasons I like MASE in this game. Soulsville won’t just lay down that first quarter, MASE must come out ready to play because I think Soulsville is going to play well early. In the end though, I like MASE in this game.
Middle College vs Hillcrest (1A)
Hillcrest won big over BTW on Saturday and now they face a good Middle College team who went to the state last season. I know they want another shot at MASE but first up is MC and this could be a pretty good game overall. I definitely think this is the better of the 2 games in 1A for sure. For Hillcrest, Jacoby Lewis has to be huge, he has to be their guy in this game along with Jerrell Miller. I know, I talked about these 2 before but in these games, you have to lean on the 2 guys who have been the go-to guys all year.
There isn’t a game bigger than today for both, particularly for Lewis who could be playing in his last game as a high school player. I’m sure, that will be on all the senior’s minds in this game for both teams. Middle College must find a way to contain him and Miller and then MC must have guys make shots and be able to handle timely pressure applied by Hillcrest. For players like Samarion Irving, Kerry Parnell and Rahn Evans, they want to make it back to state but it all starts tonight.
Middle College must not allow Lewis to get into the teeth of their defense. If he’s able to get paint touches and shoot the runner/short pull up or just get comfortable scoring, this game is going to be tough for MC. Middle College head coach Patrick Mask preaches defense so I’m sure that’s in his game plan. He will also want to keep 6’5 2026 Jerrell Miller off the offensive glass and at bay inside for them. Miller can make perimeter shots but that’s not really where he thrives offensively. If he’s scoring close and getting himself going that way, Middle College might have their hands full with him.
Hillcrest on the other side has a few options to pay close attention too when talking about scoring options for Middle College. The 2 guards up top (Irving, Parnell) both can score, Parnell plays a little bigger than he his, so he is a rebounder as well for his team. Sophomore Kason Thomas gives them an outside shooting threat as well and another longer guard who can handle and break pressure if need be.
Overall, I think these 2 teams matchup well and it could make for a pretty interesting game.
