Who’s ready for state? Area teams battle for coveted berths in the state tournament
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EASTERN IDAHO – State tournament berths are on the line this week as district tournaments get underway.
Two East Idaho teams earned state trophies last season as Malad finished second and North Fremont was third in the 3A state tournament.
According to the latest coaches’ state poll, Pocatello is tied for No. 5 in 5A, while Preston is fourth in 4A.
Malad and North Fremont are ranked No. 2 and No. 5 in 3A, respectively.
6A
District 4-5-6
There are two berths to the state tournament up for grabs.
Highland will host and is the top seed, followed by Rigby, Thunder Ridge and Madison.
It should be a high-scoring tournament with Highland averaging 11.58 runs, Rigby averaging 12.23 runs and Thunder Ridge coming in at 11.08 runs.
The tournament opens Tuesday with the championship game set for Thursday.
5A
District 5
Pocatello and Century will play a best-of 3 series beginning Wednesday at Pocatello.
The district champion earns the one state berth.
District 6
Four of the six conference teams have overall winning records.
Bonneville and Hillcrest, the top two seeds, have split games during the regular season, so expect this tournament to be hard-fought and competitive.
The Bees are the hosts, with the top two teams earning berths to the state tournament.
Play begins Tuesday, with the championship game set for Thursday.
4A
District 5
Preston is the top seed and host after beating Bear Lake in last week’s regular-season finale.
No. 5 seed Marsh Valley already beat Snake River in a play-in game and will face Preston on Tuesday.
No. 2 Bear Lake beat No. 3 American Falls on Saturday and awaits the winner of Tuesday’s Preston vs. Marsh Valley game.
The championship game is Saturday, with both teams advancing to the state tournament.
District 6
No. 3 Sugar-Salem beat Teton in the best-of 3 series and will travel to No. 1 South Fremont in a best-of 3 championship series beginning Wednesday.
The series winner earn the berth to state and the runner-up will play in a state play-in game on Saturday.
3A
District 4-5
Malad is the top seed and host and plays West Side on Monday.
No. 2 Wendell and No. 3 Declo also play on Monday.
The championship game is Thursday, with the winner earning the state berth and the runner-up advancing to Saturday’s state play-in game.
District 6
Top-seed North Fremont and No. 2 Firth have already moved on to Tuesday’s semifinal after wins Saturday over West Jefferson and Ririe, respectively.
The tournament is at Firth High, with the district earning 2.5 berths to the 3A state tournament, meaning the district champion and runner-up each advance, with the third-place finisher advancing to a state play-in game.
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