NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — The culminating week of a year of high school basketball competition is here as most Arkansas High Schools enter District tournaments, the first of three levels in the march toward a state championship.

Unlike a regularly bracketed single elimination format, the district tournament rewards teams who finish in the top four positions of the double round robin conference schedule.

The better league record a team can compile during the season, the greater the advantage in advancing on to the next level of play - the regionals.

Pea Ridge boys and girls varsity squads will be traveling to Springdale this week to participate in the 1-4A District, which is slated to take place on the Shiloh campus on Johnson Road.

The girls will be playing in the first round on Tuesday with the boys competingin the second round on Wednesday.

The top two teams after league play earn byes for the first two rounds withthe third and fourth place teams earning a first round bye. Teams that finish in the fifth through eighth slots will have to competein three rounds if they are to punch their ticket to the regional tournament.

The girls team battled Gentry Tuesday, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals today against Farmington slated for tipoff at 7 p.m. The Blackhawk boys are playing today at 5:30 against the winner of the Prairie Grove/Gentry game.

If the girls win their two games, they will land in a semifinal match against Prairie Grove, the top seed in the district. Winning two games would also earn the Lady ’Hawks a berth in the Regional Tournament next week in Farmington.

If the boys win that first game against either Prairie Grove or Gentry, they will advance to the semi-finals against Farmington Friday night at 8:30 p.m. Their first win would also earn them a trip to the regional.

Finishing first or second in conference play earns schools an automatic semifinal berth in district aswell as an automatic berth in the Region Tournament.

Teams finishing third and fourth (the Blackhawk boys were third) need only a single victory to get into the regions. All semi-final teams in district qualify for regions.

Once into the region competition, it only takes a first round victory to be awarded a state tournament position. For example, if a first or second place conference finisher loses its first game in the district, it would still advance on to regions. Should that team win the first round game region game then lose the semi-final game and then the third place game, they would still advance to state in spite of losing three of four post season contests.

Although that scenario rarely happens, it does transpire that way on occasion. Arkansas league play, more than in most states, rewards successful teams with advantageous post season pairings.

DISTRICT 1-4A TOURNAMENT BOYS

First Round

No. 5 Berryville vs. No. 8 Gravette Tuesday 5:30 p.m.

No. 6 Prairie Grove vs. No. 7 Gentry Tuesday 8:30 p.m.

Quarterfinals

No. 3 Pea Ridge vs. PG/Gentry winner Wednesday 5:30 p.m.

No. 4 Shiloh vs. Berryville/Gravette winner Wednesday 8:30 p.m.

Semi-finals

No. 1 Huntsville vs. Shiloh game winner Friday 5:30 p.m.

No. 2 Farmington vs. Pea Ridge game winner Friday 8:30 p.m.

Finals

Saturday 7:30 p.m.

GIRLS

First Round

No. 5 Gentry vs. No. 8 Pea Ridge Tuesday 4 p.m.

No. 6 Gravette vs. No. 7 Berryville Tuesday 7 p.m.

Quarterfinals

No. 3 Huntsville vs. Gravette/Berryville winner Wednesday 4 p.m.

No. 4 Farmington vs. Gentry/Pea Ridge winner Wednesday 7 p.m.

Semi-finals

No. 1 Prairie Grove vs. Shiloh game winner Friday 4 p.m.

No. 2 Shiloh vs. Huntsville game winner Friday 7 p.m.

Finals

Saturday 6 p.m.

Sports, Pages 7 on 02/17/2010