ROCKINGHAM — The Southeastern Middle School Athletic Conference basketball postseason is set to begin on Thursday with a few local teams looking to keep their championship hopes alive.
Both the Hamlet boys and girls teams open the first round with home matchups.
The girls are scheduled to kick things off Thursday as No. 3 Hamlet (7-2) hosts No. 6 West Hoke (5-4) at 4 p.m.
The boys will follow as No. 4 Hamlet (6-3) hosts No. 5 Sandy Grove (5-4) in a rematch of a meeting earlier in the season. The Red Rams came away with the win in that contest, 47-36, using 15 points from leading scorer Javian Drake.
Meanwhile, other boys action in the tournament pits No. 3 Cordova (6-2) against No. 6 Carver (4-5) scheduled for a 4:15 p.m. tip-off in Rockingham. The Cavs benefited from a buzzer-beating layup from guard Jamison Jones to slip past Carver in the first meeting this season.
Both Rockingham basketball teams enjoy a bye week and await the results of the first-round matchups.
The Rockets (8-1) take on the winner of Cordova vs. Carver next week, while the top-seeded Lady Rockets (9-0) will host the winner of No. 4 Carver and No. 5West Hoke.