The twelve-team Lincoln Trail Conference has tried many different formats for their boys and girls conference tournaments through the past several years. From bracketed to pool play type of tournaments and from holding it at different locations throughout the week-long ordeal or having it at one facility, not everyone has agreed upon any way to put it on. With it being held in the middle of the conference schedule, there were always complaints on how the tournament was seeded. The conference may have found its best format yet.
This year, the boys and girls tournaments will be held after the conference schedule has been completed, so a true seeded tournament is possible. Also, instead of a grueling week of climbing on and off a bus, each tournament will be held in a span of five days with each team playing a maximum of two games each. The top four teams in the conference standings will play a championship bracket, with teams from 5th-8th playing a bracket for 5th place. The bottom four teams in the final conference standings will play a bracket for 9th place. Though there is one more conference game left to play for everyone, the top four have secured their spots in the tournament.
The United Red Storm secured a spot in the championship bracket with a senior night win over ROWVA/Williamsfield last night. The Red Storm will be the 3rd seed and will take on this year’s tournament hosts, the Wethersfield Flying Geese, at 4:30 on Saturday afternoon in the semifinals. The top seed is the A-Town Tornado girls, who are undefeated in the conference at (10-0). The Tornadoes will battle their local rivals, Knoxville, in the second semifinal on Saturday at 6:00. The tournament championship and 3rd place games will take place at Wethersfield High School next Wednesday.
Red Storm coach Chris Olson is happy his girls have secured their spot and is looking forward to potentially playing for a tournament championship.
United played Wethersfield on January 27th, with the Flying Geese winning a close one 43-40 on their home floor. United is (25-3) overall, with Wethersfield at (21-4).
For the full interview with Coach Olson, go to the SPORTS PODCAST section.
