By Dan Hardenbrook
A third showdown between local rivals will highlight this year’s Girls MHSAA Division 4 District 101 Tournament, which tips off with semifinal games tonight and concludes with the championship contest on Friday. After earning the top seed, the host Newberry Lady Indians will welcome the underdog Engadine Lady Eagles tonight at 6 p.m. in the J.L DeCook Gymnasium.
Newberry won both regular season meetings with Engadine, and is the heavy favorite to advance to Friday’s finals. The Lady Indians defeated Engadine 66-10 on January 19, then 68-18 on February 12.
Newberry has had a leg up in the rivalry in recent years, claiming bragging rights in six consecutive regular season meetings. They have also eliminated Engadine with District wins in back-to-back seasons. With Newberry chasing down a long-awaited league title and top seed in the bracket, the Lady Eagles have worked to steadily improve with a young team, which they have throughout the season.
The winner of this evening’s Newberry/Engadine matchup will also have extra incentive: the victorious team will have home court advantage for the District 101 Championship on Friday, where they will face the winner of the second semifinal.
In the other semifinal, Rudyard will visit Brimley tonight. The Lady Indians earned a pair of wins over both of those teams during the regular season. They hope that the third time will be the championship, sending them to their second straight District title and a return to the MHSAA Regionals, where another third-time matchup could await with the St. Ignace Saints.
