WHA top seed in Sub-Section 8A East boys playoffs

BEMIDJI – The Sub-Section East 8A boys basketball playoffs began Monday with play-in games at Laporte, Blackduck and Cass Lake-Bena.

The tournament scene will shift to Bemidji Thursday for the quarterfinals and those winners will head to the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls for Saturday’s sub-section semifinal and the final on March 12.

The Section 8A title game, matching the East winner against the West winner, will be March 15 at the REA.

Walker-Hackensack-Akeley (22-2) earned the top seed from the East. The Wolves will take either Laporte (No. 8) or Clearbrook-Gonvick (No. 9) 6 p.m. Thursday at Bemidji State. Laporte hosted C-G Monday in a play-in contest.

Thursday’s other game at BSU will see No. 4 Kelliher-Northome battling No. 5 Fosston.

Monday’s other play-in games saw No. 6 Blackduck hosting No. 11 Bug O Nay Ge Shig and No. 7 Cass Lake-Bena entertaining No. 10 Lake of the Woods.

On Thursday at Bemidji High School No. 2 Mahnomen will square off against either Cass Lake-Bena or Lake of the Woods at 6 p.m. The second game at the high school matches No. 3 Red Lake against either Blackduck or Bug O Gay Ge Shig.

Northern Freeze is the top seed in the West while Warren-Alvarado-Oslo is second, Win-E-Mac third and Kittson County Central fourth.