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.

RLNN File Photo

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.