As their respective seasons slowly slipped away, the St. Aloysius Flashes and Lady Flashes held on to one sliver of hope — the Division 7-1A tournament.

Today’s games

Boys

5:15 p.m. – Tallulah

Academy vs. Riverfield,

at Claiborne Academy

5:30 p.m. – Vicksburg vs. WC, at Greenville-Weston

8:30 p.m. – Cathedral at St. Aloysius

Girls

4 p.m. – Vicksburg vs. WC,

at Greenville-Weston

4 p.m. – Tallulah Academy

vs. Riverfield,

at Claiborne Academy

7 p.m. –  Sebastopol at St. Al

Win just one game there and they’ll be in the playoffs, and all the disappointment will melt away.

St. Al opens the tournament at home tonight. The Lady Flashes (5-15) will face Sebastopol (11-10) at 7, while the Flashes play Cathedral in the boys’ tournament at 8:30. Although neither St. Al team has had a great year, things are looking up as they head into their final set of games.

The Lady Flashes, besieged by injuries throughout the season, will have several players healthy for the tournament. They also get back leading scorer Tori Hines, who missed a number of games while pulling double duty as the soccer team’s goal keeper. Soccer season ended last week, so Hines will be with the basketball team for as long as it lasts.

“When you put all those parts together, that’s one good girls team. Now the question is gelling by Tuesday,” St. Al coach Richard Hodges said. “I really think this girls team is better than what’s dictated. We’re missing 25 or 30 points every night from Tori.”

The Flashes (6-13), meanwhile, have won three of their last five going into tonight’s game, including a 14-point victory over Cathedral (9-12) last week. Another win tonight would send the Flashes into Thursday’s semifinals against Sebastopol (13-3) and guarantee a trip to the Class 1A South State satellite game next week.

Going deep into the tournament will take a herculean effort, but senior forward Luke Burnett said playing at home would be a huge help.

“I don’t think we’ve won but one game away, other than MSD,” Burnett said, referring to the last-place team in the division Mississippi School for the Deaf. “We play better here. The rims like us more.”

While St. Al is trying to move on to the South State tournament in the MHSAA bracket, Tallulah Academy is already there in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools ranks.

Tallulah’s boys will make their first appearance in the MAIS Class A South State Tournament since 1990 when they take on Riverfield Academy today at 5:15 p.m. at Claiborne Academy. The Trojans went 18-11 this season and finished third in the District 6-A Tournament. With a win today, they’ll face district champion Trinity in the second round Friday.

The Lady Trojans are in the South State tournament for a third consecutive season and will also face Riverfield today at 4.

Tallulah is the second seed from District 6-A and will face Riverdale on Friday afternoon if it wins today.

Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com