Girls basketball: Bureau Valley, Princeton to meet for fourth time in tonight’s regional semifinals

The Bureau Valley and Princeton girls basketball teams will meet for fourth time this season.

This time it will be for keeps.

The Bureau County rivals will meet in tonight’s Class 2A Bureau Valley Regional semifinals at 6 p.m. at the Storm Cellar.

Princeton has won the first three meetings. The last one was a 14-point victory, but the first two were games that could have gone either way.

The Tigresses topped the Storm, 35-31, in the opening Princeton Holiday Tournament on Nov. 17.

In another close encounter, Princeton rallied from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 48-41 victory on Jan. 14 at the Storm Cellar.

Twelve days later, the Tigresses had a much easier time, winning 48-34 at Prouty Gym.

The fourth time will decide who gets to play for the regional championship on Thursday.

Princeton has set a school record for most wins with a 26-4 record. Bureau Valley (15-15) has won five straight, including a 60-45 regional opener at Chillicothe on Saturday, and nine of its last 11.

Tonight’s second game will match No. 5 Hall (17-13) vs. No. 2 Monmouth-Roseville (24-6) at 7:30 p.m. with the winner also advancing to the regional finals.

The Red Devils beat Three Rivers East rival Kewanee for the third time this season, 52-37, in Saturday’s regional quarterfinals.

The regional finals is set for 7 p.m. Thursday. The regional champion advances to the Rockridge Sectional to play the Stanford Olympia winner on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m.

At Putnam County (1A): The host Panthers (21-9), seeded No. 2, will face No. 9 Midland (9-22) at 6 p.m. in Granville in the 1A Putnam County Regionals. Midland beat Henry on Saturday.

The second semifinal of the night pits No. 3 Newark (21-7) vs. No. 6 St. Bede (9-20) at 7:30 p.m. The Bruins routed DePue, 55-12, on Saturday.

Tonight’s winners will meet for the regional title at 7 p.m. Thursday.