Here's just a couple of random thoughts from the world of high school basketball.
St. Bernard coach Tim Payne was happy to be 5-0, after all, it means his Saints need just three more wins to qualify for the state tournament.
He also knew his Saints hadn't faced the tough part of their schedule yet and part of that began Thursday night when they were brought back to earth a bit by Plainfield.
The Panthers have had some tough games but rallied for the 75-70 win behind 22 points from Chris Smith and 21 from Corey Dilweg. Payne knew that St. Bernard would have trouble against Plainfield's inside strength and that rang true.
If you want to see an old fashioned high school basketball game tonight, you might want to check out the Putnam-Killingly game. It takes place in the band box gymnasium of Putnam complete with a pep band, large crowds (or what passes for a large crowd at Putnam's small facility), plenty of heat and generally a game that goes down to the wire between the two next door neighbors. The game is the finale to the Clipper Classic tournament and begins around 7 p.m. (Hint, it may be advisable to get there a little early, they have a habit of locking the doors when the gym is full).