Preview: Region XIV Tournament Men’s First Round

BAYTOWN, Texas (Interstat) — The Lee College Runnin’ Rebels and Lamar State College-Port Arthur Seahawks will meet for the third time this season with their campaigns on the line in the Region XIV Tournament men’s basketball first round Tuesday.

The No. 8-seeded Runnin’ Rebels (13-13) host the No. 9-seeded Seahawks (7-17) at 7 p.m. CDT. Lee swept the regular-season series, winning 95-74 at home on Jan. 7 and 68-56 in Port Arthur on Jan. 28.

Lee enters the postseason on a high note, having edged Trinity Valley 67-66 in overtime on Saturday. Guard Josh Smith powered that victory, playing all 40 minutes and scoring a game-high 29 points to go with six rebounds and two assists. Smith’s scoring burst will be central to Lee’s offense against a Seahawks defense that has allowed an average of 78.5 points in the two prior meetings.

Lamar State-Port Arthur snapped a four-game skid with an 85-79 road win at Paris on Friday. Forward Martins Adonry was dominant in that upset, posting a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds in 39 minutes. His interior presence, alongside Zion Young’s 22-point outing against Paris, provides the Seahawks with a potent scoring combination they hope can reverse their fortunes against Lee.

The Rebels have shown inconsistency but possess a clear offensive advantage, having averaged 81.5 points in their two wins over the Seahawks. Lamar State-Port Arthur’s defense, which surrendered 102 points to Navarro on Feb. 28, will need significant improvement to contain Smith and a balanced Lee attack that saw Moh Tounkara and Jayden Thomas also post double-doubles in the Trinity Valley win.

The winner advances to the tournament quarterfinals on Thursday. The loser’s season ends.