The calendar may indicate that technically, we’ve only reached the mid-point of February, but for one group of local sports fans, things are beginning to look a whole lot like March.

March Madness, that is.

High School basketball fans in Clinton County and across this basketball crazed state of Kentucky, will turn their thoughts from regular season action to the post-season tournament activity next week.

For fans of the Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs, that means taking a short trip to nearby Edmonton County for this year’s 16th District Basketball Tournament.

This year’s 16th District Tournament at Metcalfe County High School will be played next Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights, February 21-25.

Local fans caught a break, so to speak, with first round play for the Lady Bulldogs and the Bulldogs taking place on the same night.

Clinton County’s squads will face-off against its counterparts from the host school, Metcalfe County, on Tuesday night, February 22. Girls’ action between the Lady Bulldogs and the Lady Hornets will tip-off at 6:00 p.m., followed by boys’ action between the Bulldogs and Hornets.

The other first-round game in tournament play will see both squads from the other two 16th District member schools, Russell County and Cumberland County, being played on Monday, February 21, beginning with girls action, again at 6:00 p.m.

Regular season game results between the four 16th District schools determine team placements in the 16th district tournament brackets, and in both instances, girls and boys division, Russell County will play in the No. 1 or top seeded position, facing the bottom seeded or No. 4 squad, Cumberland County.

Clinton County’s Bulldogs, finished 16th District play with a 4-2 overall record against district opponents to garner the No. 2 position in the brackets, facing No. 3 Metcalfe County which finished the year with a 3-3 district mark.

Clinton County’s two losses in district competition were the results of splits with both Russell County and Metcalfe County this season.

Russell County earned the top seed with a 5-1 district record, it’s only loss against a 16th District team coming against Clinton County when the Lakers were defeated 57-55 on January 14.

Metcalfe County finished district play with a 3-3 mark that included the loss to Clinton County and losses in both contests against Russell County while Cumberland County was winless (0-6) this season against 16th District opponents.

In girls’ 16th District action, the Lady Bulldogs will be holding down the No. 3 seeded position with a 2-4 record when they face No. 2 Metcalfe County Tuesdays. The Lady Hornets take a 4-2 district record into the tournament, with losses this season coming against Russell County.

The top seeded Lady Lakers boast a perfect 6-0 mark in regular season play against 16th District opponents, while No. 4 seeded Lady Panthers of Cumberland County were winless in its six games against district foes.

The championship rounds for the 16th District Tournament will see girls’ play on Thursday, February 24, and boys’ championship play on Friday, February 25. Both championship games will tip off at 7:00 p.m.

Of course the four schools are competing in next week’s 16th District tournament with the goal of advancing to the next level of post-season tournament play, the 4th Region Tournament.

Both regional tournaments, girls and boys, will be held in Bowling Green on the campus of Western Kentucky University in E.A. Diddle Arena.

The champion and runner-up squad from the 16th District will advance to regional tournament play, where they will face teams from the 13th, 14th and 15th Districts, eventually playing down to a single champion that will advance to the Sweet 16 State Tournament.

Advance admission tickets to next week’s 16th District Tournament will be available at Clinton County High School beginning this Thursday at the front office.

Advance tickets will be $4 with admission to the tournament, at the door being $5.

Only one game remains on the regular season schedule for Clinton County’s Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs, that being the Thursday night double-header outing against the Lady Trojans and Trojans of Barren County on the local hardwood.

Thursday night’s regular season finale will also serve as Senior Night for Clinton County, with a special tribute to seniors involved in athletics and other organizations held between the two varsity games.

Thursday night’s girls’ varsity game tips-off at 6:00 p.m.