Bluffton and May River boys meet tonight to settle Region 8 hoops seeding

May River and Bluffton will renew their budding boys' basketball rivalry for a third time tonight to determine seeding for next week's Class 3A playoffs -- though the neutral site demands far more travel than the distance between the two campuses.

The game is set for 8 p.m. at Wade Hampton High, a one-hour drive for two teams separated by just seven miles in Bluffton. Tiebreaker sites are determined before the season begins.

At stake are the third and fourth seeds in Region 8, with the winner avoiding a trip to No.4 Brookland-Cayce in next week's opening round. The alternative isn't much less challenging, though, with No.10 Strom Thurmond the other potential opponent.

The Bobcats and first-year Sharks each finished 4-4 against Region 8 competition and split the season series. Bluffton captured the first meeting 62-60, erasing an early 13-point deficit to prevail, and May River responded with a 59-39 romp on its home court two weeks ago.

Ridgeland-Hardeeville is the Region 8 champion, ranked No.6 in Class 3A.

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Bluffton and May River boys meet tonight to settle Region 8 hoops seeding."