[2/12/04]The St. Aloysius boys basketball team needs a win tonight to secure the No. 3 seed in the Region 7-1A Tournament.

The Flashes (9-15, 7-4) must win by more than six points against the current No. 3 team Mississippi School for the Deaf and do so with their leading scorer, Kyle Richards, hampered by an ankle injury. St. Al lost by six to MSD on Jan. 15, and enters the game having lost three of its last four games.

But coach Paul Hayden expects a big game from his starting five.

“I have five senior starters, and it’s senior night tomorrow night for them,” Hayden said on Wednesday. “This a group that’s been with me for four years, and just that alone should fire them up. Hopefully, they’ll come out with a lot of emotion.

“And we haven’t played at home in a while. Maybe that will get us back on a better streak than we’re on right now.”

Starters Drew Mazzanti, Anthony Rector, John David Hosemann, Dario Lawrence and Richards, all will take the floor for their last home game tonight. David Weiland also is a senior and may start if Richards is unable to.

Playing together for four seasons has helped these seniors develop understanding and communication on the court.

“Chemistry sometimes just isn’t there, but that’s something we didn’t have to worry about this year,” Rector said.

If they can win by more than six points, the Flashes will face either Pelahatchie or Enterprise-Lincoln in the first round of the tournament, which begins on Tuesday in Natchez. In region play, St. Al has defeated both teams twice during the season.

If the Flashes lose, they will stay in fourth place and will play Natchez Cathedral on its home court.

“Third place would be a pretty good situation because you play the sixth-place team,” Hayden said. “That’s better than playing Cathedral at Cathedral. Even though Cathedral’s 5-7, it’s an archrival and it’s a situation where I don’t want to play them at their place.”

Richards, who leads the team with 20.4 points per game, injured his ankle early in Tuesday’s loss to Puckett. If he’s unable to play, the Flashes may be forced to alter their offensive schemes.

“Whenever we’re struggling or down by six or eight, we go right to him, and we count on him to score every time he gets the ball,” said Rector, who is second in scoring with 16.5 points per game. “He usually comes through, and that’s really big. He’s like our security blanket.”

The Lady Flashes (11-13, 5-6) find themselves in a similar, must-win situation. With Enterprise at 6-6 in the region and MSD at 6-5, a St. Al win tonight would create a three-way tie for third place.

If St. Al can win by more than 11 points, they can take the No. 3 seed into Tuesday’s tournament, but Hayden said that’s not as easy as it may seem.

“Beating MSD by more than 11 is going to be a chore,” he said. “Can we win? Yes. I definitely think we’re capable of beating them. MSD, Enterprise and us are similar teams. We just kind of play each other pretty close.”

The Lady Flashes also may be without one of their post players. Caitlin Moak is questionable with a hurt ankle.

Injuries and sickness have played a role in the last few games for the Lady Flashes who have lost two straight. But Laura Beth Lyons one of four seniors, including Moak, Nicole Ellis and Candice Park thinks everything will come together tonight.

“We’re going to play good because we know that we have to win,” she said. “I think everybody’s just going to click together and try harder because it’s the last home game, and we all want to win.”