(New Carlisle, IN) - One area basketball team is still alive in the state tournament.  New Prairie is vying for a regional title for the first time in 18 years.  Their path couldn’t get any harder, though, with both the number one and number two ranked teams standing in their way. 

The Cougars face top-ranked Hammond in the South Bend Washington regional Saturday afternoon.  New Prairie coach Mike Bauer thinks his veteran team is ready for the challenge. “We’ve played some really good teams throughout this year and had some success with them,” he says. “I’ll go into a game with the group I have against anybody.”

If successful in their first game Saturday, New Prairie may face second-ranked South Bend St. Joseph.  Bauer doesn’t shy away from that matchup either.  “We played St. Joe once already, and we were able to beat them earlier, a one-point game at our place.”

The Cougars (19-7) play Hammond (17-1) at noon Saturday in South Bend.