UP FOR TWO — Ponchatoula’s Megen Berner (10) shoots over Hammond’s Brooke Lanier (2) and Jasmine Manuel for two of her 24 points in Tuesday’s 70-46 win over the Lady Tors. Ponchy plays Ellender at Saturday's Hall of Fame basketball event at the University Center.

The games may not officially count in Saturday's Hall of Fame basketball event at the University Center, but there will still be some winners in the community.

The five-game slate featuring teams from Hammond, Ponchatoula, St. Thomas Aquinas and Loranger — along with state powers like Ellender, St. Augustine, Reserve Christian and O.P. Walker — begins at 1:30 p.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit Loranger student Thomas Baham and Ponchatoula student Bryce McKinney.

"It's a win-win for everybody," Falcons head coach Errol Gauff said. "We get something out of it. We get to play against a strong team in a great facility. This is also just a little bit of what we can as a community to help those two young men.

"They need a lot of help, and this is just one little we could do something for the Baham and McKinney families."

LHSAA guidelines state Hall of Fame games do not count toward overall records and playoff consideration.

The Hammond Tors (15-8) open the event with a 1:30 p.m. tilt against perennial power Ellender (21-8), ranked sixth in Class 4A. Tors head coach Kilavorus Thompson said playing the Patriots will be a good test to evaluate his team. The Tors look to snap a two-game losing skid tonight in district play against Fontainebleau and having a strong showing Saturday to help put themselves in the right direction.

"If we can bounce back tonight against Fontainebleau and then have a great showing against Ellender, it'll show that we're back," Thompson said. "For our team, it would would be a confidence-booster to show that we could play with anyone in state. I'm pretty sure the guys are going to be coming to play hard."

The 3 p.m. tilt is a rematch from last year's Ladies Top 28 as Class 5A No. 4-ranked Ponchatoula (26-4) takes on Class 4A No. 2-ranked Ellender (27-4). On the same University Center court Saturday's game will be played, the Lady Patriots defeated the Lady Wave 51-34 in the 5A semifinals en route to winning the 5A state championship last year.

"I'm just glad they're in 4A, for sure," laughed Lady Wave coach Justin Adams after Ellender dropped one notch during reclassification but remains a formidable state contender. "They're playing really well right now and they're super-athletic, but that's the kind of teams we need to play more of.

"I'm glad these games are coming when they are to prepare us to play those type of teams at the 5A playoff level. Win or lose that game, it's going to make us better for the end of the year."

At 4:30 pm., Class 2A's ninth-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas Lady Falcons (17-8) take on Loranger (14-11), followed by a 6 p.m. boys clash between Class 5A No. 7 St. Augustine (19-5) and Class C No. 2 Reserve Christian (29-6).

There are connections between the Lady Falcons and Lady Wolves. Loranger head coach Amy Willie and STA head coach Misty Holton were teammates at Loranger, with Willie earning All-Sweet 16 Tournament honors in 2000 and Holton doing the same in 2001 as the Lady Wolves reached the Sweet 16 in three straight years — falling to Ridgewood in the 1999 2A state title game before beating Amite in 2000 for the 3A state title and losing to Amite in the 2001 3A title game.

Even with Holton out on maternity leave, Willie will still see some familiar faces as her Lady Wolves hit the court to help a classmate.

"(STA head football coach) John White was my predecessor and I went to school with (STA assistant) coach Jaz (Jazmin Cain)," Willie said. "We definitely want to go out there and give a good show. A lot of people are going to be out their to help, and we're going to doing our part."

Defending Class 2A boys state champion, and top-ranked, St. Thomas Aquinas (26-1) takes on Class 4A No. 11 O.P. Walker (22-5) in the 7:30 p.m. finale. Gauff said many consider the Chargers as one of the more talented and athletic teams in Class 4A, which is also considered to be the strongest class with stalwarts such as Peabody, Helen Cox and Ellender — the latter putting the only blemish on the Falcons' record earlier this season at the Sunkist Shootout in Lafayette.

"With a group like O.P. Walker, and to be playing at one of the finest arenas in the state, that should excite the young men even more to play one of the better teams in the state," Gauff said. Tickets are $5 and are still available at participating schools.

Tickets are also available at PJ's Coffee on Thomas St. in Hammond; Paul's Cafe, Wolfe Lumber and Florida Parishes Bank in Ponchatoula; and at the Piggly Wiggly in Loranger.