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Is there anything better in local high school sports than when local teams meet in the tournament?
Case in point, Wednesday's district tournament game between Indian Creek and Big Red.
The Edison Field House was packed, the crowd was into it and the teams, one watching could plainly see, both really wanted it.
Parking for the game looked more like a football Friday night than girls basketball on a Wednesday in February -- and that is a fantastic thing.
People on both sides know one another, both sides of the bleachers were full, it was loud and the crowd erupted with every bucket.
Two very good teams that have both had their own journeys to that point culminated in a very good game in a very good atmosphere.
Perhaps the only negative for local fans is that one of them had to lose.
Big Red, since losing to Creek in sectionals in 2021, had been building to that moment. And you could see how much it meant to them.
Creek has been the last area girls team standing, in Ohio at least, for the last several seasons, which is a run worth commending on its own.
On the other side of the river, Weir High's girls won a regional title and are going to state. I was there several times earlier this season when things weren't going well and have seen them on their winning streak.
One thing that didn't change in that time frame is coach Rick Stead telling me he believed in the team's talent and though it would turn around.
One of those wins on the turnaround was over Oak Glen in sectionals, another good atmosphere. The same can be said for the boys sectional game between the county rivals on Tuesday.
Earlier this season, Toronto's OVAC tournament game with Catholic Central was a packed house.
I know it's cliché, but it really does make it more fun for everyone -- even the newspaper guy in the corner taking photos.
While we may be running out of all-local match ups this season, there is still some really good basketball to be played. Go out and support our athletes if you can.
They've earned with a long season of hard work.