Two wholly unfamiliar foes will be taking to the court Thursday in Richmond night when the University Heights Academy Blazers begin their quest for a 10th All A Classic state championship. The Blazers are set to take on the Raceland Rams in an opening-round contest at 8pm eastern time in McBrayer Arena.
The game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams on the hardwood. When you look at a map, it is not hard to see why it is the first meeting between the two. According to Google Maps, the schools are separated by 329 miles or a drive of nearly five hours.
Raceland is making its 6th appearance in the All A Classic state tournament. The 16th Region champions’ last appearance was in 2018 when they lost 53-39 in the opening round to Louisville Collegiate.
Raceland’s other appearances have been in 1991, 1994, 1997, and 2001. The only wins for the Rams came in 1994, when they beat Christian Academy of Louisville in the opening round, and in 2001, when they knocked off Louisville Holy Cross.
For University Heights, this marks the 26th appearance in the state tournament. The Blazers have nine championships to their credit, the last of those titles coming in 2019.
UHA’s last appearance in Richmond was in 2020, when they fell 60-33 to Murray in an opening round contest.
The Blazers and the Rams will play the next to last game of the day Thursday. The winner gets the winner of the game between Owensboro Catholic and Cumberland County in Friday night’s 9:30pm game.
