A New Format for Conference Play
The Three Rivers Conference is set to debut a crossover “shootout” event for the 2026‑27 basketball season, pairing East Division teams with their West counterparts in a series of high‑stakes matchups.
Games will be played on Saturdays, with the girls’ competition scheduled for February 6 and the boys’ on February 13, allowing teams to travel efficiently while maintaining a compact calendar.
Scheduling Details and Host Sites
Host sites will rotate each year, beginning with the six East Division schools staging the girls’ games and the West Division hosting the boys’ contests in the inaugural year; the following season the sites will flip.
Coaches Weigh In
Jeff Ohlson, athletic director at Princeton, described the event as “fun” and said that many coaches are eager to see a TRAC champion emerge from the new format, while Tiffany Gonigam, who leads the Princeton girls’ team, praised Ohlson’s efforts and called the shootout a “nice addition” to the conference schedule.
Mike Filippini, head coach of the Hall boys, expressed enthusiasm for the idea but suggested that a single venue could amplify attention and excitement, a notion he believes could strengthen the conference’s profile.
Matchup Structure and Champion Recognition
The matchup structure will see the No. 1 teams in each division face off, followed by No. 2 versus No. 2, and so on, with the winner of the division leaders recognized as the overall Three Rivers Conference champion.
Travel and Historical Context
To streamline travel, all division games must be completed by the Monday after the girls’ shootout and by Tuesday after the boys’ shootout, ensuring travel plans can be finalized promptly. A look back at the previous season reveals that had the crossover been held in 2025‑26, tiebreakers would have been required for the boys, while the girls’ pairings would have been straightforward, underscoring the competitive balance the new format seeks to achieve.