It's a big weekend for basketball north and south of the border. The annual 'March Madness' tournament starts today in the United States and the provincial championships for high school basketball in the province get underway today as well.

The Estevan Comprehensive School senior boys basketball team hit the road to Saskatoon today and will vie for the 5A boys provincial crown. They'll play their first game tonight against the St. Joseph's Guardians from Saskatoon. 

"We're feeling really good. We've had a couple real good practices this week and we're looking forward to the experience," Elecs head coach Trevor Dutka said. "The boys have been Googling it and looking it up and they're really excited about everything. We're looking forward to playing against the best teams in the province."

It's a stacked field for HOOPLA this year and the Elecs will have to compete with three Saskatoon teams, a trio of Regina teams and a Lloydminister school. A win over the Guardians tonight would put them in the provincial semifinal. 

Dutka believes in his team and is proud of their accomplishments this season. 

"Any given day anyone can beat anybody on the basketball court. We just have to play our game. We can't make too many errors and we have to shoot the ball well," he explained. "I think we can compete with anyone in the province and I think we've shown that at a few tournaments where we've been competitive against some really good teams."

The Elecs are led by 6'9 center Jack McGeough who is a force on the inside. They surround him with athletic guards and some good shooters and it's been a successful recipe all season.

While they do have some youth in the starting lineup, Dutka doesn't think the younger players will falter under the pressure. 

"We have a good mixture. We have a couple grade 12's and some grade 10's and one grade 11. It's a good mix, but it's a good learning experience for everybody," he noted.

Tip-off tonight is 6:00 in Saskatoon where the Elecs will look to knock off the high-powered Guardians — a team that finsihed tied for first in the Saskatoon high school league. ECS is no slouch either, having qualified through the 5A Regionals with wins over Yorkton and Swift Current. 

A win means they would play tomorrow night at 6:00 for a chance to play in the HOOPLA final, while a loss knocks them to the Consolation side of the bracket and would have them on the court again tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. 

Check with the HOOPLA site for updated results.