Minden’s Crimson Tide got in the proper mood for the upcoming state basketball playoffs, overcoming an early Benton lead to take down the Tigers 60-46 in a non-conference warmup.

Benton jumped out to a 23-18 lead after the first quarter, but Coach Jacob Brown’s Tiders clawed their way back to take a one-point lead into the half. A 19-point outburst in the third quarter put Minden ahead 48-38 to seal the win.

Cameron Parker’s 22 points for the Tide led all scorers, while Darnell Morris and Carmelo Smith also hit in double figures with 12 and 11 points respectively. To round out Minden’s attack, Jaiden Franklin had 6, Christian Lofton added 5 and Kameron Harris tossed in 4.

Benton was led by Maddox Martinez with 16.

With the win, Minden upped its season record to 21-3, and the team now waits for the brackets to be announced for the LHSAA playoffs. The Tide’s second place District 1-4A finish (6-1), coupled with its number two power ranking in the state’s Division II Non-Select category, could result in a first round bye.

District champion Bossier (7-0, 15-10 overall) is the Division II Non-Select’s number seven power-ranked team.

First round playoff games are scheduled for Friday, Feb. 28 with second round contests slated for Tuesday, March 4. The LHSAA state tournament is scheduled for March 10-15.