Boys basketball: Bureau Valley at Princeton, one last time

Bureau County fans attending tonight’s Bureau Valley at Princeton boys basketball game at Prouty Gym should take it all in and remember the moment.

Tonight’s game will be the last regular-season scheduled game between the Bureau County rivals for the foreseeable future.

Princeton has elected to no longer schedule Bureau Valley in basketball or any other sport in the future with the Storm leaving the Three Rivers Conference. BV announced last fall it would be moving to the Lincoln Trail Conference.

The Bureau County rivals have met 42 times dating back to the 1995-96 season when the Bureau Valley district was formed.

They have met every year since with the exception of 2012-13.

In their very first meeting, in 1995-96, David Stutzman hit the shot heard around Bureau Valley for a 54-51 Storm winner at Bollman Fieldhouse in New Bedford.

The Storm also won their first meeting at Prouty Gym 73-72 in 1996-97.

Another memorable moment saw the Storm rally for their third straight sectional championship for a 52-41 win at the Storm Cellar in 2001-02.

Princeton beat BV 63-40 in a regional semifinal game in 2009-10 at Prouty Gym in Coach Brad Bickett’s last game at BV.

The Tigers and Storm met for the first time as Three Rivers Conference foes in 2014-15 with the Storm winning big, 69-49, at Prouty Gym.

The Tigers won 10 straight from 2018-19 through 2022-23 until the Storm broke through with a 62-56 win at home in the final Christmas County Classic last month.

Princeton holds a 24-19 series edge, including a 9-8 mark at Prouty Gym and 15-8 at the Storm Cellar.

Both BV and Princeton will continue to take part in the Colmone Classic at Hall and would be paired in potential future Class 2A postseason pairings.