Trio of Local Tournaments Highlight High School Holiday Schedule

You’ve stuffed in the Christmas turkey, mashed potatoes, ham and yams. The presents have been opened and the fruit cake is gone. Now, it’s time to sit back, relax and take in some excellent high school basketball that will play out at three venues across the valley.
Three annual tournaments that have had long runs take place between Christmas and New Years that include a number of boys and girls teams from the “Big-11.”
Things kick off the day after Christmas when eight teams begin play in the 3-round K-Guard Holiday Classic at the Salem Civic Center. Opening round games have Lord Botetourt facing Hidden Valley at 3 PM, Cave Spring and Floyd County following at 4:30, Salem and Jefferson Forest battling it out at 6 PM, with William Fleming and Broadway playing in the nightcap at 7:30.
Fleming brings a string of K-Guard titles to this year’s event, but the amped up level of competition should make the path to the championship trophy extremely more difficult for 2019.
Consolation quarterfinal losers from the opening round games play at 3 PM and 4:30 on Friday, with the consolation quarterfinal winners going head to head at 6 PM and 7:30.
Saturday’s final round includes the seventh place game at 3 PM, fifth place at 4:30, third place at 6 and the championship game scheduled for 7:30.
A short distance away down Peters Creek Rd., the Star City Tire & Battery NIT 3-round tournament begins on Friday, December 27th at the Northside High School gym. The 8-team lineup includes a pair from the “Big-11.” Defending Class 3 State Champion Northside headlines the field with several teams hoping to pull off the upset to knock off the Vikings
Opening day games include Liberty Christian against Chatham at 2:30 PM, Christiansburg taking on Franklin County at 4:15, William Byrd tangles with Rockbridge County at 6 and host Northside plays Brookville in the 7:45 nightcap. Saturday semifinals follow with the quarterfinal losers playing at 2:30 and 4:15, with the quarterfinal winners slated for 6 and 7:45.
After skipping Sunday, the seventh, fifth, third and championship games take place on Monday, December 30th, respectfully, at the same order of times as the first two rounds.
On the girls side, three “Big-11” girls squads will be in the field at the annual Knights Winter Classic tournament, being played this year at Cave Spring Middle School on Brambleton Avenue across from Cave Spring Baptist Church due to the ongoing construction at Cave Spring High School.
The Winter Classic begins Friday with a 3-game slate that includes Franklin County against E.C. Glass at 2 PM, Lord Botetourt versus Liberty Christian at 4 and Brookville taking on Abingdon at 5:30.
On Saturday, Cave Spring and Salem join the field with the consolation semifinals pitting Friday’s Franklin County-Glass loser playing the Botetourt-Liberty Christian loser at 2 PM, followed by the Brookville-Abingdon loser versus Salem at 3:45. The semifinal winner’s bracket pits the Franklin County-Glass winner against the Botetourt-Liberty Christian winner at 5:30, followed by the Brookville-Abingdon winner against Cave Spring in the 7:15 nightcap.
Final round play for seventh, fifth, third and the championship take place on Monday, December 30th at 2 PM, 3:45, 5:30 and 7:15, respectfully.
Bill Turner

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