By Marcus Stone
Schools might be closing for the holidays in the coming weeks, but that does not mean their basketball teams will be getting any time off. The Holiday season is filled with Christmas and New Year’s tournaments that the majority of area teams will be participating in.
With re-districting, most schools have already dipped their toe in their district schedule before the holiday break. Below is a recap of the first few weeks of the season, along with information on where teams will be playing during the holiday break.
Battle Ground Academy:
Boys (1-4): A slow start to the season can be contributed to a percentage of their roster still participating in football. Now with the BlueCross Bowl over and the football players turning to basketball, the reigning Division II-A champions will gain momentum. They host Notre Dame Friday and will play in the Above the Rim Tournament Dec. 27-30.
Girls (2-7, 0-1): The Lady Wildcats look to add a notch to their win column with a contest at Mt. Juliet Christian Friday and by hosting their own invitational Dec. 29-31. Historically, BGA has done will in their own tournament.
Brentwood:
Boys (10-2, 2-0): The Bruins are in good shape atop District 11-AAA, a league they have dominated over recent history. They have one final district contest at Franklin on Friday before they take part in the Mt. Juliet Chik-Fil-A Classic Dec. 19-20 and the Father Ryan Tournament Dec. 27-30.
Girls (10-0, 2-0): The Lady Bruins will look to stay undefeated against the Lady Rebels Friday. They will take part in the Beech Tournament Dec. 27-30 where, if they get passed Franklin, will be hard-pressed to keep a zero in the loss column.
Brentwood Academy:
Boys (5-0): BA has had an unusually uncharacteristic strong start to the season. They look to keep momentum Friday against Nashville Central and a difficult match up against Hillsboro Saturday. The Eagles will also host the Brandan Wright Holiday Classic Dec. 22-23.
Girls (6-1): The Lady Eagles are no stranger to strong starts. They have the same schedule as the boys – against Nashville Central, Hillsboro, and hosting the Brandan Wright Holiday Classic.
Centennial:
Boys (2-6, 0-2): The Cougars look to get their first District 11-AAA win Friday at Dickson County. Centennial will travel to Kentucky Dec. 29-30 for the Logan County Tournament.
Girls (3-3, 0-2): The Lady Cougars also look to get their first district win at Dickson County, but the Lady Cougars are a much tougher task than the boys’ team. They are currently 7-0.
Christ Presbyterian:
Boys (5-1): The Lions have loads of talent again in 2014 and look to make a run at the state championship. They host Christian Academy of Knoxville Friday and travel to Columbia Academy Saturday before traveling to Kentucky’s Fairdale High School for the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic beginning Dec. 19 and hosting the Next Level Hoop Fest Dec. 29.
Girls (6-0): The Lady Lions have not only been winning games, they have been winning them big. Their average margin of victory in their six games has been 24.3. They do not list any holiday tournaments on their website.
Fairview:
Boys (1-5): The Yellow Jackets are one of the few teams that do not list a holiday tournament on their schedule. They will travel to Montgomery Central for a game Friday and host Stewart County on Saturday.
Girls (0-6, 0-3): The Lady Jackets have the same schedule as the boys – at Montgomery Central Friday and hosting Stewart Co. Saturday.
Father Ryan:
Boys (2-4): The Irish travel to Goodpasture Friday and host Notre Dame Saturday before hosting their own tournament over the Holidays.
Girls (4-2): Father Ryan will look to build strength into the Division II-AA schedule by playing in the Gallatin Christmas Classic Dec. 19-20 and the White County Christmas Tournament Dec. 27-30.
Franklin Road:
Boys (7-2): The Panthers have a tough weekend with Donelson Christian Friday night and Lipscomb Academy Saturday. They will be traveling to Knoxville Dec. 26 for the Maryville Christmas Tournament.
Girls (6-2): The Lady Panthers have the same tough weekend as the boys, but have different plans for the holidays. They will be playing in the Smokey Mountain Classic Dec. 27.
Franklin:
Boys (5-3, 1-0): The Rebels are in the middle of the 11-AAA pack currently. A win against rival Brentwood Friday would go a long way to change that. They will be playing in the Overton Christmas Tournament Dec. 27-30.
Girls (1-5, 0-1): The Lady Rebels schedule is the same as the boys’ – host Brentwood Friday and traveling to the Overton Christmas Tournament Dec. 27-30.
Independence:
Boys (6-5, 1-1) The Eagles are in a similar spot to Franklin in the middle of 11-AAA. They get a break from district play Friday as they host Riverdale. They will be playing in the Columbia Christmas Classic Dec. 19-20 and the Overton Christmas Tournament Dec. 27-30.
Girls (2-7, 0-2): After a tough game against Riverdale Friday, the Lady Eagles will look to gain momentum by playing in the Lawrence County Classic Dec. 19-20 and the Overton Christmas Tournament Dec. 27-29.
Page:
Boys (3-6): The Patriots have Friday night off, but travel to play Smith County on Saturday. They will play in the Community High School Classic Dec. 18-19 and the Eagleville Classic Dec. 27-29.
Girls (2-3): The Lady Patriots will play in the same holiday tournaments as the boys, but have different plans Saturday. They will travel to Stratford.
Ravenwood:
Boys (4-5, 1-1): Along with BGA, the Raptors’ early season was slowed by players being absent due to football. They return in time for an important district match at Summit. After that, Ravenwood will play in the Coffee County Tournament Dec. 20-23 and the Seymour Tournament Dec. 27-30.
Girls (7-3, 2-0): The Lady Raptors look to jump their district record to 3-0 against Summit Friday. They will be playing Dec. 19-20 in the Central Magnet Tournament.
Summit:
Boys (9-3, 1-0): A win against a full-strength Ravenwood team Friday would be huge for the Spartans, tying them with Brentwood on top of the standings.
Girls (0-4, 0-1): Summit has a tough task against a strong Lady Raptor team. Both Centennial and Franklin are both still winless in district games though, so a loss would not put them too far behind.
Both the boys and girls schedules for Summit do not list holiday games.
