Basketball tourneys bound into the Christmas season

If you are looking to sample high school basketball tournament action this week there are plenty of tasty options on the menu. Thanks to tournament organizers who got me info to regale you with in this space. ••• I see the Kate Andrews High School Girls and Boys Christmas Basketball Festivals are set for Thursday through Saturday. The Kate Andrews and R.I. Baker gyms are both being utilized for the 24-total game hoopfest.

There are eight teams in each competition. The Kate Andrews girls host Coalhurst, Winston Churchill, Vauxhall, Picture Butte, Taber W.R. Myers and Immanuel Christian. Visitors in boys’ action include Coalhurst, Cardston junior varsity, Brooks St. Joseph’s, Immanuel Christian, W.R. Myers and Lundbreck Livingstone. ••• Catholic Central has kindly hosted me in my Southern Alberta Interscholastic Adminsitrative Council activities coordinator role since 2001-02. This weekend the school presents its Winter Classic Basketball Tournament.

In fact, there are two divisions, senior and JV girls. Befitting a school with dual campuses (rare indeed world-wide) both are being utilized for the Friday and Saturday action.

In varsity play Catholic Central is joined by Calgary Bishop Grandin, Sherwood Park Archbishop Jordan, Calgary St. Mary’s, Cardston, Calgary St. Francis, Medicine Hat McCoy and Red Deer Lindsay Thurber. All games except one are at CCH Campus East.

The four-team JV Girls event is entirely at Campus West. Catholic Central, McCoy, St. Mary’s and Cardston are in the chase. ••• Meanwhile in Magrath on Friday and Saturday, it’s the annual varsity lads Zenith Invitational 2017. A reminder to those who are attending, the school is in the midst of a massive, positive renovation/enlargement in conjunction with the town, putting the larger Tom Karren Gym out of commission this season. Access to the cozy secondary Auditorium venue is around back.

The home boys entertain Sherwood Park Bev Facey, Calgary Ernest Manning, Calgary E.P. Scarlett, Catholic Central, Camrose, Raymond and Edmonton Lillian Osborne.

Bev Facey and Lillian Osborne may not be thought of as traditional 4A powers by many down here, but they have significant contributors to Alberta’s 2017 Canada Summer Canada Games silver medal-winning squad on their respective rosters. • • • I’m happy to advance data on any tournament in this freelance space as long as I get it (david.wells@holyspirit.ab.ca) by Monday of the week in question. As an aside, I know Herald staffers (sports@lethbridgeherald.com) certainly appreciate prompt results (hint, hint) with correctly spelled first names.

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The Raymond Sugar Bowl boys basketball tournament runs Dec. 26-27 this year. Potential patrons would be well advised to purchase ducats at the Raymond High School office fast. I believe the venue seats about 970 and has sold out quite regularly in the past. I pride myself on accurate crowd estimations and am pretty sure the throng at the Cardston tourney boys final last Saturday was very legitimately in that range. ••• I’m happy to see the associated Southern Alberta High School Girls and 4A Boys Basketball League

www.SouthHoops.ca website operational again this season. Many thanks to Ronna and

Mike McKee for the effort they put into the project annually.

Note I termed the site “operational.” True, but not infallible. However, overall it can be a unique resource. For example, it could easily be utilized as a game program for those who carry smartphones. ••• There are no Alberta Schools Athletic Association basketball rankings until mid-January this season. I believe that trend started last time around. Certainly makes sense to me. I’d far rather the first lists be based on a significant sample size. The ASAA hoop rankings are official, not just for public relations purposes, thus it’s important for them to be as accurate as possible. They help determine provincial wildcards and tourney seeding. ••• This Friday, Dec. 15, is an important date on the ASAA basketball calendar. That’s the deadline for team registration with the provincial office.

Now, it’s possible a team could still win an appeal and be registered if that deadline was missed, but not certain, plus there is a financial penalty even in the case of a successful appeal. So, it really is preferable for all local schools to register by Friday. WELLSIE’S WORLD - Local organized rock throwing fans of a certain age might remember the Alberta rink, skipped by Kevin Koe, winning the 2000 Canadian Mixed Curling Championships here in the ’Bridge, very soon after society in general survived the Y2K (look it up kids) scare passed. I was happy to see Koe earn the right to skip the Canadian men at the 2018 Olympics over the weekend. He still looks fairly youthful, too.

I’m really pleased Wilson Middle School has refurbished its gym as part of a major, glowing school renovation project. The original footprint, including the gym, was the first Winston Churchill High School home. For a significant period it had the largest floor space of any gym in Lethbridge and was second until around 1990. It’s particularly spacious for a middle school or junior high, even in this era.

Now the floor is top notch and six glass backboards are part of the package. It’s also nice to see an outdoor court with six hoops on the grounds.

To me, basketball is a sport that has a tremendous potential to grow on the northside in the years to come from many perspectives. Volleyball can only be enhanced by this facility, too. It’s sweet for badminton as well.