I’m going to be sure to enjoy a few days of peace and quiet over the holidays.
The high school schedule is very light, almost nonexistent, during the early half of the week.
But when I return to the office on Thursday, that’s when things start to heat up again.
This weekend marks a busy weekend of teams playing in holiday tournaments.
On Friday alone, there are 33 basketball games featuring local teams on the schedule. And when you consider we cover 48 boys and girls basketball teams — and that’s not counting the B schools — that’s a lot of hoops.
There’s so much basketball this weekend, it doesn’t end on Saturday.
There is even high school basketball on Sunday this week. It’s a rarity, but there’s a reason for it.
Now, if you are hosting a holiday tournament at some destination location like San Diego or the Arizona desert, you can start the tournament on Friday, continue on Saturday, have a day off Sunday and finish it on Monday.
Teams like having that day off to see the sights or spend the day at the beach.
But if you’re hosting a tournament in, say, Vancouver, well the allure of the beach at Frenchman’s Bar in late December isn’t quite the same.
So you just finish the tournament, crown the champion and let everyone go home.
The good news about the tournaments closer to home is they provide plenty of opportunities to watch some prep hoops this weekend.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of your viewing options.
Hoops on the Holiday: Evergreen High will again host its annual girls basketball event. This year’s teams include R.A. Long, La Center, Hudson’s Bay, Seton Catholic. Games will tip off at 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. each night from Thursday to Saturday.
Les Schwab Invitational: The Battle Ground boys will take part in the annual showcase at Liberty High School in Hillsboro, Ore. The Tigers will face Jefferson of Portland at 10:30 a.m. Thursday to open the five-day event.
Fort Vancouver Holiday Tournament: This year’s event at Fort features a boys and girls bracket. The Trappers and Hockinson are the two local entries in the boys event. Fort will play Enumclaw at 3:40 p.m. Friday, while Hockinson faces Edmonds-Woodway at 2 p.m. In the girls tournament, Fort tips off the tournament at 9 a.m. Friday against Parkrose of Portland, followed by Mark Morris against Sprague of Salem, Ore., at 10:40 a.m. The tournaments continue through Sunday.
Nike Interstate Shootout: The Battle Ground and Ridgefield girls will take part in this annual girls basketball showcase in Lake Oswego, Ore. The four-day tournament starts Friday (includes games on Sunday) and concludes Monday. Battle Ground opens against Jefferson of Portland at 2:30 p.m. Friday, while Ridgefield plays host Lake Oswego at 11 a.m.
PIL Holiday Classic: Grant High in Portland is the site of another girls basketball tournament, with Camas and Skyview among the participants in the three-day event that start Friday and ends Sunday. Skyview opens against Lakeridge of Lake Oswego at 9 a.m., while Camas faces McNary of Keizer, Ore., at 3:30 p.m.
Pacific Coast Tournament: It’s not basketball, but wrestling. Mountain View is the host of the two-day tournament that starts Friday and features top wrestlers from Washington and Oregon.
Tim Martinez is the assistant sports editor/prep coordinator for The Columbian. He can be reached at 360-735-4538, tim.martinez@columbian.com or follow his Twitter handles @360TMart.
