Holiday high school basketball tournaments can serve as preparation for both the heart of teams’ league schedules and the postseason tournaments when they must play in consecutive days.
Several holiday tournaments are scheduled this week, including two in Chattanooga. The sixth annual Best of Preps tournament tips off Monday morning at Arts & Sciences, and the newly created Henry Bowles Christmas tournament also begins Monday at Howard.
The Best of Preps concludes Wednesday; the Howard tournament crowns champions Tuesday. Howard’s tournament features perennial state tournament contender Austin-East.
“Just playing as many games as possible will help us because we’re so young,” Howard boys’ coach Walter McGary said. “It always helps to see different styles and play quality competition. And when the postseason comes around, you like to have some experience playing in back-to-back days.
“These kinds of tournaments help you mature and grow as a team.”
MONDAY SCHEDULES
Henry Bowles Christmas Tournament at Howard
• BGA girls vs. Notre Dame, 1
• Christian Heritage girls vs. Cane Ridge, 2:30
• Maplewood vs. Austin-East, 4
• Pearl-Cohn girls vs. Christian Heritage/Notre Dame winner, 5:30
• Howard girls vs. BGA/Notre Dame winner, 7
• Howard vs. Martin Luther King, 8:30
Times Free Press Best of Preps Tournament at Arts & Sciences
• GPS vs. Arts & Sciences, 10 a.m.
• Tyner girls vs. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, 11:30 a.m.
• Baylor girls vs. Marion County, 1
• Cleveland girls vs. Chattanooga Christian, 2:30
• Notre Dame boys vs. Arts & Sciences, 4
• Tyner boys vs. Baylor, 5:30
• McCallie boys vs. Dade County, 7
• Ooltewah boys vs. Red Bank, 8:30