The high school basketball tournament season will kick back into gear Thursday with several events in the Louisville area and across the state.
One of the top boys basketball events in Kentucky is the White, Greer & Maggard Orthodontics Holiday Classic at Lexington Catholic.
The 16-team field includes 11 squads ranked among the state’s top 25 in The Courier Journal’s preseason poll of coaches: No. 3 Trinity, No. 5 Newport, No. 6 George Rogers Clark, No. 8 Woodford County, No. 10 Bryan Station, No. 11 Frederick Douglass, No. 12 Butler County, No. 15 Manual, No. 16 Cooper, No. 17 Lexington Catholic and No. 21 Calloway County.
The tournament will tip off at 10:30 a.m. Friday and run through Monday’s championship game at 7 p.m.
Here is the schedule:
* Friday – Manual vs. Newport, 10:30 a.m.; Butler County vs. North Laurel, noon; Cooper vs. Frederick Douglass, 1:30 p.m.; Green County vs. Woodford County, 3 p.m.; LaRue County vs. George Rogers Clark, 4:30 p.m.; Lyon County vs. Lexington Catholic, 6 p.m.; Bryan Station vs. Boyd County, 7:30 p.m.; Calloway County vs. Trinity, 9 p.m.
* Saturday – Quarterfinals, 4:30, 6, 7:30 and 9 p.m.
* Sunday – Semifinals, 7:30 and 9 p.m.
* Monday – Third-place game, 5:30 p.m.; championship, 7 p.m.
Here’s a look at other upcoming tournaments:
Eastern will host the City of Middletown Holiday Classic, starting Friday and running through Sunday.
Other Louisville-area teams in the eight-team field are Southern, Atherton and Central.
Here’s the schedule:
* Friday – Conner vs. Eastern, noon; Central Hardin vs. Southern, 2 p.m.; Atherton vs. Covington Holy Cross, 4 p.m.; Central vs. Franklin County, 6 p.m.
* Saturday – Consolation bracket games at noon and 2 p.m.; semifinals at 4 and 6 p.m.
* Sunday – Seventh-place game, noon; fifth-place game, 2 p.m.; third-place game, 4 p.m.; championship, 6 p.m.
Bullitt Central’s David Vittitoe Cougar Holiday Classic is set for Friday-Sunday.
Here’s the schedule:
* Friday – Valley vs. Doss, 5:30 p.m.; Whitefield Academy vs. Bullitt Central, 7 p.m.
* Saturday – Whitefield Academy vs. Kentucky Country Day, 4 p.m.; Doss vs. Bullitt Central, 5:30 p.m.; Valley vs. Whitefield Academy, 7 p.m.
* Sunday – Kentucky Country Day vs. Doss, 5:30 p.m.; Valley vs. Bullitt Central, 7 p.m.
South Oldham’s New Year’s Classic is scheduled for Jan. 2-4. Here’s the schedule:
* Thursday, Jan. 2 – Waggener vs. Butler, 6 p.m.
* Friday, Jan. 3 – Butler vs. North Oldham, 6 p.m.; Waggener vs. South Oldham, 7:45 p.m.
* Saturday, Jan. 4 – Waggener vs. North Oldham, 6 p.m.; Butler vs. South Oldham, 7:45 p.m.
Whitefield Academy will host the Ray Zeller Christmas Classic on Jan. 3-4. Here’s the schedule:
* Friday, Jan. 3 – South Central (Indiana) vs. Brown, 6:30 p.m.; Portland Christian vs. Whitefield Academy, 7 p.m.
* Saturday, Jan. 4 – Third-place game, 6 p.m.; championship, 7:30 p.m.
The Iroquois Invitational is set for Jan. 4. The schedule:
* Saturday, Jan. 4 – Francis Parker vs. Iroquois, 10 a.m.; Shawnee vs. Marion County, 11:45 a.m.; third-place game, 6 p.m.; championship, 7:45 p.m.
The Ballard Holiday Hoops Classic will include 12 teams from Louisville, starting Friday and running through Monday’s 2:30 p.m. championship game.
Here’s the schedule:
* Friday – Presentation vs. Moore, 10 a.m.; Western vs. Southern, 11:30 a.m.; Waggener vs. Eastern, 1 p.m.; Francis Parker vs. Doss, 2:30 p.m.
* Saturday – Presentation-Moore winner vs. Shawnee, 1 p.m.; Western-Southern winner vs. Fern Creek, 2:30 p.m.; Waggener-Eastern winner vs. Brown, 4 p.m.; Francis Parker-Doss winner vs. Seneca, 5:30 p.m.
* Sunday – Games start at 10 a.m.; semifinals at 4 and 5:30 p.m.
* Monday – Fifth-place game, 11:30 a.m.; third-place game, 1 p.m.; championship, 2:30 p.m.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.
