The holiday tournaments for basketball are right around the corner with the Blue and Gold and Pink and White tournaments taking place right after Christmas.
Blue and Gold
Marshfield will face up against No. 3 seed Glendale in the opening round of the Gold Division of the tournament for the nightcap game at 9:30. Marshfield enters the tournament unseeded, but no other unseeded team in the tournament has a Division 1 NCAA prospect like the Bluejays have with Teagan Curley. Glendale brings their own star with 6-foot guard Amare Witham. Witham averaged 19.2 points a game last season as a freshman and is considered one of the best rising stars in the area. It should be best player to player matchup of the opening day of the tournament.
The Strafford Indians enter the Gold Division as the No. 6 seed and will take on Mt. Vernon, who is unseeded. The Mountaineers finished 6-19 last season and brought their young core back with some experience. They are led by junior Jarrett Zerby, a 6-foot-1 guard who made All-Big 8 East as a sophomore. The Indians should have the edge with star guard Cody Voysey leading the charge and Brady Ripp covering the paint.
Logan-Rogersville enters the tournament as the No. 4 seed of the Blue Division. Head coach John Shaefer is known to always lead the Cats in a solid run in the tournament, and with the addition of freshman Chase Branham, Rogersville is a team to look out for as they take on unseeded Camdenton in the first round. The Lakers are currently 2-5 and lost to Marshfield on Tuesday, Dec. 12 by more than 30 points.
Pink and White
The Lady Jays have made solid appearances in the White Division for years and have finished the last few seasons with over 20 wins thanks to strong talent making stronger moves on the court. This year, the Jays are seeded at No. 3 and will take on Springfield Catholic in what should be a win for the first round. Catholic is 3-4 so far this season.
The Jays are 4-2, after losing twice in one of the toughest tournaments of the nation in the Nashville Shootout last week.
The tournament will only get tougher as they go deeper due the addition of Arkansas’ Greenwood, who won the Class 5 Championship in their State Tournament last year. If the Jays can knock a potential Nixa or Strafford matchup, they find themselves in the championship likely facing Greenwood.
Strafford enter the White Division as the No. 7 seed. Elsie Larsen, a sophomore, is one of the best new stars entering the entire tournament. Last year, she averaged about 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists as a freshman point guard.
The Indians will take on Bolivar in the first round. The Liberators are 6-2 this year. Last season, they went 19-9 and lost in their District Semi-Finals. The winner of this opening round between Strafford and Bolivar will likely face No. 1 Nixa in the next round.
The Lady Wildcats will enter as the No. 6 seed in the Pink Division. Logan-Rogersville has proven a team of bolstering young talent after placing third in the Fair Grove Eagle Invitational earlier this season. They are led by a younger group of talented players that are showing their skill by going 5-2 so far this season. A win in the first round will likely lead to a matchup against powerhouse Fair Grove.
Upcoming Holiday Tournaments Schedule
Blue and Gold
Dec .26 @
Rogersville vs. Camdenton @ Hammond Students Center-2 p.m.
Strafford vs. Mt. Vernon @ GSBA- 8 p.m.
Marshfield vs. Glendale @ GSBA-9:30 p.m.
Pink & White
Dec. 27
Rogersville vs. Central @ Weiser-12:30 p.m.
Strafford vs. Bolivar @ OFEC-9:30 a.m.
Marshfield vs. Catholic @ OFEC-2 p.m.
Wonder Woman Tournament @ Battle vs. Glendale and Republic
Jan. 2, 2024
Marshfield Girls Wrestling vs. Glendale and Republic
Kinloch Classic @ Springfield
Jan. 2, 2024
Marshfield Boys Wrestling vs. Glendale and Republic
Conway BBB @ Cabool Holiday Tournament
Dec. 26-29
Conway GBB @ Doug Loehr Holiday Class
Dec. 28-30
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