High School basketball will be a short drive away for fans looking for entertainment before Christmas this week and right before the new year comes next weekend.
Greenbrier High School will host four games each Dec. 20 and 21. Beginning next Tuesday, Evans will host 16 teams, eight each for boys and girls, for three days in the only bracket style tournament that will be played locally during the holiday break. And starting next Wednesday, Laney will be the site for six cross border matchups for each of three consecutive days. Below are the details.
Highly ranked girls teams to be showcased at Greenbrier
The first chance to take in some hoops action begins today at Greenbrier High. Josey’s Lady Eagles, the No. 3 ranked team in class 2A, will tip things off against Lee County, followed by Cross Creek’s Lady Razorbacks, the No. 8 team in class 3A, who will face Aiken. Tomorrow the Lady Wolfpack of Greenbrier, the No. 9 team in class 5A, will take on Josey in a battle between top 10 teams.
On the boys side, South Aiken (5-2), Lakeside (5-3), Aquinas (6-3), Greenbrier (4-7) and Josey (1-6) will all have a chance to sharpen their game before region play heats up in January.
The tournament is in its third year. It was called the “Wolfpack Winter Classic” until taking on its current name in honor of the beloved former Evans and Greenbrier High School basketball coach.
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Third Annual Danny Black Holiday Shootout at Greenbrier High School
Wednesday, December 21
12:30 – Lee County vs No. 3 Josey – girls
2:00 – Aiken vs No. 8 Cross Creek – girls
3:30 – South Aiken vs Lakeside – boys
5:00 – Aquinas vs Greenbrier – boys
Thursday, December 22
10:00 A.M. – Lee County vs No. 8 Cross Creek – girls
11:30 A.M. – Lakeside vs Aquinas – boys
1:00 – No. 3 Josey vs No. 9 Greenbrier – girls
2:30 – South Aiken vs Greenbrier – boys
The only bracket play tournament in town will be at Evans
For three consecutive days next week between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Evans High will be busy with bracket play basketball. Tuesday’s 5:30 p.m. quarterfinal matchup between Burke County (class 4A) and Washington County (2A) will be one to watch.
23rd Annual Monterrey Christmas Tournament at Evans High School
Tuesday, December 27 – Quarterfinal Matchups
10 .m. – Grovetown vs Washington County – girls
11:30 a.m. – Fox Creek vs Butler – boys
1 p.m. – Peach County vs Lakeside – girls
2:30 p.m. – Peach County vs Lakeside – boys
4 p.m. – Burke County vs Westside – girls
5:30 p.m. – Burke County vs Washington County – boys
7 p.m. – Evans vs Jefferson County – girls
8:30 p.m. – Evans vs Jefferson County – boys
Use these graphics to determine what the potential semi final and championship game matchups will be:
Boys –
Girls –
Border Wars at Laney
The final local holiday tournament to get underway will be the newest and possibly the most exciting because it employs a theme that passionate fans on both the Georgia and South Carolina side of the border love to argue about… Which side is best?
There’s a thriving Facebook group that keeps track of the records, and talks plenty of trash, when Georgia and South Carolina teams face off in football and basketball. And Laney’s boys basketball coach Tracey Gamble must have been thinking of such banter when he came up with the idea for the inaugural Wildcat Shootout.
“Not only is Augusta a big area for basketball. But right across the bridge over in South Carolina is also some great basketball,” Gamble explained Tuesday at the Richmond County Board of Education Basketball Media Day event at Westside High. “So one day I just started thinking about, you know, what can we do to really bring a lot of people into a tournament. So I thought, what if we can bring in those teams from right across the bridge in Aiken and make a little rivalry out of it.”
Gamble further explained a natural rivalry game that is on the schedule for day two of the event between North Augusta’s girls and Thomson. That will be the first of two games involving the No. 1 ranked North Augusta Lady Yellow Jackets, who will face No. 3 Josey Friday after taking on the No. 9 ranked Lady Bulldogs of Thomson.
“We were able to put in some rivalry games. For example, we have Coach Young from North Augusta. He’ll play against his old school Thomson,” Gamble explained. “Also, Coach Young’s North Augusta team is one of the top teams in South Carolina, and they’re going to be playing Josey, one of the top teams in Georgia. So we just had an opportunity to play some good basketball locally, where teams didn’t have to travel… It’s a great opportunity to bring some local basketball here together. It worked out pretty good.”
Die hard fans will be counting up the wins for their respective sides as these eighteen games unfold.
MORE: Westside Wins Region Showdown in Thomson after Khalon Hudson’s Double-Double
Wildcat Shootout at Laney High School
Wednesday, December 28
Noon – Storm Thurmond vs. Butler – girls
1:30 p.m. – South Aiken vs. Josey – boys
3 p.m. – Midland Valley vs. Josey – girls
4:30 p.m. – Storm Thurmond vs. Hephzibah – boys
6 p.m. – South Aiken vs. Laney – girls
7:30 p.m. – Midland Valley vs. Laney – boys
Thursday, December 29
Noon – South Aiken vs. Butler – girls
1:30 p.m. – Midland Valley vs. Josey – boys
3 p.m. – No. 1 North Augusta vs. No. 9 Thomson – girls
4:30 p.m. – South Aiken vs. Hephzibah – boys
6 p.m. – Strom Thurmond vs. Laney – girls
7:30 p.m. – Strom Thurmond vs. Laney – boys
Friday, December 30
Noon – Strom Thurmond vs. Thomson – girls
1:30 p.m. – Strom Thurmond vs. Josey – boys
3 p.m. – No. 1 North Augusta vs. No. 3 Josey – girls
4:30 p.m. – Midland Valley vs. Hephzibah – boys
6 p.m. – Midland Valley vs. Laney – girls
7:30 p.m. – South Aiken vs Laney – boy
Follow Chad Cook’s coverage of local sports on Facebook, and Instagram at @AugustaPressSports, and on Twitter at @AugPressSports
