Busy, busy time of the year – and then there’s the holidays

Basketball fans – in particular, high school basketball fans – are about to embark on a stretch of the season that brings about mixed emotions – depending on the individual fan.

This Friday night, both the Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs will close out the first round of our 16th District roundball schedule when we play host to the Lady Lakers and Lakers of Russell County in an all-important double-header match up. Both teams have already gone up against Metcalfe County and Cumberland County, and Friday night’s lineup is big, for both squads.

Local fans – turn out in big numbers – our teams need to hear your enthusiasm from the stands.

Then, we hit what is my least favorite part of the schedule . . .

As we close in on Christmas, we also close in on what has traditionally become the busiest time of the year for high school teams, coaches, players and fans – the holiday tournament stretch.

I’ve never hid the fact that I’m just not a fan – at all – of the holiday tournaments. Call me an old fashioned fan/former player, but I can still remember looking forward to the short break we would get as a team when we played that last game before the Christmas break, and we knew that Coach would close out that post-game gathering with those long looked forward to words – “I’ll see you back here for practice at noon the day after Christmas.”

That meant at least three or four days of break, sometimes, depending on the schedule and calendar, even more.

No more – with the invent of the holiday basketball tournament, players, coaches and fans get to spend nearly every single day of the holiday break jockeying in practice, games, meals, road time, shopping, and work.

Yep, as far as holiday tournaments are concerned – I’m “bah humbug” with the whole process. Still, it’s become a way of life, so we just accept it and do our best to enjoy it.

One consolation – and thanks to the local athletic department for this – is that one of the best holiday tournaments is right here at Clinton County High School.

Not only does our hosting of the Twin Lakes Holiday Classic (December 19-21) mean that local businesses will prosper with a host of visiting teams and fans staying in our town for the three day tournament schedule, it also means that local fans will get to watch some of the best basketball in the state – it means that travel time for our locals is reduced to the few minutes it takes to get from home or work to the Lindle Castle Gymnasium.

A separate article can be found in this week’s Sports giving an outline of the upcoming event – along with a complete schedule.

While the Dawgs are playing in their own Twin Lakes tourney, varsity and J.V., the Lady Dawgs will travel to the Elizabethtown area and the John Hardin High School hosted Pinkham Lincoln Automotive Christmas Classic December 21-23.

After a short break for Christmas, it’s back on the road with the Bulldogs headed to Allen County Scottsville for the post-Christmas South Central Bank-Halton Classic (December 27-30), while the Lady Dawgs head to Bowling Green for the Greenwood Classic tournament there (December 27-30).

by

Alan B. Gibson