All of the darkness and freezing cold temperatures this time of year can be quite depressing. At least, it is to me. Luckily, there are several high school basketball tournaments and classics taking place that provide great opportunities to escape the often-times dreary outdoor conditions.
This Friday and Saturday, Dec. 13-14, the Whitley County High School basketball teams will present the Burr Haynes Classic, honoring Coach Haynes and the 1981 district championship squads with two days of competition. Fans can watch the Colonels square off against Jackson County Friday evening at 6 p.m., followed by the Lady Colonels taking on Madison Southern at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the boys will take on Marion County at 3:30 p.m., followed by the girls hosting McCreary Central at 6:30 p.m.
Next Thursday and Friday, Dec. 19-20, the Lynn Camp boys will host the Wildcat Classic. The Williamsburg Yellow Jackets and Middlesboro Yellow Jackets will also be competing in this event, providing fans with a mini preview of sorts of this year’s 13th Region All “A” Classic.
Also next week, the Corbin Lady Hounds will host their annual Christmas Bash. Games will take place on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 20-21, and will feature the host Lady Hounds, the Caverna Lady Colonels, the Harlan Lady Green Dragons and the Lady Cardinals of Wayne County.
Looking just a little further ahead, Dec. 27-29 will be a very busy three-day period in our local area, as the Corbin Redhounds will host their Annual Cumberland Falls Invitational Tournament and the Whitley County Colonels will host the BSN Borderline Classic.
This year’s CFIT will feature the host Redhounds, Richmond Model, Lynn Camp, the Somerset Briar Jumpers, Bell County and Little Miami out of Ohio.
The Borderline Classic will feature a field of 14 teams that will include a mix of in-state and out-of-state competitors. In addition to 13th Region teams, the classic will also welcome in teams from the 1st, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th regions.
A few other classics that will be taking place within our region in the coming days include:
• The Corbin girls traveling to Somerset for the Don Hurt Insurance Classic on Dec. 27-28
• The Williamsburg girls traveling to Middlesboro for the Magic City Winter Classic on Dec. 28
• The Corbin boys (and South Laurel) traveling to Bell County this Saturday, Dec. 14, for the Pride of the Mountains Showcase
Also, after the New Year, the Lynn Camp Wildcats will join North Laurel, South Laurel, Harlan, Jackson County, Knox Central and others for the 2025 Bobby Keith Classic at Clay County High School. That should be a great day of basketball action on Jan. 18.
So, as you can see, there are plenty of options available to get out and enjoy some boys and girls high school hoops in the coming days. Best of luck to everyone hosting events, and safe travels to all of those teams who will soon be hitting the road!
