F-F 5 things to watch, Holiday tournament preview
As you recover from holiday celebrations, and enjoy the last few days of winter break, check out these top five holiday tournaments around Franklin and Fulton counties.
TUESDAY
Gettysburg Holiday Tournament, Chambersburg boys vs. Solanco, 6:30 p.m.: Chambersburg kicks off the Gettysburg Holiday tournament against Solanco. Both teams enter the tournament at .500, while Chambersburg is flirting with a top-10 ranking in District 3 Class 6A. The Trojans are fresh off a tough one-point loss to State College, while Solanco has lost three straight.
As the only 6A school in the tournament, Chambersburg, which returns a host of double-figure scorers and introduced effective rebounding to its already well-rounded offense, the Trojans hope to move on to the championship round against wither Gettysburg or South Western.
MVP pick: Jacob Brouse
Lower Dauphin Tournament, Greencastle-Antrim girls vs. Dallastown, 6 p.m.: The unbeaten Greencastle girls travel to Lower Dauphin to take on its toughest non-conference opponents so far this season, facing Dallastown in the opening game Tuesday.
The winner of Tuesday's game will move on to play either the ninth-ranked West York Bulldogs or fifth-ranked Lower Dauphin. While Dallastown will be a challenge for Greencastle in the first round of the tournament, the Lady Blue Devils may see their biggest test on Day 2 of the tournament as they take on two top district opponents.
Last week the Wildcats suffered a narrow loss to New Oxford, the second-ranked team in 5A.
MVP pick: Jenay Faulkner
WEDNESDAY
Hound Invitational, Shippensburg boys vs. Delone Catholic, 6 p.m.: In one of the area's longest-running holiday tournaments, Shippensburg returns to take on Delone Catholic in the first round of the Hound Invitational.
The Greyhounds look to continue their five-game winning streak at their home tournament. Delone Catholic, the sixth-ranked school in 3A, has lost two in a row, including a narrow loss to Northern York, which Shippensburg beat by nine earlier this season.
Ship will take on wither Susquehanna Township or Octorara during Day 2 of the tournament.
MVP pick: Carter Van Scyoc
THURSDAY
Big Spring Tournament, James Buchanan girls vs. Carlisle, 1:30 p.m.: Despite a tough start to the season at the Franklin County Tip-Off Tournament, the Lady Rockets have won two straight and look to make it three in the first round of the Big Spring tournament as they take on Carlisle.
On Day 2, James Buchanan will take on tournament host Big Spring, who is winless on the season, or Kennard-Dale, which is in Class 4A.
As one of the few all-inclusive holiday tournaments in the area, the James Buchanan boys basketball team will also compete in the Big Spring tournament, kicking off the first round against Biglerville on Thursday at 4:30.
The Rockets clashed with Biglerville just five days ago, claiming a 56-41 victory for their second win of the season. The boys will take on wither Big Spring or Everett in the second round.
Girls MVP pick: Aspen Anderson
Boys MVP pick: Jared Pine
Fannett-Metal Tournament, Shalom Christian boys vs. McConnellsburg, 6 p.m.: Two area teams clash in the first round of the Fannett-Metal Christmas Tournament as the 3-1 McConnellsburg Spartans take on Shalom Christian.
Shalom's Jonah Stains is close to breaking the school's scoring record, while McConnellsburg is coming off a big win over Tussey Mountain after Chase Novak dazzled the crowd with 37 points to reach 1,000 for his career.
Fannett-Metal boys vs. Md. School for the Deaf, 7:30 p.m.: For the Tigers, it's likely Mikell McGee will come into the game as the school's all-time scoring leader - he needs just two points in Tuesday's game vs. Belleville Mennonite - but the team will have to battle for an end-of-game celebration. The Orioles are undefeated heading into the F-M Tournament, while Fannett-Metal is fresh off a tough loss to Everett.
MVP pick: Mikell McGee