BPC Christmas Tournament draws teams from area, statewide

MOUNT VERNON - Fourteen high school basketball teams will be spending three days during their Christmas breaks by converging on Brewton-Parker College for BPC's second annual High School Christmas Tournament at the Student Activities Center.

Action begins Friday, Dec. 26, with semifinal games Saturday, Dec., 27, and final-round contests Monday, Dec. 29.

The eight-team boys' and six-team girls' divisions both include teams from Montgomery County, Toombs County, Wheeler County and West Laurens, with boys' teams from Vidalia, Brantley County, Bryan County and Southeast Bulloch and girls' squads from Metter and Tattnall County.

"We are excited about the opportunities we have with our facility, and it gives the area high schools the chance to play in a college atmosphere," said Steve Barker, Brewton-Parker's athletic director and men's basketball coach.

Action each day begins at 11 a.m., with the final game each day scheduled to tip at 8 p.m.

In boys' first-round games Friday, Toombs County plays Southeast Bulloch at 11 a.m., West Laurens takes on Brantley County at 2 p.m., Vidalia faces Wheeler County at 5 p.m. and Montgomery County plays Bryan County at 8 p.m.

In the boys' consolation semifinals Saturday, the Toombs County-Southeast Bulloch loser plays the West Laurens-Brantley County loser at 11 a.m., and the Vidalia-Wheeler County loser plays the Montgomery County-Bryan County loser at 2 p.m.

First-round winners from the Toombs County-Southeast Bulloch and West Laurens-Brantley County games will play Saturday at 5 p.m., and the victors from the Vidalia-Wheeler County and Montgomery County-Bryan County games meet in the other semifinal at 8 p.m.

Monday's final-round boys' schedule begins with the seventh-place game at 11 a.m., the fifth-place consolation final at 2 p.m., the third-place contest at 5 p.m. and the championship game at 8 p.m.

The girls' first-round games Friday find West Laurens opening against Toombs County at 12:30 p.m., Tattnall County against Wheeler County at 3:30 p.m. and Montgomery County against Metter at 6:30 p.m.

Girls' semifinal action Saturday features the Tattnall County-Wheeler County loser against the Montgomery County-Metter loser at 12:30 p.m.; the West Laurens-Toombs County winner vs. the Tattnall County-Wheeler County winner at 3:30 p.m.; and the West Laurens-Toombs County loser against the Montgomery County-Metter winner at 6:30 p.m.

The girls' final-round schedule for Monday begins with the fifth-place consolation final at 12:30 p.m., the third-place game at 3:30 p.m. and the championship contest at 6:30 p.m.

"An event like this certainly helps in our recruiting because the players and their parents get to see our facilities and our campus, and it gives us the chance to see 14 teams in one setting," Barker said.

-BPC-