Along with presents, lights, candy canes, and honey glazed hams, the holiday break from school brought with it the annual Christmas Classic Tournament for the basketball boys. The two-day tournament showcased eight teams; teachers, students, and even parents helped pitch in to host the event.

  “It’s always extremely stressful to put together a tournament,” varsity head coach David Land said. “But, I know that there are people I can snatch up to make it a success, and for that I am very thankful.”

  Giving up part of their holiday to play in the tournament meant that the players gained experience against teams that they do not have a chance to compete against in regular district play, which they hope will give them an edge as they move farther into district play for the remainder of district.

  “It’s great practice to have teams we haven’t played before be there,” senior Reid Courmier said. “It makes us test ourselves against so many different talented athletes.”

  The Bison faced Coolidge in the championship game on Saturday. Coolidge applied full court pressure and was quick on the court. The Bison kept up the pace at the beginning of the game, but foul trouble hurt them throughout. After leading at the end of the first quarter, the Bison trailed at halftime. The boys came back out in the second half to tie up the score in the third quarter, but could not quite keep up the pace and fell to Coolidge 67-70.

  “It was a tough loss because the game was so close the whole time,” sophomore Bryce Pauler said. “But the tournament was still a lot of fun; I’m just happy it wasn’t a district game.”

  The junior varsity section of the tournament pitted the Bison and five other teams against one another; the JV Bison finished the tourney with a third-place trophy.