Basketball programs welcome back Christmas Tournaments

Basketball programs went through a very different season last year, one that most notably lacked a postseason.

But it also lacked another highlight to the season that left a significant void.

The grand majority of area programs will do battle in some form of a Christmas Tournament post Christmas with most of them taking the opportunity to build some momentum as they head into the stretch run of their seasons.

Here’s a look at where local teams can be found in the holiday hoops extravaganzas around the state.

Boys

Pontiac Holiday Tournament (16 teams, Dec. 28-30): Three local squads will try their hand at one of the longest running holiday tournaments in the state, which will be contested this season for the 90th time.

In 2019, Joliet West made an impressive run through the tournament bracket, dropping a semifinal matchup with eventual champion Chicago Curie, before defeating Benet in the third place game.

Joliet West’s ability to repeat that impressive journey has an immediate impediment in the tournament’s fourth seed Bloom in the opening round’s final game. Bloom toppled Joliet West in a regular season matchup 49-44 last Tuesday.

Lockport will kick off the tournament with a matchup against West Aurora, while Plainfield North’s opening round matchup is against Pontiac Tournament stronghold a second-seeded Simeon.

Jack Tosh Holiday Tournament (32 teams, Dec. 27-31): The Tosh, hosted by York High School, has emerged as not only the state’s largest holiday tournament but one that has one of the highest levels of quality as well.

Bolingbrook enters the tournament undefeated and a real threat to repeat from the last time the tournament was contested in 2019. But there’s plenty of threats to the Raiders as the field currently includes 20 teams with records above the .500 mark. Glenbard West, Rolling Meadows, Riverside-Brookfield and Palatine look like some of the major threats.

Bolingbrook will open the tournament with a game against Providence, while Lemont will kick off its tournament with a matchup against Timothy Christian and Minooka drew St. Patrick to open the event.

East Aurora Tournament (5 teams, Dec. 27-29): Originally a tournament that included eight teams in a pool play format, the field dropped to five due to COVID issues and went to an unorthodox double elimination tournament style.

Joliet Catholic was one of the three teams that dropped out of this tournament field.

Plainfield Central remains in the field and opens the tournament by kicking off the event with a game against Clemente.

State Farm Classic (16 teams, Dec. 27-30): Lincoln-Way West and Plainfield South will both be looking to do some damage as underdogs in the tournament played at various sites in the Bloomington area.

Lincoln-Way West is the No. 8 seed in the Large School Division and will pair off against ninth seeded North Lawndale in the opening round, while 15th seeded Joliet Central, who only played one game at the time of the tournament’s seeding process will lock horns with No. 2 seed Rock Island.

Chuck Dayton Classic (16 teams, Dec. 27-30): Plainfield East is the lone area entrant in the field and will pair off against eighth seeded Dundee-Crown in the opening round. A win in the opening round would likely pit them against top seeded Naperville Central in round two.

Hinsdale Central Holiday Tournament (16 teams, Dec. 22-23 and Dec. 28-29): The only tournament involving a local team, Lincoln-Way Central, that begins before Christmas and resumes after it.

The Knights opened tournament play with an 63-35 loss to St. Rita and will play Homewood-Willowbrook in the consolation bracket on Thursday morning.

Effingham/Teutopolis Tournament (16 teams, Dec. 28-30): Lincoln-Way East is the lone entrant in this field, a tournament it claimed the title in 2019 at. The Griffins open the tournament with a matchup with Pleasant Plains.

Centralia Holiday Tournament (16 teams, Dec. 28-30): Romeoville is the lone area entrant in another tournament that is one of the longest running in Illinois. The Spartans will open tournament play against Glenwood, but it also seems likely that Romeoville might be facing an out-of-state opponent at some point in this tournament as five of the teams in the field aren’t from Illinois.

Plano Christmas Classic (16 teams, Dec. 27-30): Morris and Coal City will try to make a run in the field, with Morris taking the No. 7 seed and Coal City facing a difficult challenge with No. 3 seed Burlington Central as the foe in the game that kicks off the tournament.

Marseilles Holiday Tournament (16 teams, Dec. 27-30): Five area teams are involved in this event made up entirely of Class 1A and Class 2A schools, led by top-seeded Seneca.

Reed-Custer (No. 5) and Dwight (No. 8) are the other local seeded teams in the field, with Wilmington and Gardner-South Wilmington also a participating.

Pekin Tournament (16 teams, Dec. 27-30): Plainfield South was scheduled to be the lone entrant in the Pekin Tournament, but was forced to bow out because of COVID protocols.

Girls

Morton College Tournament (16 teams, Dec. 27-30): A power-packed field features three local programs that will have to run quite the gauntlet to earn some hardware.

Lincoln-Way West opens the tournament up for the local contingent with a matchup with Marist and will be followed on the schedule with a battle between Joliet West and Rolling Meadows. Later, Bolingbrook will lock horns with Oak Park-River Forest in the final game of the opening day.

Oswego East Holiday Tournament (10 teams, Dec. 27-30): Participating teams are split into two pools which includes five local squads.

Lockport and Joliet Central will be joined by Oswego East, Metea Valley and Sycamore in the Silver Pool, while Minooka, Lemont, Plainfield Central, Kaneland and Oswego make up the Navy Pool.

Sandburg Tournament (Dec. 27-30): Lincoln-Way Central, Lincoln-Way East, Plainfield East and Providence will all be involved in this tournament.

Peotone Holiday Classic (Dec. 27-30): A pool play event that includes local entrants from Peotone, Plainfield South, Romeoville and Joliet Catholic.

Lisle Holiday Classic (16 teams, Dec. 27-30): Coal City and Reed-Custer are the area squads in the field, with Coal City taking the No. 7 seed.

State Farm Classic (16 teams, Dec. 27-30): Plainfield North is the lone area team in this stacked field, entering as the No. 15 seed in the field and will square off with second-seeded Normal Community on the tournament’s opening day.