We’ve reached the point of the basketball season for the holiday tournaments, showcases and more, and they dot the schedules of teams around our region.
Our local schools, too, are getting involved.
Today, Mason County Central is heading over to the campus of Ferris State University in Big Rapids to play Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills. On Friday, Hart’s girls are playing in a showcase at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids against Wyoming Potter’s House.
Next week, Ludington’s boys play at the Lake Michigan Cup two-day showcase that involves the Orioles playing Traverse City St. Francis on Dec. 29 and Grand Haven on Dec. 30.
Those are showcases, where the opponents are predetermined for either the one-day event or the two-day event.
Manistee Catholic, though, started up a four-team tournament that will be Dec. 28 and 29. The Sabers are hosting Central Lake in one semifinal game — both in the boys and girls — while the other match-up pits Fruitport Calvary Christian against Frankfort. That’s on the first day. On the second day, the winners play the winners and the losers play the losers.
Having a tournament such as Manistee Catholic’s where the second day is a wild card on who faces who should make the games a bit more entertaining as coaches and teams have far less time to prepare for each other. That’s the beauty of the old fashioned holiday tournament.
Another such tournament is taking place over in Reed City where the girls team is hosting a four-team tournament that includes Ithaca, Midland Calvary Baptist and Holton. Here’s the kicker: It’s on Dec. 30 and 31.
The schedule is a bit thin for the next two weeks, and there are some schools that are already through more than one-third of their games. Mason County Eastern girls (4-3) and Ludington girls (5-3) are already there.
It’s only been since April that schools knew they were going to be able to schedule 22 games this season, rather than the 20-game schedule that seemingly was the bedrock of basketball in our state. It’s served our schools well for nearly 40 years as teams played 20 regular season games starting in 1973-74.
There’s a possibility that the private (and made very public over two nearly two decades) hopes of a solid three-day, eight-team tournament featuring boys and girls at two sites and tied to the New Years Eve ball drop in downtown Ludington maybe could come to pass.
It’s also something where a holiday tournament was hosted here, looking back at records maintained by the Daily News. Back in 1950-51, Ludington High hosted a holiday tournament that included Hart, Fremont and Big Rapids. It lasted four years, starting in 1947-48, and it was played in mid-December, typically around Dec. 15, 17 and 19. In 1949-50, it was played closer to the new year on Dec. 28 and 30.
But to give faraway visitors of teams an experience beyond the court, one that includes the fun of the balldrop, should be an attractive one.
Basically, getting one of these old-fashioned tournaments from generations ago up and running here in our area, would be a ton of work and a ton of fun.
In the spotlight
Mallory Miller, a sophomore guard for the Mason County Central girls basketball team, showed on Monday night against Ludington just the type of player she is — and there’s potential for more.
Miller worked the point against the Orioles, and when there were times to pass, she did. When there were times to drive, she did. And when there were times to shoot, she did.
She had a big first half against the Orioles, scoring all of her career-high 14 points. It included a 3-pointer just before the buzzer sounded. Her reaction wasn’t one of shock that she hit it as she turned to her teammates on the Central bench. Just pure joy.
If what Miller did in the first half continues to blossom this season and for the next two, Monday night very well could be the bud of the seed just making its way out of the ground.
In other words, we could be witnessing something special in the days to come.
• Mason County Central senior Will Chye is rapidly making his way to the 1,000-point plateau. Chye had 828 career points entering this season, and he’s already poured in 100 points in four games. With 18 regular season games to play and 72 points to go, Chye very well could cross that line in early January.
Chye hasn’t been held to single-digit scoring since playing Oakridge last February.
Chye’s career included last season, his junior year, where we all were essentially working with 20 regular season games as COVID’s grip lessened. His sophomore year was the very late start to the 2020-21 season with fewer games, and he started as a freshman for the Spartans in the run-up to COVID’s start in 2019-20.
Chye scored 368 points last season alone, making up for some of that lost time while also drawing the most attention by other teams’ defenses.
• Ludington’s David Shillinger is proving to be a much greater scoring threat than perhaps others might have recognized. Shillinger dropped in 35 points against Oakridge on Dec. 15, a new career high.
Shillinger, a junior, has scored in double figures in four of the Orioles’ five games and is averaging 22.6 points per game. Teams may start to focus on the guard, but that is if they can.
Shillinger began the season with 600 career points. Because of the additional two regular season games this season — and he still has his senior year to go — he could cross the threshold of 1,000 points either at some point late this season or early next season.
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