Basketball fans can receive an overdose of the roundball sportthis week in the Brookhaven Academy Holiday Classic. The Classicfeatures a talented field on both sides of the bracket. Action tipsoff Monday at noon and runs through Thursday night.

There will be a championship and a consolation bracket. TheBrookhaven Academy boys and East Rankin Academy girls are defendingtournament champions.

Brookhaven Academy boys basketball coach Dale Watts said he waslooking forward to the tournament. “Boy-wise, it will be anextremely strong tournament. We have some really good teams inhere.”

Joining the BA boys are teams from Leake, Parklane, Grenada Kirk,Natchez Trinity, Oak Forest, Marshall, Bowling Green, East Rankinand Central Private.

Watts said Central Private is extremely strong. “I look forward toseeing them play. “I think Oak Forest is pretty good. Trinity isgoing to be real strong. East Rankin has a good team and their boy(Tyler Rhodes) scored 32 on us the other night.”

Watts predicted that basketball fans are in for a treat. “Thisshould be one of the best tournaments we’ve had in several years.People can really get their money’s worth. They can watch sevengames in a day.”

Watts’ Cougars are off to a 5-4 start this season. Some of hisplayers were late arrivals from the football team that reached theSouth State AA title game before losing to River Oaks, La. Amongthem is all-state quarterback Chandler Rogers who didn’t playbasketball last season as a junior. His 6-foot-3 height would helpthe Cougars around the basket.

“We hope to have Chandler ready to play,” said Watts. Rogers hasbeen sidelined by a turf toe injury suffered during the footballcampaign.

“We are still struggling to get in rhythm and play together,” saidWatts. “We just kind of fell apart in the fourth quarter againstEast Rankin.”

He was referring to last Saturday’s 77-66 setback at East Rankin asthe Patriots produced a fourth-quarter comeback.

Center Sidney Chaffin and guard Brock Smith are the veterans onBA’s 6-time defending state tournament champion team. “We have alot of newcomers this year,” said Watts.

Two of his starters, Brennan Miller and Gage Posey, were sidelinedmost of last season with injuries.

Watts will send his team against Oak Forest Monday night at 8.Leake and Marshall have opening round byes. Consolation bracketaction is scheduled Wednesday and Thursday.

Last season his Cougars beat Bowling Green 64-57 in the title gameas Chaffin tossed in 21 points.

Coach Barry Gray’s Lady Cougars were runners-up to East Rankin inlast year’s title test as they lost a 51-45 overtimedecision.

“We have 12 teams which is probably the largest and most talentedgroup we have had in the tournament,” said Gray. “We have a No.1-ranked A team (Delta). We also have No. 1, No. 2 and No.3 in AAwith Leake, Marshall and us.

And the No. 3 team (East Rankin) in AAA.”

Gray compared the Classic to a state tournament because of thelarge number of potential champions. “It’s like a state tournamentbecause of the high-quality field. We are expecting a bigturnout.”

Gray said his 8-member varsity squad was in good physicalcondition, with the exception of junior forward Laura Beth Wrightwho is nursing a sprained ankle.

“Laura Beth’s ankle is a little sore but having eight days offshould help her get healthy,” said Gray. Wright, junior guard TerahWinborne and senior center Anna Katelyn Mangold are averaging indouble figures for the Lady Cougars.

Thursday night’s championship games are at 6:40 (girls) and 8(boys).

BA Holiday Classic

Monday’s Games

Noon, girls, Delta vs. Oak Forest

1:20 p.m., boys, Bowling Green vs. Natchez Trinity

2:40 p.m., girls, Grenada Kirk vs. East Rankin

4 p.m., girls, Parklane vs. Bowling Green

5:20 p.m., girls, Leake vs. Natchez Trinity

6:40 p.m., boys, Parklane vs. Grenada Kirk

8 p.m., boys, Brookhaven Academy vs. Oak Forest

Tuesday’s Games

Noon, girls, Centreville vs. Marshall

1:20 p.m., girls, Delta-Oak Forest winner vs. Parklane-BowlingGreen winner

2:40 p.m., boys, Marshall vs. Trinity-Bowling Green winner

4 p.m., girls, Leake-Trinity winner vs. Kirk-East Rankinwinner

5:20 p.m., boys, Leake vs. Parklane-Kirk winner

6:40 p.m., girls, Brookhaven Academy vs. Prentiss Christian

8 p.m., boys, East Rankin vs. Central Private

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