67th Annual Christmas Basketball Tournament Slated for Dec. 16-19
Northwest Georgia is gearing up for one of its annual holiday tournaments. The 67th Annual Christmas Basketball Tournament, presented by the Rome News-Tribune and the Seven Hills Rotary Club, will take place from Dec. 16-19.
Sixteen basketball teams, both boys and girls, from eight local high schools will participate in the tournament.
The event will consist of Armuchee, Chattooga, Coosa, Darlington, Model, Pepperell, Rome, and Woodland (Cartersville).
The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes were also slated to compete, but were forced to remove themselves from the tournament due to an elevated number of quarantine COVID-19 cases at the high school itself – not specifically on the basketball teams.
In contrast to previous years, the Armuchee Indians will host the tournament in their brand new gymnasium. Historically, the event has been held at Georgia Highlands College.
After more than a year of construction, the Indians’ gym officially opened in December 2019. The facility includes a “state-of-the-art HVAC system, Wi-Fi capabilities, LED lighting, shot clocks on the goals and a digital-enabled scorer’s table,” according to Northwest Georgia News.
Due to coronavirus modifications put in place by the GHSA, Armuchee will allow 25% of the gym’s maximum capacity. All fans will be required to wear masks to gain entry into the tournament. Masks will be made available at all entrances for those who do not have one upon arrival.
Some games will take place in the new gym, while others will take place in the main gym.
Free streaming will be available via YouTube for all games that are held in the new gym.
The tournament will feature a double-elimination format.
On the boys’ side of the bracket, Cartersville was the favorite to take home the Gold Ball trophy.
However, now that the Canes are no longer competing, the event could be won by any team.
Woodland has shown major improvement already this season, matching last year’s win total after playing just five games. If the Wildcats were to win the holiday tournament, it could be a big sign of encouragement and positivity for this team.
On the girls’ side of the competition, Chattooga should walk away with the top prize. The Lady Tribe are one of the top teams in Class 2A and have one of the area’s most talented guards in Faith Ann Foster.
All proceeds from the tournament, that takes place over four days, will benefit high schools, colleges, and charities throughout the Floyd County area. The charity for this year’s tournament is the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northwest Georgia.
The event brings in an average of $50,000 for local charities each year, according to the Seven Hills Rotary Club.
Donations can be made through the Venmo app, by sending money to the @SevenHills-RotaryClub account.
Written by: Reagan Cofield
