26th Annual Gazette-Virginian Holiday Classic

[Go_Cometss]

Friday, December 27
3:00 PM Girls-Bluestone vs Person County
4:30 PM Boys-Bluestone vs Person County
6:00 PM Girls-Gretna vs Halifax County
7:30 PM Boys-Gretna vs Halifax County

Saturday, December 28
3:00 PM Girls-Consolation Game
4:30 PM Boys-Consolation Game
6:00 PM Girls-Championship Game
7:30 PM Boys-Championship Game




The Halifax County High School boys and girls basketball teams will be looking to keep their respective winning streaks alive Friday when the 26th Annual Gazette-Virginian Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament tips off at Halifax County High School.

This season marks the seventh straight year for The Gazette-Virginian as the tournament sponsor.

Both the Halifax County High School boys and girls basketball teams enter this weekend’s Gazette-Virginian Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament undefeated. The Comets boys teams comes in with a 5-0 record that includes a big win a week ago over defending VHSL Class 4 state champion GW in Danville in the Piedmont District opener. Halifax County High School’s girls team enters the tournament with a 7-0 record and also is fresh over a win over GW in the team’s district opener.


There are different modes of motivation at play for the two Comets teams as they prepare for the start of Friday’s tournament. The Comets boys team, the winner of five of the last six holiday tournaments, is looking to defend last year’s tournament championship.

The Halifax County High School’s girls team, on the other hand, will be looking to snap what has been a disappointing streak. Halifax County High School has not won the girls tournament championship in five years, with the last Comets girls championship coming in 2013.

Person High School has won the girls tournament title in three of the last five years, with Gretna High School earning two tournament titles in the span.

The lineup of participating teams in The Gazette-Virginian Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament is the same as last year, including the boys and girls teams from Person High School in Roxboro, North Carolina, Bluestone High School in Skipwith, Gretna High School in Gretna and Halifax County High School.

While the lineup of participating teams is the same, this year’s opening-round matchups have been switched. Both the Comets girls and boys teams will face Gretna High School in the opening round on Friday. Person High School’s boys and girls teams will face Bluestone High School in the first round.


On Saturday, the girls and boys consolation games will tip off at 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. respectively, with the girls tournament championship game set for 6 p.m. and the boys tournament championship game set for 7:30 p.m.

Admission will be $6 per person each day. No local passes will be honored.

When it comes to tournament titles, the Halifax County High School’s boys team has won the championship five of the past six years.

On the girls side, Person High School has three tournament titles and Gretna High School has two titles, over the past five years.

This year marks the 17th year of the girls tournament.

 

[Scarlett_Grey]

The problem with this tournament is that the boys talent level is low, low, low. Halifax is a class 4 school and the other three schools are a NC comparable class 4 school and two class 2 teams in Gretna and Bluestone, both of which should not offer up much competition.

 

[Go_Cometss]

The problem with this tournament is that the boys talent level is low, low, low. Halifax is a class 4 school and the other three schools are a NC comparable class 4 school and two class 2 teams in Gretna and Bluestone, both of which should not offer up much competition.

I guess it's hard to attract schools to a smaller sized tournament in a rural area like this. I think Mecklenburg County High School will be added whenever construction is finished, that should really boost the region's athletics.

I also wouldn't mind seeing us play more NC teams like Clayton or any of the RDU area schools, but many of the teams already have tournaments they're involved in, and tend to stick to that tournament yearly.

 

[iDidntGetBanned]

The problem with this tournament is that the boys talent level is low, low, low. Halifax is a class 4 school and the other three schools are a NC comparable class 4 school and two class 2 teams in Gretna and Bluestone, both of which should not offer up much competition.

First of all I thought it was commendable for Danville to have the Harry Johnson Tournament. Harry Johnson is Danville Basketball so I appreciate them honoring him. I have to say that some of teams they got for the tournament were down right bad. Westover and Faith Christian played GW and Green Run, 2 top 5 teams in their respective classification. Dan River also played a team who was atrocious. Would’ve been nice to see Halifax, Reidsville and maybe Southern Durham or Durham Hillside who are an elite teams not far away play. I’m not criticizing the tournament but giving constructive criticism. Coach Harry Johnson’s philosophy was let’s play the best of the best. No cupcakes! Kudos to Green Run’s Coach Harris. He could’ve played in an elite tournament but he’s home paying homage to his coach. That’s respect!

 

[iDidntGetBanned]

I guess it's hard to attract schools to a smaller sized tournament in a rural area like this. I think Mecklenburg County High School will be added whenever construction is finished, that should really boost the region's athletics.

I also wouldn't mind seeing us play more NC teams like Clayton or any of the RDU area schools, but many of the teams already have tournaments they're involved in, and tend to stick to that tournament yearly.

Same for GW, especially in football. I think too many teams fall back on the finances excuse but if you want to play for a championship every year you have to play the best.. More often than none that means spending a little extra money. GW and Halifax are less than an hour from teams in Durham, Greensboro, Burlington and Raleigh. No way should they be playing Gretna, Patrick County, Park View, and Martinsville (in football). I’ve always thought that Halifax and GW belonged in the Seminole District, NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTS! One of the reasons I decided not to come back to the area is that content with status quo mentality. It is not the student athletes fault, the adults have failed them! They have to put the children in position to be successful.

 

[Scarlett_Grey]

Same for GW, especially in football. I think too many teams fall back on the finances excuse but if you want to play for a championship every year you have to play the best.. More often than none that means spending a little extra money. GW and Halifax are less than an hour from teams in Durham, Greensboro, Burlington and Raleigh. No way should they be playing Gretna, Patrick County, Park View, and Martinsville (in football). I’ve always thought that Halifax and GW belonged in the Seminole District, NO IFS, ANDS OR BUTS! One of the reasons I decided not to come back to the area is that content with status quo mentality. It is not the student athletes fault, the adults have failed them! They have to put the children in position to be successful.

I LOVE your status quo mentality comment. That sums up southside Va perfectly.

Ten years or so ago, the GW tournament was great and extremely competitive.

 

[Go_Cometss]

MCHS is going to shake up the district alignment next year a lot when it opens. They’ll be too strong for the James River and Tri-Rivers being a 4a school. They will probably have trouble competing with the Richmond area schools as well. I think the Piedmont District and the Seminole District will look very differently in the next alignment

 

[iDidntGetBanned]

I LOVE your status quo mentality comment. That sums up southside Va perfectly.

Ten years or so ago, the GW tournament was great and extremely competitive.

10 years ago fans would pack the Averett Grant Center 3 hours early to come support the Holiday Shootout. In 2006, GW played Potomac in the region semifinals in Danville. The game started at 7:30, there was a line of about 400 people formed at 4. My dad and I didn’t get in. GW played Booker T at the Grant Center in the state quarterfinals that same year. Dad and I stood in line for 6 hours that day to get in the game. Hundreds of people were turned away. The pride in our area just isn’t there anymore. Last year during GW’s run to the state championship there was good support but nothing like it used to be. I think GW bought 5 or 6, maybe more, bus loads to Richmond in 2007. I think the same can be said for all of our area teams. When I read the paper during the preseason, you’ll be hard pressed to find a coach or player say, we are aiming for the state championship. Jermaine Parker is the only coach that I’ve seen do it in a long tine!

 

[Go_Cometss]

10 years ago fans would pack the Averett Grant Center 3 hours early to come support the Holiday Shootout. In 2006, GW played Potomac in the region semifinals in Danville. The game started at 7:30, there was a line of about 400 people formed at 4. My dad and I didn’t get in. GW played Booker T at the Grant Center in the state quarterfinals that same year. Dad and I stood in line for 6 hours that day to get in the game. Hundreds of people were turned away. The pride in our area just isn’t there anymore. Last year during GW’s run to the state championship there was good support but nothing like it used to be. I think GW bought 5 or 6, maybe more, bus loads to Richmond in 2007. I think the same can be said for all of our area teams. When I read the paper during the preseason, you’ll be hard pressed to find a coach or player say, we are aiming for the state championship. Jermaine Parker is the only coach that I’ve seen do it in a long tine!

I heavily agree with this. School spirit in the region seems to be as low as ever. I can’t get the so called ‘Comet Crazies’ to even stand up and cheer like we used to do, let alone actually have more than 15 people in the 1,500 student school’s student section, and maybe 2-3 of those people actually somewhat try to cheer on the team.

We had both teams play Person County (Our border rival nonetheless) in the Holiday Classic, and there wasn’t a single chant from any of the students. Free throws (Which is how the girls team beat us) were practically silent until the final 1:30.

I’ve watched the Bluestone-Gretna game and it seemed like their fans were louder than we were, and Person County travels pretty well, and it was around a 60:40 split between Halifax and Person. The gym was packed, but what’s the point if there’s no noise from the crowd?

I think the distance from other teams have a big part in this. The Henry County schools get the luxury of being within 30 minutes from 3 of their district opponents, while Halifax’s closest opponent is GW, which can be over an hour drive in some places in the county. If I could afford it I would go to all of the games